Pensieri di un lunatico minore

Spaghetti alla Carbonara

The history of spaghetti alla carbonara is intertwined with the closing days of World War II. And while some historians attribute its creation to hungry American soldiers in Rome, it rarely reaches the heights in this country that it does in Rome. For me, a carbonara is the height of perfection in pasta, surpasing even the more foundational aio e oio (garlic and oil). In a good carbonara, the creaminess comes not from cream, but from the perfect use of eggs against the residual heat of the spaghetti. Correctly done, spaghetti alla carbonara is a textural and sensual wonderland.

Alas, it is usually gloppy, gummy and otherwise a pale imitation of the real thing. What I’ve tried to capture here is the essence of a carbonara, and the technique that should hopefully make it succeed every time. This is not a low-fat recipe, but do not let the ingredients scare you, as the quantities that are involved are small on a per-serving basis.

For 6 servings.

1/2 lb		pancetta, or slab bacon
5 cloves		garlic
3 tbsp		extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup		dry white wine1
2		large eggs2
1/2 cup		parmigiano-reggiano, grated
1/4 cup		peccorino-romano, grated
2 tbsp		parsley, chopped
1 1/2 lb		pasta, prefferably spaghetti
to taste		course ground fresh black pepper3

1. Slice the pancetta or bacon into 1/4 inch wide strips.
2. Crush the garlic with the blade of a knife, but do not chop. Discard the skin.
3. Place a heavy pan on medium-high heat and add the olive oil and crushed garlic. Allow the garlic to sauté until it is lightly golden brown. Remove and save for later.
4. Add the pancetta to the oil, and cook over medium-high heat until it just begins to crisp around the edge.
5. Add the wine (or stock) and allow to reduce down by half, approximately 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat.
6. Break the eggs into the bowl to be used for serving. Beat them lightly with a fork, then add the cheeses, parsley and a very liberal amount of freshly ground pepper.
7. Add cooked and drained, but not rinsed, spaghetti to the serving bowl, tossing rapidly to coat. Do not allow it to sit, or the eggs will scrambled, rather than turn to a near custard.
8. Reheat the pancetta over high heat, and add to the bowl, tossing thoroughly.

1. Serve immediately. Do not delay. Do not freeze, do not refrigerate, do not take a nap.

   Note that I do like a little but of crushed red pepper that I add when I take out the garlic. I find the heat cuts any “heaviness” that would otherwise exist.

   ¹ If you are avoiding alcohol, or simply do not have it around the house, then chicken stock is a passable substitute.

   ² Because of the nature of this recipe, I can understand some people’s adversion to it, as it requires using “raw” eggs, cooked only by the heat of the pasta. If this is a problem, seek out eggs pasteurized in their shell.

   ³ Please do not try and substitute pre-ground pepper here. The pepper forms a key component of the dish, and it must be ground fresh to have its full pungency.

   This entry was posted at 5:59 pm on 15 August 2007 and is filed under Food. You can follow any responses to this entry through the post-specific RSS 2.0 feed.

   2 September 2007 Duncan

   Thanks so much for this recipe. I’ve been eating it at least once a week since learning it. It’s awesome.

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