Spaghetti alla Carbonara is one of my favourite dishes, it’s fast, simple and delicious. When I had a dinner party recently, I knew instantly this was going to be my main dish. The problem with carbonara in the west is that everyone seems to add cream. I think this might be due to a lot of people being put off by the idea that they could be eating raw egg, but honestly, Italians have been cooking it without cream for decades and they haven’t all died of salmonella.
What you will need:
- A pan
- A frying pan (I use a wok sometimes though)
- Spaghetti – I highly recommend fresh pasta whenever you have the option. I’m told making pasta is easy, but it’s not something I’ve tried yet
- Eggs – I use 1.5 per portion, so 3 eggs for two people. I like to pick the freshest ones, or ones with the most orange yolk.
- Parmesan Cheese, grated – The cheese is probably the most important part, so don’t skimp out! There’s huge differences in quality, so pick a good one!
- Pancetta or pork cheek (cut into small cubes) Sometimes I use both.
- Black pepper
- Optional: I sometimes add mushrooms, or drizzle with truffle oil – you can add to the basic recipe, purists might hiss but I don’t care, I like mushrooms.
Instructions:
- Boil the spaghetti until al dente. I find this kinda hard to do, but normally I just guess. With fresh pasta, I normally take 3 to 4 minutes on boil.
- In the frying pan, fry up the pancetta until it’s nice and crispy.
- In a bowl, beat the egg and then add the grated cheese. Beat into an eggy, cheesy mixture.
- Drain the pasta and add it to the frying pan. Coat/cook the pasta in the oil and meat, add the black pepper to taste.
- Take everything off the hob and let it cool slightly.
- Add the egg mixture and just toss everything up. The cheese should melt as the egg cooks making this delicious sauce. If the temperature is too high then the egg scrambles.
I OFTEN scramble the sauce when I’m cooking for myself, mostly because I’m super impatient. However when I had the dinner party, or I have someone else eating with me, I do it properly. It’s much better that way!
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- It’s so nice looking, and the water is so cloudy from the fresh flour
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- Seriously, look at how nice and meaty that looks. Fry it up nice and crispy!
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- Look at the beautiful golden colour of the yolk
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- eggy cheesey mixture so golden and eggy
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- Mmm look at that cooking, with the pancetta and the egg
Honestly, the whole thing takes me about 10-15 minutes to do. It’s so fast!
I hope you guys will try it out, and remember, don’t worry if you overcook the Spaghetti alla Carbonara!