I love Pasta Carbonara. I've only ever had it in restaurants here, where the quality has varied. The best I've had was in Florence. We went the summer of 2020 for a quick trip; I need to post about that with the pic of the awesome Carbonara I ate.
I've made this recipe a few times and it's very good. My friend gave me the recipe. When making this, one has to whisk the hot pasta into the egg mixture quickly, or you'll get some cooked bits of eggs. I did get some cooked egg bits; you can see them in this pic. But, it's still so good that I don't care about that.
I use pancetta in this; I buy it cubed in a package so I don't have to mess with cutting it. Here in Italy they sell smoked and "sweet", and you want the smoked for this. Guanciale is traditional to use, and I've tried it that way, but I prefer pancetta, so I just use that. Pecorino cheese is also traditional, and I've used that before, but today I had a package of Grana Padano already opened, so I used that. Pecorino, Parmigianino, or Grana would all be wonderful in this. Also, use the best quality eggs you can find, since they are a big part of this meal. PS: I tried this with Rigatoni pasta as the original recipe suggests, and I really didn't enjoy it nearly as much as when I made it with Spaghetti. Weird, but Spaghetti is my preference.
adapted from Female Foodie
4-6 ounces pancetta, guanciale, or bacon (I use 200 grams smoked pancetta)
2 ounces Pecorino Romano, Grana Padano or Parmigiano-Reggiano
2 whole eggs
4 egg yolks
1 teaspoon sea salt
fresh cracked pepper, to taste
1 pound pasta, such as spaghetti
1. Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil.
2. While the water is coming to a boil, prepare and cook the guanciale. Cut into 1 x 1/2 inch strips. (I'm lucky enough to buy mine already cut into cubes.) Bring a dutch oven or large pan (enough room to add the pasta later on- I used a large non-stick wok today, and it was great) to medium heat. Add guanciale or pancetta. Cook until crisp on the outside, but still soft/chewy on the inside (about 7-8 mins). Using a slotted spoon, transfer guanciale from dutch oven to plate lined with 2 paper towels. Discard all but two Tablespoons of grease from pan.
3. Once pasta water is boiling, add pasta. You can cook until your desired done-ness. Most recipes suggest al dente but I prefer a bit more cooked than that.
4. While the pasta is cooking, prepare cheese and egg. Finely grate 2 ounces of pecorino romano (or other) cheese. Crack eggs/egg yolks into a medium sized bowl and whisk eggs until smooth. Add 3/4 of grated cheese (set the rest aside for later), 1 teaspoon of sea salt, and a few cranks of pepper to the eggs and whisk together. Just before the pasta is finished, remove 1 cup of pasta water from pot. Add 1/2 cup of pasta water to the egg/cheese mixture and whisk quickly until smooth.
5. Bring guanciale/pancetta and the two tablespoons of reserved fat back to medium heat in the dutch oven/wok. Once pasta is done cooking (barely al dente), add to dutch oven/wok with fat and guanciale/pancetta. Cook for about 30 seconds together, integrating the pasta with the guanciale and oil. Remove from heat.
6. Add egg/cheese mixture to the dutch oven. With a wooden spoon or spatula, stir quickly and vigorously to incorporate all ingredients of the carbonara together. (The hot pasta cooks the eggs thoroughly here; you're not eating raw eggs.) If the pasta seems too dry, you may add more pasta water, a tablespoon at a time. (Last time, I ended up adding the whole other 1/2 cup, slowly.) Taste pasta to make sure it has adequate amount of salt. Plate the pasta and top with additional fresh cracked pepper and the reserved amount of grated cheese. Serve immediately.
