Carbonara, the original recipe

Only five ingredients for one of the most loved and known dishes in the world. AND the carbonara, the famous Roman recipe that everyone envies, based on short or long pasta, egg yolks, pecorino romano, bacon and pepper. It is also one of the most replicated recipes in the world, with results that are sometimes decidedly bizarre and very different from the traditional recipe, as happens with another great Roman classic, the cheese and pepper pasta or at amatriciana pasta. Carbonara pasta is actually very simple to make, and the real secret lies in theuse fresh and high quality ingredients: very fresh eggs, bacon, pecorino romano DOP. AND never use pepper powder, but always the one in grains to be ground fresh. For the pasta, you can choose whether to use spaghetti or short pasta such as rigatoni or mezze Maniche rigate. If you have never managed to obtain a creamy carbonara and have always had some doubts about preparing this classic of Roman and Italian cuisine, don’t worry: with our recipe you will be able to prepare the perfect pasta carbonara!

Ingredients for 2 people

  • Guanciale: 100 g
  • Yolks: 4
  • Rigatoni: 200 g
  • Roman pecorino: 50 g
  • Pepper as needed
  • Coarse salt: 1 tsp
  • Preparation: 15 minutes
  • Cooking: 10 minutes
  • Total: 25 minutes
  • Calories: 536 kcal/portion

Preparation

1

Fill a large saucepan with plenty of water and bring it to a high flame, adding 1 teaspoon of coarse salt. While the water is heating up, place the guanciale on a cutting board.

2

With a sharp knife, remove the rind from the piece of bacon. Cut the piece into slices of about 1 cm, then slice them into strips of about 1x1cm.

3

Pour the bacon strips into a pan. You can use an aluminum pan, as per tradition, but also a non-stick or stone pan. Light the fire on a low flame and let the guanciale brown well until it becomes crunchy.

4

When the guanciale is ready you can remove it from the pan using a slotted spoon. When cooking, the guanciale will have released all the fat in the form of liquid: add a ladleful of the cooking water and keep the heat on, so that the water evaporates slowly.

5

Meanwhile, pour the pasta into the boiling water. With a wooden spoon, give the pasta a stir and check the cooking time indicated on the package: you will have to cook the pasta 2 minutes less than indicated.

6

Meanwhile, break the eggs and pour only the yolks into a bowl. Normally 2 egg yolks are calculated per person for the realization of the carbonara. The egg whites can be kept aside for other preparations.

7

Add the finely grated Pecorino Romano to the yolks and, with a fork or a small hand whisk, mix vigorously to mix everything until you get a thick cream.

8

Finally add a grind of pepper, according to your personal taste.

9

At this point the pasta will be al dente. Drain it with a slotted spoon and transfer it directly to the pan with the bacon liquid. Let it flavor for 2 minutes, sautéing it or mixing it with a wooden spoon.

10

Turn off the heat and move the pan to a cooler part of the stove. Add the egg and pecorino cream and mix quickly. The cream will thicken thanks to the heat of the pasta, it must not be cooked on the stove. If you see that it starts to be too dry, you can add ½ ladle of the cooking water and mix again.

11

Keep a few strips of guanciale aside and add the rest to the pan, together with the pepper. Plate up and serve immediately, still hot, with a sprinkling of pecorino.

Advice and tips

When you carry out the operation of browning the guanciale, take care of don’t leave it too long on the fire. Too browned guanciale could be bitter. Instead, it is important to remove it from the fire when it is amber. Also, it’s essential add it just before servingso that it remains crunchy.

Is essential turn off the heat before adding the cream of egg yolks and pecorino and, preferably, move the pan to a cold spot on the stove or onto a wooden cutting board. In fact, the yolk absolutely must not cook, but must only thicken. The creaming phase is essential for the success of the perfect carbonara pasta.

Pancetta, Parmesan, cream, whole eggs… you can use them if you like them, but it will no longer be a traditional carbonara pasta.

Which wine to pair with carbonara pasta? You should prefer a dry, delicate and light white wine, such as Falanghina del Sannio or a Sardinian Vermentino. If, on the other hand, you want to opt for a red that doesn’t risk covering the taste of the carbonara too much, you can choose a Red of Montepulciano.

Carbonara pasta it must be consumed immediatelyjust ready. It cannot be stored.

History

The origins of pasta alla carbonara are not clear and several legends gravitate around this first course famous all over the world. One of the theories says that it was invented by American soldiers during World War II, when they had only eggs, bacon and cheese at their disposal: the soldiers asked a Roman cook to prepare them something substantial. In his restaurant Alley of the Scrofathe chef prepared a very first version of carbonara, which then evolved into the version we all love and know today.

Ingredients for 2 people

  • Guanciale: 100 g
  • Yolks: 4
  • Rigatoni: 200 g
  • Roman pecorino: 50 g
  • Pepper as needed
  • Coarse salt: 1 tsp
  • Preparation: 15 minutes
  • Cooking: 10 minutes
  • Total: 25 minutes
  • Calories: 536 kcal/portion
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Philip Owell

Professional blogger, here to bring you new and interesting content every time you visit our blog.