Spaghetti alla Carbonara
Not wanting to venture out to the market in the downpour, mezzemaniche alla carbonara was our choice for lunch on this stormy Sunday afternoon. Pasta, eggs, guanciale, and pecorino romano are staples in our kitchen, and a quick carbonara made for a comforting lunch that diverted our attention from the dark, thundering sky outside.
As a reminder, four interrelated recipes dominate Rome’s pasta scene – cacio e pepe, gricia, carbonara, and amatriciana:
- Cacio e pepe is made with Pecorino Romano and black pepper only.
- Add guanciale to a cacio e pepe, and now you have a gricia.
- Add tomato to the gricia, and you have an Amatriciana.
- Add egg yolk to the gricia, and it becomes carbonara.
There are differing theories about the origin of la carbonara’s name. Some say that it was a preferred dish of Italian coal miners (carbonai, or carbonari in Romanesco dialect) because of the non-perishable nature of the dry pasta, guanciale, and Pecorino Romano, and the availability of fresh eggs from the hens that they kept in their yards.
Others maintain that the recipe was created for American soldiers following the 1944 Liberation of Rome – a combination of Italian pasta and the bacon and eggs preferred by the North American troops.
An authentic carbonara has only five ingredients: pasta, guanciale, egg, Pecorino Romano, and black pepper. There’s no cream, butter, olive oil, garlic or onion. Use the sharper, more pungent Pecorino Romano, not Parmigiano. Don’t substitute pancetta for guanciale. They are not the same thing. Pancetta comes from the Italian word pancia, or belly, and is made from pork belly. Guanciale comes from the word guancia, which means cheek, and is made from pork jowel. Guanciale is fattier than pancetta and has a more intense flavor.
Equally important is the technique – you want the eggs to be creamy, not scrambled. First, the yolks are beaten with black pepper, and then the Pecorino is mixed into the eggs to form a pulp. Next, a bit of the sugna, or cooked-off fat from the guanciale, is incorporated to help pasteurize the eggs before the mixture is added to the pasta. Finally, a few ladles of cooking water are added to the eggs and pasta to complete the pasteurization and to render the carbonara creamy. It takes practice, but the result is so very worth it.
Spaghetti alla Carbonara
Many unauthentic versions of la Carbonara are around. This one, though, is just like what you’d find in a Roman trattoria. The trick lies in the authenticity of the ingredients and the technique.
Ingredients
- 300 grams spaghetti
- 100 grams of guanciale
- 6 egg yolks
- Ground black pepper
- 100 grams Pecorino Romano, finely grated
- Salt
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water on the stove to a rolling boil.
- Cut the guanciale into about 1/4 inch or 2 cm strips.
- In a large saucepan, slowly fry the guanciale, letting it sweat until crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. When done, remove from heat, remove the guanciale, and set aside. Leave the oil in the saucepan.
- Place the yolks of 6 eggs into a bowl. Grind some black pepper on top and beat by hand.
- Add about 70 grams of the Pecorino Romano to the eggs and stir together to make a thick paste. Save the remaining Pecorino.
- Pour about half of the sugna, or cooked-off fat from the guanciale, into the egg mixture and stir vigorously.
- Drop a handful of salt into the pasta water and add the spaghetti.
- When the spaghetti is one minute shy of al dente, remove it from the boiling water with kitchen tongs and add it directly to the saucepan with the oil from the guanciale. Preserve the pasta cooking water.
- Mix the pasta quickly and vigorously over medium heat until it is coated with the oil.
- Add a ladle of the pasta cooking water and continue to stir vigorously.
- Add the egg and Pecorino mixture and continue to stir quickly until a creamy sauce is formed, adding more cooking water as needed.
- When the carbonara is ready, transfer the spaghetti to pasta plates, dividing the creamy egg mixture evenly among the dishes. Top with guanciale and a generous sprinkling of Pecorino Romano.
Notes
Although spaghetti is the pasta traditionally used for carbonara, it's not uncommon to find rigatoni alla carbonara on the menu in Roman eateries. Some say rigatoni are preferred because the creamy carbonara sauce works its way into the inside of the rigatoni. We've wondered if it’s because rigatoni are easier for the tourists to eat. Either way, rigatoni are worth a try.
Making carbonara for a crowd is challenging. Start with smaller portions, and as you perfect the technique, work on bigger batches for entertaining. 100 grams of pasta is about one serving size. For every 100 grams of pasta, use two egg yolks, 30-35 grams of guanciale, and 30-35 grams of Pecorino Romano.
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Paolo (@quatrofromaggio)
Perfect recipe and great background information! I posted a Carbonara-inspired vegetarian pasta on my blog, and I linked to this page for the authentic recipe. Thanks for being such a wonderful reference!
duespaghetti
Wonderful! We are so glad that you gave it a try and that it met Ethan’s approval! There was no doubt in our minds, as both Sean and Ethan have spoken highly of you as a cook.
Bridget
Hi Cara & Stefano,
I FINALLY made this recipe after Ethan bugging me for months to do so… It was simply (literally!) fantastic!
Salut,
Bridget
Bao
Cara, I just made it for dinner and I love it!!! Simple pasta to make and delicious! I love that it requires so little ingredients! I am always looking for recipes where I don’t have to go buy ten thousand things I don’t already have in my kitchen. I went shopping for the stuff and thought to myself, “That’s it? Am I missing anything?” Thanks for the easy recipes! I am going to try everything!
duespaghetti
That’s wonderful, Bao! Congratulations on being the first to try a recipe and let us know how it worked. La Carbonara is a classic recipe from the city of Rome – you’re an honorary Roman once you’ve made that dish. Your toga is in the mail.