Spaghetti Carbonara
Spaghetti Carbonara is a classic…a few ingredients combined with pasta create a quintessential Italian dish. Then why are there so many different recipes and techniques? Every cook has their way of making this dish but this one is the ultimate!
It’s all about amazing ingredients and technique! Typically, the creamy sauce is a combination of egg yolks and pecorino romano cheese. The problem with working just with egg yolks is that it is soooo rich and can lead to scrambling the yolks when the hot pasta is combined with the sauce. Instead, we are going to add some whole eggs, as the whites tend to “water” down the yolks a bit, giving it a full, yet smooth consistency.
We’re also going to add Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese to the pecorino romano which balances the saltiness of the traditional cheese with the nuttiness of the new cheese. It’s perfect!
The original recipe from Food & Wine calls for guanciale as the cured pork in the dish. I couldn’t find it anywhere, so I substituted pancetta. I believe that the pancetta worked, but it wasn’t as fatty as guanciale, so I added a little olive oil to make up the difference. If you can find guanciale, I would definitely use it as it will add smokiness and a touch of “barnyard funk”, as well as fattiness.
Cook the cured meat, whichever you use, until it is crisp but still bouncy. Set it aside but keep the drippings. Pour 3 tablespoons of drippings (adding olive oil if you don’t have enough) to a large bowl with ground pepper in it. Let the pepper bloom in the oil and cool for about 5 minutes.
Add the egg yolks, whole eggs, and cheeses to the pepper mixture and whisk.
Add salt to a pot of boiling water and add the pasta. Cook until al dente, but about a minute before being done, scoop our 1/4 cup of cooking liquid and slowly pour it into the egg mixture, whisking constantly. This will “temper” the eggs which will keep them from becoming scrambled eggs!
Add about 1/3 of the pasta to the egg mixture using tongs and quickly toss to combine. Add the rest of the pasta, stirring and tossing until the cheese is melted and the sauce thickens and coats the pasta.
Divide the pasta between pasta bowls, and top with the reserved guanciale. Grate some cheese over the top and serve immediately. You are going to love this!
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Spaghetti Carbonara
Makes: 4 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
- 4 quarts water
- 1 tsp black pepper, plus more for garnish
- 4 ounces guanciale or pancetta, cut into 1/4-inch pieces (about 3/4 cup)
- 5 large egg yolks
- 2 large eggs
- 3 ounces Pecorino Romano cheese, grated on the medium holes of a box grater, plus additional grated Pecorino Romano for garnish
- 2 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated on the medium holes of a box grater
- 3 tbsp kosher salt
- 1 (16-ounce) package spaghetti (preferably bronze-cut)
Instructions
Bring 4 quarts water to a boil in a large pot over high. Meanwhile, place pepper in a large heatproof bowl; set aside. Cook guanciale in a medium skillet over low, stirring often, until lightly browned, fat is mostly rendered, and guanciale feels crisp with a bouncy texture when squeezed, about 10 minutes.
Pour 3 tablespoons hot guanciale drippings over pepper in bowl; set guanciale aside. Add olive oil to the drippings to make 3 tablespoons if there isn’t enough. Let the pepper bloom in the oil for about 5 minutes.
Add egg yolks, eggs, and cheeses to pepper mixture; whisk until thoroughly blended, and set aside.
Add salt to water in pot; return to a boil over high. Add pasta; cook according to package directions for al dente, stirring occasionally. About 1 minute before pasta is finished cooking, scoop out 1/4 cup cooking liquid, and slowly pour into egg mixture, whisking constantly, until well combined and sauce is loosened.
Transfer about one-third of pasta to egg mixture using tongs, allowing excess liquid to drip off in pot; quickly and gently toss to combine. Transfer remaining pasta, allowing excess liquid to drip off in pot, to egg mixture.
Continue stirring and tossing the pasta with tongs until cheese is melted and sauce thickens slightly and coats pasta, about 1 minute. (The sauce will continue to thicken as it cools.)
Divide pasta evenly among 4 shallow serving bowls, and top with reserved crisped guanciale. Garnish with pepper and grated Pecorino Romano. Serve immediately.
Recipe from Food & Wine
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