Carbonara Concoction

Today, we are between pay days.  The natives are getting restless.  They want food, and they want it now. Sure, we could dig in the couch cushions for change and get a couple of Sonic hot dogs, but it's much more fun (and healthy) to use what I can find in the kitchen.

Mac and cheese?  Nope.  No milk.

Hot dogs?  Got the dogs, but no buns.  Not even a can of Pillsbury crescent rolls to make those ridiculous little pigs in a blanket.

Okay, time to get creative.

Digging around, I found that I had the following:
Bacon
A red onion
Some elbow macaroni
Chicken broth
Parmesan cheese
A bottle of Sherry (hadn't turned to vinegar yet - amazing!)
Some half-and-half (which is a staple around here, because Mom gets really cranky if she doesn't get her coffee)
Fresh garlic

Okay!  I can make food out of those things.

First, I cooked up the macaroni until it was al dente.  Drained it, and set it aside.  (For three people, I used 1/2 pound of macaroni.  You can use any pasta, this is just what I had on hand)

The Sauce
Coarsely dice 4 strips of bacon, fry until crisp.
Transfer bacon to paper towels to drain.
Remove all but about 1 Tbsp of bacon fat from pan.

Dice about 1/2 cup of red onion.
Mince 3 cloves of garlic.

Add to hot bacon fat in pan, saute' until onion is tender and beginning to brown.
Deglaze pan with a splash of Sherry (to taste, I think I used about 2 Tbsp)
Add 1/2 can of chicken broth.
Reduce heat to low.  Add about 1/4 cup of half and half.

Simmer, stirring frequently, until sauce reduces and begins to thicken.

Now, grab a clean spoon and taste the sauce.  You'll probably want to add some seasonings.  I added a bit of salt, some freshly ground black pepper, and a few shakes of red pepper flakes.  Once you get the seasoning adjusted the way you like it, pour the sauce into the pan you used to cook the macaroni, turn the heat up to medium-low, and toss the macaroni into the sauce.  Fluff it around a bit so the macaroni gets nicely coated with creamy bacon greasy goodness.

Stir in about 1/2 cup (more or less, to taste) of grated parmesan.

Just before serving, stir in the crispy bacon chunks.  You can top each serving with a little extra parmesan if desired.

My "Carbonara Concoction" got a grinning thumbs-up from both hubby and son, who went back for seconds!

If you have "stuff" on hand, some good add-ins would be:
Mushrooms
Frozen peas
Fresh parsley
Diced cooked chicken
Fresh basil
Diced fresh tomatoes
Shallots added to the onion/garlic mixture

But I didn't have any of that stuff.