Spaghetti alla Carbonara
Spaghetti alla Carbonara
Carbonara, one of the OG’s of Roman cuisine that shouldn’t be messed with. Any variation of the ingredients or additional of dare I say cream elicits an intense reaction from Italians. There are so many stories about the origins but I will tell you this it’s such a quick and flavorful pasta to throw together with Italian staples: egg yolks, guanciale, pecorino, spaghetti and cracked pepper.
This pasta is almost always made with a dry storebought pasta because it’s a pantry pasta, and boxed pasta is made with semola and water. A fresh egg pasta and an egg yolk pasta sauce would be considered too heavy so it goes very well with dried storebought pasta.
A note on the cheese, this dish requires freshly grated Pecorino Romano. You can sub in a different type of pecorino in a pinch, what I wouldn’t suggest is using pre-grated cheese that is bagged. They tend to add anti-coagulants to prevent clumping which in turn works against you when you’re putting the dish together and you want the cheese to bind together and melt into the pasta. Also, it’s very important that when you add the yolks your pan is not on the heat as it will scramble your eggs. This is a very easy, yet technique-driven pasta dish that comes together in less than 15
Mise en Place
Spaghetti alla Carbonara
Adjustable to many servings
Ingredients:
A portion of spaghetti per person
1 egg yolk per person
¼ cup of grated Pecorino Romano per person, plus more as needed
1 TB diced or juilenned guanciale
Cracked black peppercorn to taste
EVOO (not necessary if using non-stick pan
Salt to taste
Note: Guanciale is cured pork jowl, and is the classic staple ingredient for this dish. If it’s not available locally you can use pancetta.
Method:
Cook your spaghetti according to package instructions or until it tastes al dente. While the spaghetti cooks, grate your
Dry Spaghetti
In a bowl mix the pecorino and yolks together and set to the side.
Pecorino & Yolks
In a skillet pan, drizzle EVOO if using a stainless pan, if using a non-stick pan no EVOO needed. Add the guanciale and turn on the heat to low/medium and cook until crispy on the outside yet tender on the inside
Crispy Guanciale
Shut off heat and when the pasta is cooked drain reserving the cooking water, and add the pasta to the pan. Stir well to combine with the guanciale and the rendered fat. Making sure the heat is definitely off,then you can add the yolk/pecorino mixture and stir quickly. Add a splash of cooking water at a time to marry the yolks to the pasta, and add additional grated cheese if desired. It’s a constant quick stirring and as the yolk cooks slightly with the heat of the pasta, it will get a lighter yellow. Adjust salt to taste. In my case, I didn’t need to add any salt because the cooking water was salted and the guanciale provided enough salt. Once the pasta has a nice shiny, starchy coating of sauce you are ready to plate. Add plenty of cracked black peppercorn and buon appetito!
