Pasta alla Carbonara
The most reliable story about this first course tells of the encounter between the ingredients available to American soldiers and the imagination of a Roman cook. The result was the prototype of spaghetti alla carbonara: eggs, bacon (then bacon) and cheese. Little by little, the recipe evolved to the one we all know today and can be appreciated, in trattorias and starred restaurants throughout Italy and abroad, in the countless versions: with or without pepper, with one yolk per person or the addition of at least one whole egg, with bacon or guanciale.
To prepare the real carbonara, rich and creamy, very few ingredients are needed. According to the original recipe, Carbonara is prepared with pasta, which can be spaghetti, rigatoni or mezze Maniche (as is used in Rome), aged pecorino romano DOP, guanciale (quality) and black pepper. Carbonara purists do not compromise: only these ingredients are needed and parmesan is banned instead of pecorino, pancetta or bacon instead of guanciale or, even worse, cream or onion or garlic.Carbonara is really simple to make, but there are some small precautions to be respected, to make it in the best way. Here is the Carbonara recipe, the original creamy carbonara!
Ingredients for 4 people:
· Pasta, Rigatoni or Mezze Maniche or Spaghetti 400g
· Guanciale 250g
· Pecorino Romano 200g
· Yellow paste egg yolk 4
· Yellow egg 1
· Salt and Pepper to taste
Method:
1. Cut the Guanciale into not too thin strips and put it in a pan. Let its fat melt slowly, turning from time to time.
2. In a separate container put the whole egg with the yolks and add the grated Pecorino. Mix well, also add a generous pinch of pepper.
3. Cook the pasta in plenty of boiling salted water. Once well browned, remove the guanciale from the pan and add a ladle of the pasta cooking water to the egg and pecorino mixture in order to increase the temperature and make it more homogeneous. Stir a little so that you have a uniform consistency.
4. Drain the pasta al dente and transfer it to the pan with the fat from the guanciale, let it flavor for a few minutes. Remove from the heat and continue to stir vigorously to lower the temperature The pasta must be moist in order to incorporate the egg mixture in the best possible way, if necessary add a little cooking water. Now add the egg sauce and mix as for creaming, add the crispy bacon and mix again.
5. Serve, to your taste, with a little more ground pepper.
Buon Appetito!
