Carbonara
A hearty and delicious take on an Italian classic. Use premium ingredients for the best taste.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 Tbsp butter
3 oz Pancetta, sliced 1/4″ thick
3 Tbsp white wine
1 large egg
1 tsp garlic, minced
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
3/4 oz Pecorino Romano cheese, finely grated
1/4 oz Parmesan cheese, finely grated
5 oz spaghetti
Diamond Kosher salt, fresh ground pepper and a pinch of cayenne
freshly grated cheese to serve at table
Place a serving bowl in 200 degree oven to heat.
Bring large pan of salted water to boil. Add pasta, stir occasionally and cook till al dente.
While water is coming to boil, heat butter in small saute pan and cook pancetta till crispy with golden edges.
Add wine, bring to boil, reduce by half and stir up all the tasty brown bits stuck to pan. Remove from heat and set aside.
Whisk together egg, garlic, black pepper, a pinch of cayenne and a bigger pinch of salt. Stir in cheeses. Set aside
When pasta is cooked al dente. Set aside a few tablespoons of pasta water. Drain pasta and do not rinse. Scoop into
warm bowl and immediately add egg mixture and toss together with tongs. After 10 second when pasta is evenly
coated add Pancetta mixture (be sure to scrape out all the rich juices). Toss to mix.
Taste and season well with salt &
pepper. May need to add a bit of reserved pasta water if it seems too dry.
Serve with extra cheese and black pepper.
Laila's Notes
Fantastic with all Pecorino, use a generous 1 ounce. Increase pepper to 3/4 teaspoon for a real kick.
Use bacon as long as it is not too sweet or heavily smoked.
3/4 ounce Parmesan =generous 1/3 C
1/4 ounce Romano = generous 1 1/2 T
Must use a microplane to finely grate the cheese. Will not melt properly if coarsely grated.
Have used a full flavored extra virgin olive oil instead butter for a bolder pasta (not advised if using bacon).
Though far from “authentic” this is quite tasty with the addition of 8 ounces mushrooms and 1 large sliced jalapeno.
Saute in butter or olive oil before starting pasta. Set aside and keep warm. Add with pancett
