LOCAL WEDNESDAYS*: Duck Egg Pasta Carbonara

     So Local Wednesdays (like Sicilian Sunday Dinners) is another attempt to focus Morta Di Fame, give it some structure, a routine. If only I could do that for the rest of my life! Needless to say, if you have visited the Wednesday Farmer's Market at Union Square you know it is the best in the entire city. So, even if I have to get up at 5am to get there before work (who am I kidding?) I'll do my best, then make a meal with ONLY local ingredients that evening. Invite yourself over on a Wednesday (you will have to come to Queens) and enjoy a local meal with me! Or we can do it at your place.
     I am very proud to say that all components of this Carbonara Pasta dish are local, even the pasta was homemade from Knoll Crest Farms. So here is the deal: my dad hates chickens and my mom hates eggs. Hence, I have never eaten this type of pasta and until recently had no idea what it was. Did you say bacon? And eggs? And cheese? And garlic? And fresh ground pepper? On pasta? When? NOW! OKAY! 
    I used duck eggs, which is very exciting! Their eggy robustness took some getting used to. And they were gigantic; the yoke was the size of a ping pong. The shell was really resilient and I almost needed a hammer to break it. But they were beautiful and really delicious. I knew they would be perfect for Pasta Carbonara. 
     This dish is so easy, too. It takes only 20 minutes, I promise! Fry some chopped bacon until crisp, then drain on a paper towel. Meanwhile, boil your pasta. Remove some of the bacon fat from the frying pan and add chopped garlic, fresh black pepper, the fried bacon, the cooked pasta. Turn the heat off. Then crack a few eggs on top and mix into the pasta too cook them. Most recipes call for a swirl so as not to scramble your eggs, but mine were a tad scrambled. Mario Batali, as described in Bill Buford's Heat, separates his yokes and whites, mixes the whites in first, then just drops the raw yokes on top. Add some pecorino romano cheese. Serve warm and gooey with some nice local greens or broccoli rabe.

*All ingredients from the post are made exclusively from local seasonal meat and produce.

ZUCCHINI STEW WITH POACHED EGGS

This started out as a Shakertown Baked Zucchini, a recipe I found in my grandma's recipe box, but I chopped up all the zucchini then realized it was a stuffed zucchini recipe where you boil the whole zucchini, scoop out the pulp and mix it with round butter crackers and cheese, then stuff it into the zucchini shell and bake. I figured I'd make a stew instead since I had some canned tomatoes left from the fava bean pasta. This zucchini stew is the same way I would prepare Pasta with Cucuzza, which is that long green squash that looks like a baseball bat. An old Julia Child cookbook I read last night was so reassuring about poaching eggs that I felt inspired. I am so bad with eggs! This is something I have seen my Nonna do many times and it always works out. I think I did a pretty good job. I used the technique where you crack the egg and hold it in the shell in the hot liquid before releasing it so it can hold its shape. It worked. Then I put the top on to let the egg cook through and it absorbed all the wonderful flavors of the stew. This would be great served with pasta or on crusty peasant bread.

ZUCCHINI STEW WITH POACHED EGGS

2 zucchinis cut in quartered then chopped

1/2 onion chopped

2 garlic cloves chopped

1-2 bay leaves

1 tsp hot red pepper flakes

2 Eggs

1/2 cup tomatoes chopped or crushed (canned or fresh)

Parsley and Grated Cheese for garnish (optional)

Salt and Pepper 

Sautee onions, garlic, bay leaf and red pepper flakes for a few minutes. Add the zucchini. Season with salt and pepper. After it reduces in size a bit, add the tomatoes with a sauce from the can and add about a 1/4 C of water. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then simmer covered for about twenty minutes until the zucchini is tender. Then poach 2 eggs on top, by cracking the eggs on top of the sauce, seasoning with salt and pepper and putting the lid on for less than 5 minutes. Garish with chopped parsley and grated cheese. Serve plain with pasta or on crusty bread.