recipe.exchange

Spaghetti alla Carbonara

@arecipe.bsky.social

Spaghetti alla carbonara (literally "charcoal burners' spaghetti" in Italian) is an Italian pasta dish made with eggs, pecorino romano, guanciale and black pepper. It was created in the middle of the 20th century. Like most recipes, the origins of the dish are obscure but there are many legends. As 'carbonara' literally means 'coal miner's wife', some believe that the dish was first made as a hearty meal for Italian coal miners. Others say that it was originally made over charcoal grills, or that it was made with squid ink, giving it the color of coal. It has even been suggested that it was created by, or as a tribute to, the "charcoalmen", a secret society prominent in the unification of Italy. Also, the name may be from a Roman restaurant named Carbonara.

Total 01:00
Yield 6

Ingredients

  • 450 g (1 pound) spaghetti
  • 225–500 g (½–1 pound) guanciale or pancetta
  • 5 egg yolks
  • 178 ml (¾ cup) grated Pecorino Romano cheese
  • 178 ml (¾ cup) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
  • 3–4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • ½ tablespoon freshly-ground pepper
  • Salt

Instructions

  1. 1
    Dice the guanciale or pancetta into 2.5 cm (1-inch) pieces.
  2. 2
    Bring a big pot of water to a boil and add salt to taste when it begins to simmer.
  3. 3
    Cook the spaghetti until it is al dente and drain it, reserving 1 cup of water.
  4. 4
    While spaghetti is cooking, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over a medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the pancetta and cook for about 10 minutes over a low flame until the pancetta has rendered most of its fat but is still chewy and barely browned.
  5. 5
    In a bowl, slowly whisk about ½ cup of the pasta water into the egg yolks. Add the grated cheese and mix thoroughly with a fork.
  6. 6
    Strain the spaghetti and transfer it immediately to the skillet with the pancetta. Toss it and turn off the heat.
  7. 7
    Add the egg and cheese mixture to the pasta while stirring in the remaining pasta water to help thin the sauce and create an emulsion.
  8. 8
    Add the pepper and toss all the ingredients to coat the pasta.
Cuisine
Italian

Recipe Attribution

Wikibooks Cookbook
en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Cookbook:Spaghetti_alla_Carbonara