I have to start off here by saying that this may not be the same as the authentic carbonara recipe. I’ve read that authentic carbonara does not use cream and uses the whole egg. Either way, this recipe is creamy and delicious but, fair warning, it can not be considered “low calorie” by any stretch of the imagination. Consequently, I make it only about once every 6 months.

The whites of the eggs do get thrown out, but you may have another use for them. You can make an angel food cake or some macaroons, maybe. Or you can freeze them individually.

Another twist to my recipe is that I like to use bucatini instead of regular spaghetti. The original recipe uses regular spaghetti, but bucatini - the spaghetti with a hole - really works well with creamy sauces, so I use it instead.

If you’ve read any of the previous recipes I’ve posted, you’ll notice that this recipe is one of the few where I actually use black pepper. To be honest, this dish wouldn’t be the same without it. It is an important ingredient in this dish and legend has it that it represents the soot that would fall from the workers’ hair as they ate the dish. Whatever the case, not being a big fan of black pepper, I don’t use a lot of it, but many people who make this dish add quite a bit.

Ingredients

400 grams pancetta (or bacon), diced into small cubes
6 eggs, separated, at room temperature,
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano
500 grams (or 1 pound) bucatini (or spaghetti)
salt
pepper

Instructions

This is one of those dishes that you may have had in a restaurant and assumed it was difficult to make but, as you’ll see, it’s really very simple.

First, start your salted pasta water boiling in a large pot.

As you’re waiting for it to boil, heat a large saute pan or saltapasta. Add the pancetta and saute until crispy - about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. If you’re using bacon, make sure you don’t let it get too brown. It’s much better to use pancetta, so if you can find a hunk of bacon rather than sliced bacon, use that instead, cut up into cubes.

In a small bowl, beat the egg yolks together with the cream. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the Parmigiano. Don’t add too much salt - remember, Parmigiano is a salty cheese, so you don’t want to overdo it.

Once your pasta water comes to a boil, cook your pasta until it’s al dente (usually about 8 to 10 minutes).

Turn the heat back on under your saute pan, but leave it on low. Now, instead of dumping the pasta into a colander, use a spaghetti fork to transfer it to the hot saute pan. The reason we do this is so that some of the pasta water stays on the pasta. Mix it well with the pancetta, then turn off the heat. Add the egg/cream mixture and toss to coat the pasta completely. You want to work quickly here while the pasta is still hot. This way, the heat from the pasta will cook the egg and cream without curdling it.

Sprinkle with some more black pepper and enjoy!

Popularity: 10% [?]