Pasta Carbonara. I’m in love with Pasta Carbonara!
When I was in high school, way back before I took the vegan plunge, my grandmother took me to a small Italian restaurant down the road from where I was living. I was a super picky eater when I was younger, and the large menu was very intimidating. Nervously I asked my grandmother what she suggested, “Honey,” she said, “I always like the pasta carbonara.” Skeptically I agreed to order it, and I’m so glad I did.
There are some first bites that stick around in your mind, and every so often a smell, or a taste, or scenery will tickle that memory and spring a longing to re-experience that moment over and over again. This was one of those bites. I honestly couldn’t tell you the name of the restaurant, what it looked like, or even where it was – but I will always remember that first bite.
The serious flavor that bite packed was shocking to me. The pure umami flavor of the smoky rich silky sauce assaulted my taste buds and caused my eyes to open a little wider. “Woah” I said, “this is so good!” My grandma laughed, “I’m so glad you like it honey”. But I couldn’t respond because I was too busy stuffing my mouth full of creamy, salty, pasta goodness.
When I have memories like this, I try to break down the experience. What about that dish distinguishes it from others I’ve eaten. Did the setting contribute to my memory of the flavor, or did it stand on its own. If I break it into pieces, what are the elements that build the structure of that dish. And then I take all of that information and use it to try to recreate my memory – only this time, vegan.
In pasta carbonara, the elements that give it its distinguished flavors and textures are four items that happen to be very animal based: cream, Parmesan, eggs and pancetta (or bacon). How do I replace each element with something vegan friendly? Here’s what I came up with:
Cream: fatty, milky, velvety -> olive oil, non-dairy milk, flour.
Parmesan: cheesy, salty, sharp -> nutritional yeast, salt, garlic.
Eggs: rich, sulfuric -> kala namak (Himalayan Black Salt), onion.
Pancetta (or bacon): smoky, salty, fatty, chewy, crunchy, savory -> Sassy Birch “Not Just” Jerky, Cracked Black Pepper flavor – not rehydrated.
Now that I’ve collected all the pieces of this memory puzzle it’s time to put it together. By using these ingredients simply we can easily (and quickly) put together a vegan pasta carbonara that will tickle your taste buds, and could definitely fool your meat eating friends. Seriously, this recipe is slammin’. Don’t think I’ve been this excited to eat something in quite a while. Check it out below!
Sassy Birch Pasta Carbonara
Ingredients:
- 1 Box of Spaghetti (can sub any pasta of your choice)
- 3oz Sassy Birch Cracked Black Pepper 'Not Just' Jerky
- 1 Tbs olive oil
- 1 Small Onion (yellow onion is preferred but any onion will work), 1/4" dice
- 3 Cloves of Garlic, Minced (or very thinly sliced)
- ¼ Cup of All-Purpose Flour
- 2 ½ Cups of Non-Dairy Milk
- 1 heaping Tbs of Nutritional Yeast
- ¾ tsp of kala namak (Himalayan Black Salt), this is usually only available online or in specialty stores, feel free to substitute this ingredient with table salt.
- ¼ tsp Black Pepper (to taste)
Instructions:
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the spaghetti according to package directions.
- While the water is boiling/pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. When hot add the onions and garlic and sauté until the onion turns translucent and begins to brown, and the garlic becomes very fragrant, this will take several minutes.
- Sprinkle the flour over the cooked onions, garlic, and oil, and stir to evenly coat the ingredients. Continue to cook for about a minute to get rid of the 'flour taste', then whisk in the non-dairy milk, nutritional yeast, kala namak (or salt), and black pepper, until no lumps of flour remain.
- Continue to cook the cream sauce on medium heat for about 5 minutes until visibly thickened, whisking as needed. If the sauce gets too thick, add a splash more non-dairy milk, and if the sauce is too thin, simply cook it longer. You can also use some of the pasta water to thin the sauce and add some flavor.
- Once the sauce and pasta are done cooking, toss the cooked pasta and about half of the Cracked Black Pepper "Not Just" Jerky in the cream sauce until the pasta is evenly coated. Serve immediately.
- To plate, twirl the pasta into a nest shape on your dish, and sprinkle some of the remaining "Not Just" Jerky on top (don't skip this part!). Feel free to garnish with parsley and/or vegan Parmesan if desired.
