Carbonara
Carbonara is bacon-and-egg pasta, a true classic from Italian cuisine. This is the food of the people! I never order it out because everyone messes with it: They add cream, mushrooms, ham -- all kinds of stuff that simply doesnt belong. Yes, I acknowledge that this dish is heavy and bad for you, especially when eaten in copious amounts. But eating this out of the pan or one large bowl with two forks is extra-sexy. Usually, this recipe makes six servings.
Carbonara is bacon-and-egg pasta, a true classic from Italian cuisine. This is the food of the people! I never order it out because everyone messes with it: They add cream, mushrooms, ham -- all kinds of stuff that simply doesnt belong. Yes, I acknowledge that this dish is heavy and bad for you, especially when eaten in copious amounts. But eating this out of the pan or one large bowl with two forks is extra-sexy. Usually, this recipe makes six servings.
- Carbohydrate 59.6961388333333 g
- Cholesterol 125.852 mg
- Fat 27.8955981666667 g
- Fiber 2.56374670214256 g
- Protein 26.3510393333333 g
- Saturated Fat 10.4752707166667 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (170g)
- Sodium 809.2559 mg
- Sugar 57.1323921311908 g
- Trans Fat 5.2196617 g
- Calories 612 calories
Step-by-step
- Put a large saucepot of water on to boil. Add a liberal amount of salt and the pasta. Cook to al dente, about 8 minutes.
- Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil and pancetta. Brown pancetta 2 minutes. Add red pepper flakes and garlic and cook 2 to 3 minutes more. Add wine and stir up all the pan drippings.
- In a separate bowl, beat yolks, then add 1 large ladleful (about 1/2 cup) of the pasta cooking water. This tempers the eggs and keeps them from scrambling when added to the pasta.
- Drain pasta well and add it directly to the skillet with pancetta and oil. Pour the egg mixture over the pasta. Toss rapidly to coat the pasta without cooking the egg. Remove pan from heat and add a big handful of cheese, lots of pepper, and a little salt. Continue to toss and turn the pasta until it soaks up egg mixture and thickens, 1 to 2 minutes. Garnish with parsley and extra grated Romano.
Tempering the egg yolks with a ladleful of boiling pasta water is the absolute pivot point between a silky sauce and scrambled eggs. Dropping raw yolks directly into a hot pan subjects them to proteins that instantly coagulate into yellow curds, so introducing starch-rich cooking water gradually raises their thermal threshold. Browning the chopped pancetta in extra virgin olive oil over medium heat requires exactly two minutes to render the fat without scorching the meat, after which the garlic and red pepper flakes need precisely two to three minutes to release their aromatics. Deglazing the skillet with dry white wine dissolves the browned fond left by the pork, building a complex acidic foundation that cuts through the richness of the Romano cheese. Boiling the spaghetti or rigatoni in heavily salted water until it reaches the al dente stage, roughly eight minutes, ensures the interior retains a firm structural resistance before it absorbs the pan drippings. Rapid tossing off the heat creates an emulsion where the fat, starch, and egg blend into a glossy coating rather than separating. Leftovers demand careful handling because direct reheating will instantly turn the eggs solid, so cold slices should be gently warmed in a covered skillet over low heat with an extra splash of water to loosen the fat matrix. Stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, the prepared pasta remains stable for up to two days.
