Kid Carbonara

Dinner with children. The very phrase sends adults (both parents and casual bystanders) to the nearest bottle of wine. So often it is a grim affair, with weary parents staring down weeping children. (And losing the battle of wills. Every time.)
I am a hearty advocate of eating as many meals as you can with your children. By eating, I mean sitting at the table, alert to napkin placement, silverware usage, and surreptitious morsels parceled off to the family dog. It is nice to also consume food with your children (thereby demonstrating the proper placement of fork, knife, napkin, and food) but by dinnertime, I think we are all too taxed to give the time and attention both to our dinners and to our (small) children. So, lovingly and attentively, feed small people early, put them to bed, and then have a lovely, relaxing, 6-and-over-only meal. It's like vacation, with dishes. (Sadly.)
But a great deal of dinnertime misery comes from what is on the plate. Many parents virtuously try to introduce new foods (i.e. suspicious vegetables) to their children. But after a long day of play or school, kids are just not receptive to the subtle allure of kohlrabi. Trust me. Try, as much as possible, to introduce new tastes at lunchtime, when palates are fresher, and tempers are less frayed. That said, parsnip might not fly at lunchtime either. (At least for the first few dozen tries. Persist.) Go with familiar-ish things at dinner, perhaps with a little twist to add a bit more nutrition to the plate. Note: I am NOT advocating "sneaky food"--sweet potatoes lost in brownie batter, broccoli ground into pear compote. Your children will not hide healthy food on their plates at campus dining halls. Help them develop a taste for good food in its own incarnation. It is a wonderful gift.
So, what to give them? Omelettes are excellent sources of protein and a wonderful way to incorporate spinach, peppers, onions, broccoli and morsels of sausage or bacon (and really great cheese). Savory crepes are also wonderful (and really, truly easy. More on these in a later post.) I really like to give the kids soup, of the friendly variety like veggie soup with stars, avgolemono (lemon chicken soup with orzo) but many kids find soup too difficult to maneuver, and perhaps too obviously vegetable.
There is always the old standby: PASTA. Make it yummy, and add enough protein to keep little ones growing, and some broccoli to keep eyes bright and palates interested. Enter Kid Carbonara:

Recipe:

2 ounces pancetta, cut into kid sized cubes
1 egg
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup milk
3/4 cup finely, finely grated parmesan (I use a microplane grater)
2-3 ounces pasta (I use thin spaghetti because it is the favorite of the smalls)
1 cup fresh broccoli, cut into small florets ("little trees")
a few grinds of pepper (invest in white pepper if you have a kid who won't eat "those black flecks")

1. In a small saucepan over medium high heat, cook pancetta until it is crispy and nicely browned. If your kids like their bacon crispy crispy, go for it. If they like it a bit pinker, stop there. Remember to make this something they like! Drain on a paper towel.

2. While the pancetta is cooking, bring a medium pot of SALTED water to a boil to cook the pasta. There is no added salt to this recipe, so all the salty is coming from the pancetta, cheese, and the salted water the pasta cooks in, so don't forget it! Cook the pasta until it is just al dente, about three minutes before you think it is ready. Add the broccoli, put the lid on and turn the heat off. Set a timer for 2 minutes! (I tend to forget it, always, so must set an alarm.)

3. In a small bowl, whisk together egg, cream, milk, and 1/2 cup of the cheese.

4. When the timer goes off, check the pasta and the broccoli. They should be almost cooked. Drain and toss back in the warm pot. Add egg/cream mixture and pancetta and stir everything together over low heat just until the liquid starts to bubble. (This lets the pasta absorb some of the flavors and cooks the egg, in case you are worried about feeding raw eggs to your kids.)

5. Divide pasta into 2 little kid size portions, and spoon remaining cheese over the top.