The SPAGHETTI CARBONARA are a first course from Lazio, and more specifically Rome, prepared with simple ingredients but an intense flavor. Traditionally the pasta shape used is spaghetti, although other types of pasta such as linguine, penne and especially rigatoni also work well.
It is a fact that carbonara is not mentioned in the classic Roman cookbook by Ada Boni, published in 1930. In fact, the dish is remembered for the first time in the period immediately following the liberation of Rome in 1944, when bacon brought by Anglo-American troops appeared in Roman markets. This would explain why in carbonara, unlike other sauces such as amatriciana, pancetta and guanciale are often reported as equivalent ingredients.
According to this thesis, it would seem that during World War II, American soldiers who arrived in Italy, combining the ingredients they were most familiar with and could obtain — namely eggs, pancetta and spaghetti — while preparing meals, gave Italian cooks the idea for the actual recipe, which would then fully develop later. Supporting this hypothesis is the aforementioned fact that the recipe was unknown in Rome before the war.
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- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Inexpensive
- Preparation time: 5 Minutes
- Cooking time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 4 servings
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 13 oz spaghetti
- 9 oz guanciale
- 6 egg yolks
- 1 cup Pecorino Romano (or 3/4 cup Pecorino and 1/3 cup Parmigiano)
- to taste salt
- to taste black pepper
Steps
To prepare the SPAGHETTI CARBONARA, first place a pot of water on the stove and bring it to a boil. Cook the spaghetti in boiling water with a little salt. The pasta should be al dente. Meanwhile, cut the guanciale into strips or, if you prefer, into cubes.
Heat a non-stick pan and, without adding oil, sauté the guanciale until its fat becomes translucent and slightly crispy.
Once cooked, turn off the heat and set the guanciale aside.
In a bowl, beat the egg yolks as if making an omelet, and add the pecorino (or pecorino and parmigiano), a generous grating of black pepper and 3 tablespoons of the guanciale fat. Mix everything until you obtain a creamy mixture and set aside.
When the water reaches a boil, salt it (not too much since the guanciale and pecorino are already quite salty), add the spaghetti and cook them al dente.
Drain the pasta, reserving a ladle of the cooking water, which you will use for the cream, and return the spaghetti to the pan with the guanciale. Finish cooking by adding a little of the reserved cooking water, then, with the heat off, add the egg cream. Stir with a wooden spoon until the pasta becomes creamy.
Serve your creamy and succulent spaghetti carbonara piping hot.
The final touch is a little freshly grated pecorino and a bit of pepper on top.
