Spaghetti alla carbonara (the authentic italian recipe)

 

Pasta carbonara is one of those recipes that when Italians come across on their trips abroad the most make them raise their eyebrows in disbelief. While for many the carbonara sauce incorporates cream, for the Italians the addition of said ingredient seems very strange and out of place. Of course in Italy no one would think of making carbonara that way.

Although the history of carbonara pasta can go back centuries, the truth is that it began to appear in recipe books at the end of the 1940s. According to some gastronomic treatises, it was the coexistence with the North American troops during the Second World War that led to the addition of bacon and eggs to a pasta dish that until then had few ingredients. This recipe that I provide you is the authentic carbonara pasta. At least the one that any Italian would approve of.

INGREDIENTS (4 people) :

    • 300 grams  (10 oz) of spaghetti

    • 150 grams (5 oz) of bacon or pancetta *

    • 50 grams (1.8 oz) of Pecorino Romano cheese

    • 6 egg yolks

    • Salt

    • Ground black pepper *

* In Italy "guanciale" is actually used, which is a kind of cured meat obtained from the pig's skin. As it is a very specific local product, it is possible to replace it with pancetta or bacon, something that Italians also do when they lack guanciale.

Cut the bacon or pancetta into strips approximately 1 cm (less than half an inch) thick, and sauté them over medium-low heat for 10 minutes or until golden brown. It is not necessary to add oil because the bacon itself will give off fat.

While we fry the bacon, boil the spaghetti al dente according to the manufacturer's instructions. At the same time, pour the six egg yolks together with the pecorino cheese, a pinch of black pepper and another pinch of salt in a bowl and beat well. You can reserve a little cheese to decorate the dish. If you can't find pecorino you can grate some sheep cheese.

Once the pasta is cooked, we drain it well to take it directly to the pan where we have fried the bacon. It is important that the fire is now at a minimum. Stir well and then add the egg mixture with cheese. Saute until the egg is slightly set and ready to eat.

If we see that the pasta is very dry, you can add cooking water.

A dish that is prepared in less than twenty minutes and that provides a large amount of carbohydrates and proteins. In some recipe books it is indicated that one egg yolk should be included for each diner, but then you have to add a couple of tablespoons of cooking water to the mixture of yolks with pecorino or it will be too dry.