Spaghetti Carbonara
Full disclosure: this is not my favorite pasta dish, however, it is quick easy, and most people LOVE it.You most likely have many of the ingredients for spaghetti carbonara on hand, and I believe that it can be a recipe open to interpretation. It basically involves pasta, cured pork, hard cheese like parmesan or pecorino, black pepper, and eggs. To me, it's similar, in some ways, to the Roman pasta dish pasta cacio e uova.Supposedly this dish first burst on the scene in 1950, which I believe, because it smacks of the 20th century. It is absent from my favorite Italian cookbook, Ada Boni's 1930 La Cucina Romana (her regional cookbook is available on Amazon in English, the Romana is in Italian) one of the best cookbooks of all time. I don't make it often, but it appeared on the internet recently as "Carbonara Day" on instagram which I found rather humorous. Even funnier was that I actually made it. Talk about being influenced! I am embarrassed to say I was.So here's my recipe, I am sure you'll love it. It's comforting and creamy, like bowl of mac and cheese tossed with a little crispy bacon. It actually reminds me of breakfast: bacon, eggs and cheese with spaghetti. No wonder people love it.
Spaghetti CarbonaraServes 4
You will need:- 1 lb. dried Spaghetti- 8 ounces Speck, proscuttio, or bacon. Basically, a cured pork product cut into bite size pieces- 3 large eggs scrambled- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese, pecorino, or any hard cheese- 1/2 teaspoon salt- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepperTo prepare:Set a large pot of water to boil (for pasta). In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp, 8 to 12 minutes; transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate.Salt boiling water generously; add a tablespoon of salt to the water. Once boiling, add pasta and cook until al dente, according to package instructions.Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together eggs and parmesan. Set aside.Using a spider, remove pasta from the water and place it into the bowl, leaving some water clinging to it. Working quickly, add hot pasta to the egg mixture. Add bacon; season with salt and pepper, and toss all to combine (heat from pasta will cook eggs). Serve immediately, sprinkle with additional Parmesan cheese.
