It's been an exciting week so far. First of all, I got to spend the weekend visiting with my family in Fredericksburg, Virginia and Washington, D.C. Sadly I missed the big snow in NYC (!!) but still got plenty of cold, drizzly weather–enough to wear a scarf and hat and wish desperately for a fireplace. Second, The Yellow Table was featured on Gourmet Live as their Food Blog of the Week!! I am so honored, and excited that more people are getting the chance to read the blog. And last, but certainly not least, I created a dish the other night that might be my favorite food ever: spaghetti carbonara with garlicky greens. (Just ask Brandon–I had to stop myself from going back for a third helping.)

I made this dish on a cold, rainy night when I was craving something warm and cozy–preferably involving bacon. And what goes better with bacon than eggs and cheese? Voilà–pasta carbonara! I love this simple pasta dish, where crisp bacon is tossed with hot spaghetti, a raw egg, and some Parmesan. The heat of the pasta gently cooks the egg into a silky sauce (thinned with the pasta cooking water) that coats each strand perfectly.

As much as I love this not-so-healthy combo, I wanted to add some greens into the mix. I had some kale in the fridge, though I could have just as easily used spinach or Swiss chard. After cooking the bacon, I sautéed some shallot and garlic, then added the greens. I quickly sautéed them, seasoned them with salt and pepper, then tossed them into the pasta. It was truly a match made in heaven. I still got that bacon-egg-cheese combo I was craving, but the whole wheat spaghetti and vitamin-packed greens nudged the dish out of the totally indulgent category.

It was not a yellow table evening, I confess. We curled up on the couch with with bowls of pasta, glasses of red wine, and watched a movie. Funny enough, three and a half years ago, also on a rainy night, I made spaghetti carbonara for Brandon (and his old roommate Joel). It was the first thing I ever cooked for him. And he–the former non-veggie eater, confessed that the dish was even better now with the greens. My, how marriage changes a man!

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