Spaghetti alla Carbonara

You’ve heard of this right? Here’s why it is called Carbonara. “Carbone” means coal in Italian. This dish was named after the coal workers thus “alla carbonara”- in the coal worker’s style. It is also a reference to this dished being served with lots of  pepper, said to resemble coal.

This is another favorite in our house. It’s quick too! In the time it takes you to cook your spaghetti, you can have this on the dinner table. I have eaten this in many restaurants in the U.S. and in Italy. It’s truly amazing how many places make this differently. Some people add cream. Some people add onions. I add neither! One of my kids is a Carbonara connoisseur. Just ask him and he’ll tell you if it’s done right! Thankfully my version passes the test!.

This one took a while to perfect. Unbeknownst to me I had been making this one wrong for years. I should have known when my friends would call this “breakfast pasta.”  Not exactly what I was going for. I finally figured it out and it has been amazing.

Anyway, the trick here is not to scramble the eggs. Can you guess what I was doing wrong? Yep. Hence breakfast pasta. I know why I did it. To cook the eggs. But, by doing it the right way, not only do the eggs still cook, the result is a silky creamy sauce. That is what you want! If you are uneasy about the eggs here, by all means reverse the steps and make breakfast pasta. But I promise, the hot oil, hot pasta water and the hot pasta itself will cook your eggs! Just make sure your eggs are fresh!

Traditionally I use pancetta for this. Pancetta is pork belly cured in spices. It is basically Italian bacon and it’s amazing!  Here is what it looks like:

I find it already cubed in by deli section at the grocery store. If you can’t find it there, the deli can usually slice some for you. Ask them to give a thick roll so you can cut it into cubes. If you can’t find it, use some thick cut bacon. Top this with lots of pepper!

Enjoy!

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Spaghetti alla Carbonara

Course Main Dish

Servings 6 people

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic crushed
• 4 ounces pancetta cubed
• 5 eggs
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1 lb spaghetti

Instructions

• Cook you spaghetti according to pack directions. Heat the olive oil and crushed garlic in a fry pan. Add the pancetta. Let the pancetta fry up to a golden brown. Don't burn it!
  
• Meanwhile in a bowl beat your eggs Set aside.
• After you pasta has cooked, strain it reserving one cup of the cooking water.
• Add your pasta back to the hot pan. Off the heat, carefully add the hot oil and pancetta. Toss the pasta to make sure it is all coated with the oil.
  
• Now add the beaten eggs. Toss the pasta so the eggs get combined. If it is too dry add some of the pasta cooking water. You want a cream sauce.
  
• Add the Parmesan cheese and salt and pepper. Serve