Delicious Recipe For Spaghetti Carbonara

Spaghetti carbonara is a typical dish of Italian gastronomy. Especially in the central region of Lazio, where the capital is located: Rome. And although there are various hypotheses about the origin of its name, the most common has to do with the black color of the pepper. Black pepper is considered to have the same color as charcoal and therefore it is as if charcoal were added to the dish.

Despite the fact that today there are a large number of recipes for spaghetti carbonara, the vast majority are far from the traditional version, which does not contain cream (or cream), garlic, or onion. The preparations that usually include these ingredients are either Spanish or American. Here we present the traditional recipe, whose main ingredient is bacon.

Spaghetti carbonara

Ingredients (for 2 people)

• Water
• 2 medium eggs
• Seasonings: salt and black pepper
• ½ package of spaghetti (250 g)
• Olive oil (required amount)
• ½ cup of grated pecorino cheese (75 g)
• ½ cup of grated Parmesan cheese (75 g)
• Optional: fresh parsley (for garnish)

Preparation

1. Lightly grease a pan with a little olive oil and put it to preheat over medium heat.
2. We put a pot of water to boil with 1 or 2 teaspoons of salt (according to our taste).
3. Once the water reaches its boiling point, we add the pasta. Let it cook until it is “al dente”. Remember that it is convenient to stir the pasta every so often to avoid sticking.
4. Meanwhile, we remove the fat from the bacon and cut it into small cubes.
5. We fry the bacon in the pan for 2 or 3 minutes and then place on a plate and reserve.
6. We crack and separate the yolks from the whites. To prepare the carbonara we will only use the beaten yolks and mix them with the cheese. We will obtain a dense mixture, which is important not to curdle.
7. We drain the spaghetti and reserve a part of the broth where they were cooked (a quarter cup will be enough).
8. Add the bacon to the spaghetti and stir to integrate both ingredients.
9. Next, we pour in a little broth and the mixture of eggs and cheese. We remove everything again.
10. Grind a little black pepper and sprinkle delicately over the entire surface. The more pepper we add to the dish, the more authentic the flavor will be.

The Hispanic American variant

Ingredients (for 2 people)

• 1 tray of bacon (100 g)
• 2 medium eggs
• 4 tablespoons of cream (60 ml)
• 1/2 package of spaghetti (250 g)
• 3 tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese (45 g)
• Olive oil (required amount)
• Seasonings: salt, black pepper (freshly ground)

Preparation

1. As in the previous recipe, first we cook the spaghetti. We stir occasionally to avoid sticking.
2. We remove the crust from the bacon and cut it into small cubes. Next, fry the cubes in plenty of olive oil for approximately 2 or 3 minutes.
3. We break the eggs in a bowl and proceed to beat them with a fork until the yolks and whites are fully integrated. We mix with the cream and reserve.
4. We drain the spaghetti and, when serving them on the plate, we mix them immediately with the beaten eggs with cream and the Parmesan cheese. In this way, the three ingredients will be integrated and will form a more or less compact dough.

Final Recommendations

If the two varieties of cheese mentioned in the traditional recipe (Parmesan and Pecorino) are not available, you can simply resort to Parmesan cheese or any other type of semi-cured cheese. In this way, the dish will not undergo very drastic changes in terms of flavor.

On the other hand, there are people who choose to use whole eggs to prepare the sauce; therefore, it is not mandatory to discard the egg whites. Each one will follow one technique or another, according to their preferences. The important thing is to try to do without the dairy ingredients in combination with the raw egg, to avoid that the dish falls too heavy on the stomach. Also, to avoid poisoning, this dish should be consumed the same day it is prepared.

Finally, it is necessary to remember that traditional spaghetti carbonara is made with pancetta (cured pork) instead of bacon, which has become a much more common ingredient. Likewise, it is not advisable to use the sliced ​​bacon that is usually purchased in the supermarket. Although they add a good flavor, they do not have the same density as some cubes of bacon cut at home.