Recipe: Canadian Mustard Carbonara

Following a craving for creamy mustard pasta I came up with this recipe for Mustard Carbonara. I added “Canadian” to the title since I added some local Ontario maple syrup.

I started by making the protein. I combined a few of my favourite ingredients to make the marinade.



Since I didn’t plan ahead I seared the chicken to ensure it turned out nice and juicy. Just add the chicken to a hot pan (about medium heat) and sear for a few minutes on each side. Then add it back to the pyrex and stick it in the oven. If you’re using a cast iron pan like I do (or a stainless steel pan) make sure it’s nice and hot before adding the chicken. That’s the trick to avoiding the chicken sticking to the bottom!



I then used the same pan to prepare the bacon - which is what makes it a carbonara! I added some more freshly chopped rosemary to the bacon.



I then sautéd the onions, shallots and garlic in my favourite ceramic-coated pot. Once they were soft I added the rest of the ingredients until it looked a little like this:



Et Voila!



This turned out amazingly well. The key I think was continuously tasting the sauce until I had the perfect combination of ingredients. Here’s the recipe:

Pasta:

• half cup both diced onion and shallots


• 4 cloves diced garlic


• 2 tbsp both dijon and grainy mustard


• half cup whipping cream


• 3 tbsp maple syrup


• 5 strips bacon


• 1 tbsp rosemary


• 1 cup penne or rigatoni 

1.  In a pot bring 1L of water to a boil and add pasta. Cook according to box directions.


2.  In a pan sauté the onion, shallots and garlic until soft.


3.  In a separate pan fry bacon on low heat with rosemary. Chop bacon when finished cooking.


4.  Add mustard, whipping cream and maple syrup to onion mixture. 


5.  Simmer for 5-10 minutes and add bacon. 


6. Drain and rinse pasta and combine with sauce.

 Chicken:

• 3 Cloves Diced Garlic


• 2 Tbsp Rosemary


• 1/2 Cup Olive Oil


• 1/2 Cup White Wine


• 1/2 Cup Kalamata Olive Oil


• 2 Tbsp Organic Lemon Juice


• 2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts

1.  Combine all ingredients in a Pyrex dish.


2. Sear chicken in a pan on medium heat on both sides for about 2 minutes per side. 


3.  Return to Pyrex and cook on 325 for 25-30minutes. 


4.  Let cool a few minutes and slice. 


5.  Arrange atop pasta.


6.  Use excess (cooked) marinade as salad dressing.