My “Don’t Call it Carbonara” breakfast pasta.

This is my “Don’t call it Carbonara Breakfast Pasta” made with techniques taken from Carbonara.

I use one egg yolk for about 4 ounces of uncooked pasta in a bowl big enough to hold the pasta with extra room for mixing/tossing. Add to that a tablespoon each, or more, of shredded/grated Parmigiano Reggiano (not Parmesan!!!) and Pecorino Romano (the real stuff, not just ‘romano’) along with 1/4 tsp of fresh cracked black pepper. Scramble together.

Fry up some breakfast sausage crumbles and set aside. I used about two ounces uncooked sausage here.

Cook the pasta (in this case, fettuccine) to the al dente point, but just before it gets there, save about a half cup of pasta water. Drizzle about 2 Tbsp of hot pasta water, a Tbsp at a time, into the yolk mixture to temper them. This way you won’t curdle the egg in the next step.

Scoop the pasta from the water into the egg mix with a pasta fork or tongs and mix together by folding the pasta into the mix to combine. Drizzle a Tbsp more into the pasta mix to combine. Add a pinch of the shredded Parmigiano and Pecorino, then repeat the drizzle of pasta water until it gets to the consistency you prefer. Fold in the sausage crumbles.

Top with more cheese and black pepper and maybe an over easy egg or two.