I’m about to admit something that is a bit embarrassing. I’ve never posted a recipe for Carbonara on this website.
There, I’ve said it. I feel 100% better for having admitted such a glaring lack of a recipe on a site that has become known for Roman cooking. Although I have published this video on YouTube and also written this version in the past, a true, straight forward recipe was nowhere to be found. Unless , of course, you have a copy of my book Eating Rome, in which case you’ve been making it since I first published it in way back in 2015.
Since I seem to be eating a LOT of Carbonara lately, it’s been on my mind. And since National Carbonara Day is fast approaching, I thought you should be prepared.
Carbonara
Yield 4-5
I know I repeat this over and over, but with these simple recipes, ingredients make all the difference. If you can get imported pasta, then use it here. I love Faella, which comes from Gragnano, outside of Naples Guanciale: I know it’s hard to find, but do try. If you have to substitute thick-cut bacon, that’s ok, but not smoked. And definitely not lean! (you want that fat). Eggs are the main ingredient here, and you will be eating them raw. So…farmer’s market, fresh please, if possible.
Although I use a sharp pecorino romano for dishes like Cacio e Pepe and Amatriciana, for my carbonara I sometimes prefer the milder taste of parmigiano. I know it’s not 100% traditional, but I like to mix the two.
Ingredients
- 1 pound rigatoni (or spaghetti)
- 5 thick slices of guanciale (about 1 cup when cubed)
- 1 Tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
- 4 egg yolks
- 1 egg white
- 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano
- 1/2 cup Pecorino
- freshly grated pepper
Instructions
- Chop guanciale into small cubes.
- Heat a pan big enough to hold all the pasta, and pour in the olive oil. Add guanciale and let cook until the guanciale starts to give up its fat, and get crisp at the edges. (But you want it to stay chewy, not get brown and hard like bacon). Turn off heat.
- Do I have to say it? Do not drain the fat? Well, I’ll say it: do not drain the fat. This is one of the main ingredients of this dish. If you want something with no pork fat, this dish isn’t for you.
- In a large serving bowl put the four egg yolks and 1 egg white. Beat just to break up the yolks. Add the grated cheese and pepper and mix well with fork, creating a creamy ‘sauce.’ I find this is the secret to a great carbonara, mixing the grated cheese with the yolks before you add the pasta. Â
- Bring a big pot of salted water to boil. Add pasta and cook until on the hard side of al dente (you will be adding the pasta to the hot guanciale and also letting it sit a bit with the yolk/cheese mixture, so you don’t want to over cook).
- In the meantime re- heat the guanciale. Â Drain the pasta, reserving a half cup of the hot pasta water. Add drained pasta to the pan with guanciale, stirring and making sure you coat the pasta well with the contents of the pan. Turn off heat and add pasta to the bowl with the yolk/egg mixture. Toss well, adding a bit of the reserved water if you think it is too thick.
- Cover the bowl with a lid, and let sit for 2 minutes, to let the egg set a bit. Take off the lid, stir one more time and serve.
Your carbonara recipe is our family favorite. We can’t get enough of it!
Hi there, I learned from an old lady in Basilicata not to put the pasta in the bacon fat first. It makes the egg mix slide off the pasta, and to make it stick, you put the pasta in the egg mix first, then add the bacon and fat.
Interesting. I guess everyone has their own way of doing it.