Spaghetti alla carbonara
This famous pasta recipe can be found at the table of most any Italian home. I had to learn this dish by myself because my mother wasn’t interested in it as she preferred risotto more than pasta. Since then it has become a regular at our house.
Ingredients:
1 lb. spaghetti
3 XL pasteurized eggs*
1 Tbsp. heavy cream (optional)
1 1/2 cups guanciale or pancetta** cut in cubes
2 Tbsp. fresh grated pecorino romano cheese***
freshly ground black pepper
sea salt to taste
Instructions:
1. In a large nonstick skillet cook the bacon just enough to melt the fat but not so much that it becomes crispy. If the bacon is fat drain of the excess grease.
2. In the mean time prepare the spaghetti as directed. Don’t put too much salt in the water because the bacon itself is already salty.
3. In a bowl add the eggs, the heavy cream, the parmesan 1 pinch of salt and a good pinch of pepper. Beat all the ingredients with a fork until well mixed.
4. When the pasta is ready add it to the bacon, the skillet should be still warm. Quickly add also the eggs mixture and mix until well coated. Be careful not to cook the eggs, the sauce should be creamy.
Notes:
*If you are worried about the health risks from eating uncooked eggs I suggest that you ask your grocer for pasteurized eggs. I know that in the U.S. you can purchase them in a carton.
** guanciale is cured and unsmoked pork jowls. If you don’t find it use pancetta which is bacon but unlike bacon is not smoked. It’s cured in salt and spices and aged for few months. I don’t know if it’s imported but you can find the American-made pancetta in Italian markets and specialty stores.
*** If you don’t find the Pecorino romano cheese you can substitute it with Parmesan cheese. Please don’t buy the cheese in the box, buy genuine Italian Parmesan.
There is a disturbing trend in the world of Italian cooking. It is the addition of cream to many pasta sauces that were original cream free. Carbonara for one and I have now seen it added to marinara sauce as well. What has happened to good simple Italian cooking. Its very rare that you can find a restaurant that will serve cabonara without cream. Thier ususal reason is that without cream the dish would be too dry and the cream is used to help sauce bond to the pasta. However in a correctly prepared carbonara dish the eggs do the job of the cream. They should be the mixed in with the pasta just before it is served thus they cook from the remaining heat in the pasta and remain creamy.
Also if you are recommending to your readers that they use genuine Parmesan cheese, why dont you call in by its propern name Parmigiano or Gran Padano
Regards,
Vincent
Dear Vincent,
Vincent, I exactly know what you mean by disturbing trend, and the term can be applied to a lot of Italian dishes that are made with completely wrong ingredients. I personally like to add a spoon of heavy cream in my spaghetti alla carbonara, I like to have a more delicate flavor, and even if it’s not the original recipe, there are a lot of Italians that like this variant.
About the cheeses you mentioned, I never suggest brands to my readers for obvious reasons. It should also be noted that Parmigiano Reggiano and Grana Padano are two different brands and two different cheeses, even if similar.
Ciao,
Patty
Dear Patty,
In your Carbonara recipe, you call for 3 eggs, don’t you mean 3 egg yolks?
Stewart
Dear Petty
I also add some cream to the egg&cheese mixture, but I always use a very light crea (10% fat). I cook without cream soetimes, which is still good but with cream it’s always a bit better. Anyway, I add a little cream only so the sauce turns our more eggy than creamy. Speaking of eggs, per 100 grams of spaghetti (portion for one person) I use one whole egg and one egg yolk. Try adding some garlic once you have fried the pancetta. That way it’s really delicious.
Best of luck with your coocking.
George