This simple Roman pasta dish derives its name from ‘carbone’ meaning coal. It was a pasta popular with the coal miners. The original recipe calls for guanciale, which is pig’s cheek, but since its not easily available, the chef has used bacon instead.
Instructions:
- In a large pan or a saucepan, heat the olive oil and fry the bacon till crisp. Set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, beat the whole eggs and the yollk well. Stir in the grated cheese and set aside.
- Boil the spaghetti in abundant salty water. Drain the pasta, reserving some of the cooking water.
- In another saucepan, toss the pasta with the egg mixture, bacon and any fat rendered from cooking the bacon, over very low heat.
- Make sure that the individual strands of pasta are all coated properly with the mixture. Season with salt, add the pasta water, give it a quick toss, and remove right away from the heat.
- The sauce should have a creamy texture, which will be lost if the pasta remians on the fire for too long.
- The idea is to cook the egg with the heat of the pasta, and not with the heat of the fire.
- Serve right away with lots of pepper, freshly crushed in a pepper mill, and more Parmesan if desired.
- Words from the chef
Many of us believe that carbonara is a cream sauce. It is not! The creaminess of the sauce comes from eggs and cheese. If you add cream, you’ll have different pasta altogether. A good one, I’m sure, but definitely not a carbonara.