The Best Way to Make Carbonara? I’m Still Searching
Welcome to the twenty-first instalment of my series – yes, I’m still counting – where I test out recipes from an obscure 1990s Italian cookbook. This time, I tried another dish from the ‘Sauces for Pasta’ section: Carbonara.
Carbonara is a controversial dish.
Every ingredient has been scrutinised in one way or another.
Whole eggs? Or just egg yolks?
Parmesan? Or pecorino? Or a bit of both?
Spaghetti? Rigatoni? Bucatini?
Cream? An abomination.
Onion? Garlic? Don’t even think about it.
Pancetta? Fine, but really, you should be using guiancale from your local delicatessen, or there’s just no point really. Bonus points if you reared the pig yourself.
In the face of such online contention, I’m quite accepting of the fact that my version of Carbonara might inevitably strike a nerve with some. Though I’ve tried to stay true to ‘traditions’, this is a dish synonymous with controversy and heated opinions, to the point where it’s sometimes impossible to know what ingredients actually make a ‘real’ carbonara…
I do, however, have to agree with the connoisseurs that cream is indeed unnecessary, particularly since the egg yolks make for rich enough sauce. My Italian side of the family also hails from Lazio, the region where this dish originated, so I’d rather not be committing a cardinal sin if I can help it.
The rest of the ingredients, however, I tend to see as quite flexible and I don’t think we should put off new and eager cooks by laying out countless rules and laws to abide by, with no room for error or deviation.
Carbonara is a tricky dish to master. It’s one I’m constantly trying to improve myself and the idea of relying on just eggs, parmesan, and pasta water to create a creamy sauce can be particularly intimidating for those who have never attempted it before.
Turning to the book’s version of this sacred dish, it’s bound to alarm the Carbonara snob, not only using cream, but also butter and – more unusually – a pinch of paprika. I omitted these three items and made some other adjustments for personal preference.
Additional Changes
- The recipe is intended to serve 4-6 people but only suggests using a meagre 250g of pasta. I used 500g to allow a generous helping for four people.
- I used spaghetti rather than fettuccine, but honestly, any kind of long, noodle-style Italian pasta will do – rigid tradition shouldn’t stop you from experimenting here!
- The recipe recommends a whole egg and an egg yolk, but I find that when you add a white, it’s much easier for it to scramble in the pan and doesn’t incorporate as well.
‘Incorrect’ ingredients aside, I still have to give the book’s recipe a low rating. The inconsistency with the ratio of pasta to sauce and the lack of warning about how easy it is to scramble the eggs are just a few of the things which mark it down for me. And I think the carbonara experts would even have further points to deduct.
BOOK RECIPE RATING: 6/10
With that said, I really hope that the adept and the novice cook will perhaps rejoice and find some value in my own version of Carbonara:
Carbonara
Ingredients
- 100 g pancetta [see notes]
- 4 egg yolks
- 30 g parmesan freshly grated, plus extra to serve
- 500 g spaghetti
- Salt and pepper to season
Instructions
- Place a frying pan over a medium-high heat and once hot, add the pancetta. Cook for 5-10 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy. While the pancetta cooks, cook the pasta.
- Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Once it reaches a rolling boil, add the spaghetti and cook according to the package directions [see note]
- While the pasta cooks, combine the egg yolks, freshly grated parmesan, and salt and pepper in a medium sized bowl.
- Once the pasta is finished, scoop out a cup of water before draining. Allow the pasta water to cool slightly before adding a little to the egg mixture, beating with a fork to loosen slightly [see notes]
- Add the cooked spaghetti to the pancetta and stir to combine, allowing the fat to coat each strand.
- Remove the pan from the heat and allow the pasta to cool slightly [see notes]. Gradually add in the egg mixture, stirring constantly to coat completely. If you find the coating is a bit thick, add some more of the pasta water and parmesan until you have a rich, creamy sauce.
- Season to taste and serve with and an extra grating of parmesan and some freshly cracked black pepper – buon appetito!
Notes
- Guanciale is used in the ‘traditional’ version, but isn’t always widely accessible – I couldn’t find any near me myself. Pancetta or strips of bacon will work perfectly well too.
- I find it’s best to cook pasta according to the directions of the brand you’re using. Take one piece of pasta out of the pot and bite into it. The texture should still be firm but not hard or chalky – the term for this is ‘al dente’. Whatever you do, don’t overcook the pasta – it will turn soggy as it continues to cook in the sauce.
- Cool the pasta only slightly, it should still be warm but never cold. There’s a fine balance between scrambling the egg on too high a heat, or the egg remaining raw if the pasta becomes too cold.
- I find that adding a bit of pasta water to the eggs first reduces the chance of it scrambling as you add it to the pasta.
- When stirring the egg mixture into pasta, be careful not to break or crush the strands – toss it lightly as though you’re tossing a salad.
I always love hearing from readers, so if you have any questions or would simply like to connect, fill out the form on my contact page or message me through my social media accounts:
