The Risotto alla Carbonara was my social media proposal for April 6, 2024, the date of #carbonaraday.
Happy Birthday to Carbonara which this year (2024) turns 70 years old!
▶The first recipe published in Italy dates back to August 1954 in the magazine “La Cucina italiana”, but the first publication of the recipe occurred in the United States in the illustrated guide of restaurants in a district of Chicago.
▶It seems that its origin dates back to the last months of World War II in Rome, thanks to the combination of military rations brought by the allied armies, which included eggs and bacon, with Italian pasta.
What a perfect combination if not the all-American eggs and bacon could give rise to one of the greatest (and tastiest) Italian excellences?
Which, like every perfect fusion, has been able to incorporate foreign elements like bacon, modifying them according to its own raw materials.
▶Here the bacon is replaced by pancetta or even better by guanciale (even better if from Amatrice).
▶The powdered eggs, typical of military rations, substituted by fresh ones – and there are those who use whole eggs and those who use only the yolk.
You can find many other alternative versions of carbonara on the blog:
- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 5 Minutes
- Portions: 4 servings
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups Carnaroli rice (or Arborio)
- 7 oz guanciale
- 1 1/4 cups Pecorino Romano (grated)
- 6 eggs
- to taste black peppercorns (to grind)
- 6 1/3 cups vegetable broth
Steps
Cut the guanciale.
Sauté – without adding fats – in a pan, and set aside.
Toast the rice in the fat released by the guanciale.
Continue cooking by adding the vegetable broth little by little for about 20 minutes.
Mix the Pecorino with a ladle of broth, the beaten eggs, and the pepper.
Turn off.
Stir the risotto with the mixture of Pecorino and eggs and some of the guanciale.
Serve decorating with the rest of the guanciale and more freshly ground black pepper.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
Why is Amatrice guanciale famous?
Amatrice is a town in Lazio, located in the province of Rieti, and is known worldwide for its famous spaghetti all’amatriciana.
The true recipe for spaghetti all’amatriciana involves using a specific ingredient: guanciale from Amatrice.
Cacio e pepe and then amatriciana, gricia, and carbonara: these dishes are related.
Theirs is a true family history, as they all descend from a single recipe: the Cacio e Pepe.
