Recipe: Spaghetti Carbonara
A refrain you will see over and over on in my recipes here is that simple is often the best and the hardest to master. I have seen so many ways to make Spaghetti Carbonara; some with pancetta, some with cream, etc. The essence of this dish lies in folklore about its creation. Known as the "coal miners food" it is believed by some that prostitutes would make the dish because it is quick, easy, and cheap, yet really good and place the plates of Carbonara outside their windows to lure Coal Miners in as they went home. So with that, this is utter simplicity.
Ingredients
- 4 extra large eggs, plus 1 additional egg yolk
- 1/2 cup of freshly grated pecorino cheese (please no substitutes for this. You need a really good block that you can grate yourself to provide the flavor to the dish. You could use Parmesan, the king of cheeses, but pecorino to me has a bite that makes this dish)
- Black Pepper to taste (black pepper is not that commonly used in Italian cooking, but here it is essential. Fresh cracked black pepper... in this case, when you think it's too much... add a little more)
- Salt to taste as well as a lot of salt for the pasta water
- 1 lb spaghetti, fresh or dried (the dried pasta stands up to the sauce which helps it, the fresh will absorb it, so it's a matter of preference)
- A ladle of pasta water
- 1 tablespoon butter
- Drizzle of Olive Oil
Begin by bringing a large pot of water to boil and adding enough salt that it tastes like the ocean. If you're using dried pasta, drop it at this point because the prep for everything else will be done when the pasta is finished cooking. If using fresh, hold off on dropping it until all the prep is done.
Crack eggs into a bowl with the additional egg yolk. Grate cheese and add almost all of it, reserving a little for the cooking state. Add salt and pepper and whisk together until homogeneous. Sometimes a little water can be added.
When the pasta is done, in a skillet over medium low heat, add the olive oil to the pan. Then add the egg / cheese mixture. At this point you cannot walk away, you need to stir constantly from here till the end so that eggs never develop into scrambled eggs, but stay in their creamy consistency. Add the drained pasta to the pan and continue to stir and cook over medium low heat until the sauce thickens. Add a small amount of pasta water to the dish to make a little loose again and then continue to thicken.
When it is the right consistency that the velvety sauce is clinging to the pasta, turn off the heat and take off the heat. Add the butter and reserved cheese and toss. This is called the marriage, making the pasta and sauce one. The butter and cheese will emulsify and bring the two together. Serve immediately and top with more cheese and black pepper.
Enjoy!
