Carbonara Recipe

Carbonara recipe. Among the most loved dishes of traditional Italian cuisine we certainly find Carbonara. Its recipe has very ancient origins. But why is it called “Carbonara”? What is his story? And what is the original recipe to prepare it?

Pasta Carbonara is a typical dish of the Roman tradition, based on eggs, pecorino and bacon. It is one of the dishes with a very intense flavour, most loved in Italy, and also very quick to prepare.

History of the carbonara recipe

Carbonara recipe

The Carbonara recipe seems to date back to completely different historical periods and places. There are those who say that it was born between Lazio and Abruzzo, when the charcoal burners (or Carbonari) used low-cost and easily available ingredients. The choice to use pepper is dictated by the fact that this spice allows for a longer shelf life of the product, while bacon was used because it is an excellent substitute for oil. Typically this dish was prepared and eaten only the following day, exclusively with the use of the hands.

The second period, however, dates back to after the end of the Second World War, when with the arrival of American soldiers in Italy, Bacon (a substitute for bacon) and powdered egg were imported.

Carbonara Recipe

Procedure:

Cut the bacon into cubes and place in the pan.

Then place a large pot with water and coarse salt on the heat to boil the spaghetti. When it boils, throw them away.

At the same time, heat the bacon in a pan over a low heat.

The bacon must soften gently, releasing the fat, which will be used to sauté the spaghetti in the pan.

In the meantime the water will have come to the boil, cook the spaghetti.

Mix the egg yolks with most of the pecorino (leave 1 teaspoon for the seasoning) and pepper. Add 1 tablespoon of the pasta cooking water to avoid the omelette effect.

The cream must be soft, but at the same time full-bodied, velvety and with an intense colour.

Drain the spaghetti super al dente directly into the hot pan with the bacon (keeping a little cooking water aside)

Then add 2 – 3 tablespoons of pasta cooking water. Sauté everything together for 1 minute on high heat.

Finally turn off the heat and move the pan away from the stove and pour the egg yolk cream over the spaghetti with the heat off. Mix for a few seconds, stir in pecorino cheese, with 1 – 2 tablespoons of boiling cooking water to promote creaminess.

Serve them with a light sprinkling of pecorino and a pinch of pepper.

Carbonara recipe: rules for success

Carbonara recipe

To obtain a good Carbonara pasta, following tradition correctly, it is necessary to follow some basic rules. We report them below:

Use the Guanciale: because this ingredient is fattier than bacon, both sweet and smoked, so it will give the dish a strong flavour. Another important thing is to brown the bacon without adding other condiments, such as oil or butter: the melted fat from the bacon will be sufficient to make the sauce fluid and tasty. Use a part of the drained fat for the creaming phase.

Carbonara recipe

Choice of pasta: The most common preparation is certainly that of spaghetti carbonara, as long pasta seems to be the most suitable for this sauce. You can also use a short pasta shape, preferably ribbed, so as to retain the sauce well.Rough and holey pasta such as rigatoni, mezze manche and more are ideal.

Do not use onion or cream: No to onion, as it adds an unnecessary flavor to the dish: it is an already rich and tasty dish only with the use of bacon, egg yolks, pecorino cheese and pepper. Don't use cream because it would only increase the greasiness of the carbonara.

Use only the egg yolks: The effect of the carbonara should instead be that of a yellowish and tasty cream, for this reason it is advisable to use only the egg yolks: at most you can calculate one egg yolk per person, with the addition of one whole egg for every three egg yolks. It is then advisable to use very fresh eggs at room temperature to obtain an excellent final result.

Carbonara recipe

Use pecorino Romano: ideal cheese for this preparation, thanks to its salty and strong flavour. However, those who want to tone down the strong flavor of pecorino can add a small part of grated parmesan.

Stir with the stove off: therefore avoid adding the eggs over high heat, otherwise you will get scrambled eggs. The right procedure is to drain the pasta al dente, put it in the pan with the bacon and remove it from the heat before pouring in the mixture of eggs, pepper and grated pecorino. In this way you will obtain a creamy and tasty carbonara, thus avoiding the formation of lumps.

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