It wouldn’t surprise me if by this point you thought that I only eat pasta. I promise, last week was much more pasta-heavy than usual for me, so please keep reading for new, non-pasta dishes next week! For now, though, one more pasta…
Carbonara is one of my favorite pasta dishes. When I was in Rome, it was all that I ate (besides pizza…and gelato). The ingredients are simple: pasta, eggs, pancetta, parmesan, and garlic. It’s creamy, cheesy, and salty. Delicious. Unfortunately, well-prepared versions of this dish are uncommon on American menus. Occasionally, I’ll find it at an Italian restaurant, with a description of a creamy sauce that sounds nothing like the carbonara I loved in Italy, so, with a few exceptions, I’ve basically stopped ordering it.
Months after returning from our trip, wishing I was back on my vacation, I was inspired to make it myself. I came across a recipe from Tyler Florence on the Food Network that sounded simple enough, and the flavors were wonderful. The original recipe can be found here, and below is my version with just a few adjustments.
If there is one thing I can emphasize, it is using quality, fresh ingredients. I only make this when I buy fresh pasta, because I think it tastes better (though you can use regular, dry pasta if you want). I use a big piece of parmesan that I grate myself, and I use freshly purchased eggs because they don’t get cooked through (and I’m not sure that makes a difference from a food-safety standpoint, but I feel better about it). I buy good pancetta from the deli counter at an Italian store and dice it myself, and I think it tastes better. The extra effort is definitely worth it.
And, like I said, the eggs in this dish are not fully cooked, so don’t eat this if you are particularly susceptible to food-borne illness. Make one of my other recipes instead!
Linguine alla Carbonara
Serves 2-4 (depending how much pasta you use/how hungry you are)
Prep + Cook time: 20-25 mins, all active
Ingredients
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/4 lb pancetta (buy thickly sliced), diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 to 1 lb fresh linguine or other long pasta (ours was about 0.8 lb for 2 hungry people)
2 eggs
1 cup freshly grated parmesan plus extra for topping
1/2 cup reserved pasta cooking water
salt and pepper
Place a medium to large pot of salted water on the stove to boil for the pasta. In the meantime, in a separate large skillet, heat the olive oil. Start prep work by dicing pancetta and mincing garlic.
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| Can you spot Lucky’s leg in the picture? |
Add the pancetta to the oil on medium heat, allowing it to start browning. After about 3 minutes, add the garlic, and stir, continuing to cook. Once the pancetta becomes crispy (and before the garlic browns), turn the heat down low while waiting for the pasta to cook.
While that’s cooking, crack two eggs into a medium mixing bowl, and grate one cup of parmesan cheese. Whisk together, and set aside.
Once the water is boiling, add the pasta. Fresh pasta takes only 3-4 minutes to cook, so watch carefully for the noodles to float to the top. I tested every 30 seconds or so until they were perfectly al dente.
Using tongs or a spaghetti server, add the pasta to the skillet of pancetta and garlic and toss, making sure to coat the pasta in the rendered fat from the pancetta (I find this easiest to do with tongs). Turn off the the burner at this point.
While stirring, slowly add the egg and cheese mixture to the pasta, being sure to stir/toss with the tongs to coat all the pasta. If you do this while the pan is still too hot, the eggs will scramble, so be careful. Add about 1/2 cup (more if desired) of the pasta cooking water and stir to desired consistency. Add salt (you won’t need much, if any) and lots of pepper to taste.
I like to serve this in a bowl. You can top with more freshly grated cheese, but I didn’t even need it. Enjoy!
Possible substitutions, omissions, and additions: honestly, the only thing you can change around is the pasta. Try spaghetti, whole wheat spaghetti or linguine, or another long pasta. Everything else has to stay!
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