It happened again. I'm just minding my own business, slowing making my way through Bill Buford's book Heat, and I get to passage where Alex, a former chef at Babbo, describes how Frankie, his screaming superior, had taught him how to make pasta Carbonara:
You render your guanciale, and make a sauce with and the egg whites, and then, after you've plated it, you add your yolks, uncooked.
That night I had pasta Carbonara at 10:30. I loved it. I loved it so much that for breakfast the next morning I had it again. Right now, I'm considering making it for lunch.
I understand this might not seem like big news. In fact, we've used raw egg in Carbonara before. It was our very first recipe for the site, taken from a very authentic book called Cucina Rustica, and we are still very proud of it. Instead of cream, which was what I always though it was, this one featured white wine and raw egg yolks. As a commenter rightly pointed out, Carbonara should never have cream. We felt good, like we'd gotten things right. It's a great recipe, one that continues to pop up occasionally when there are only a few ingredients about.
What makes this one different? First off, it takes that simple recipe and cuts it to the bone. There is no onion, wine, parsley, or olive oil. The proportion of eggs and bacon haven't really changed, but this one feels heartier, messier, and creamier. I think the late addition of the yolk plays a big role. The cheese, bacon, and egg really cling to the pasta, making every strand flavorful. I can't get it out of my head. In fact, if you'll excuse me...
Pasta Carbonara
- 1/4 pound of pasta
- 2 slices of bacon
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup of shredded hard cheese such as Parmesan or Pecorino
- a few tablespoon of pasta cooking water
- salt and pepper
Boil the pasta until very al dente, or pre-al dente. Around 8-9 minutes. While that's going, roughly chop the bacon and cook it over medium heat until the fat starts to render.
Throw the pasta straight into the pan. Separate the egg, keeping the yolk, and placing the whites in the pan with the cheese, and then plate. It will look kind of bad. There will be little whites everywhere.
Kindly drop an egg yolk on top of the pasta. Take a fork and mix everything around until the yolk has lovingly coated every strand. Pinch and little salt and then go mad with the pepper. Eat immediately.
{ 25 comments… read them below or add one }
Starving!
Amazing addition to my culinary world…I think we're trying it tonight. Thanks Nick!
I made it last night - delicious! And also the first time that I've been able to make a carbonara that doesn't leave me lamenting my own inability to recreate the deliciousness of this dish. Adding the white and the yolk at different times made all the difference! It always seemed wrong to have to order it in restaurants, but there were times when all I wanted was a good carbonara yet I was tired of my failures at home. Of course this conundrum only worsened when I moved to a place where the restaurants didn't even have the commercial carbonara option. I've gone without for far too long. No more! Thank you!
i love that you made carbonara for breakfast!
i too make whatever it is that crave for breakfast sometimes, whether a bowl of noodle or beef bowl, to the dismay of some people who think breakfast should only be about eggs and cereal. hey, we like what we like, right? mm, now i want some pasta carbonara though~
I loved the Buford book; although it did make me thankful I don't work in a restaurant: I don't have the stamina, that's for sure.
I loved the Buford book; although it did make me thankful I don't work in a restaurant: I don't have the stamina, that's for sure.
I'm delighted to hear someone else say that cream does not belong in carbonara. My wife Marion makes a killer carbonara [in more ways than one, with all the bacon fat] in which she sautés zucchini slices in the bacon grease and tosses that with everything. I want some. Right now.
And Lucette, Anthony Bourdain's book Kitchen Confidential will also make you glad you don't work in a restaurant–a fascinating, fun read, though.
Dang this is yummy! And so easy to prepare. I made this last Wednesday, and made the mistake of taking the bacon out of the pan and draining the grease then putting it back in the pan and adding the spaghetti. Guess what? Pretty dry, and I had to add butter. I made it again on Saturday and did not make that mistake and it was even BETTER than how yummy it already was when I messed it up. And yes… I'm having it for lunch today.
This recipe sounds delicious and I can't wait to make it but I wonder about using raw eggs. Is there a specific brand of egg that I should buy?
Yum! Loved that it made one perfect serving. Can't wait to make it again, doubling the recipe to share it with the boyfriend.
It was the first successful Italian pasta sauce I've ever made - thanks for the great recipe!!!
2 questions:
What is the pasta cooking water for?
"…placing the whites in the pan with the cheese, and then plate" What does that mean?
2 questions:
What is the pasta cooking water for?
"…placing the whites in the pan with the cheese, and then plate" What does that mean?
Larry:
The pasta cooking water is if the pasta gets a bit too dry–a splash of that starchy water that the pasta cooked in will help bind everything together and keep it creamy.
In the second step of the recipe, you toss the egg whites and the cheese into the skillet, and stir well to make a sauce out of it and to keep the eg whites from clumping too much (again, using some pasta water if it seems too dry). Then you transfer it to a plate or bowl for serving, or you "plate" it.
Thank you, Blake!
Sir Cooksalot,
To answer your question, the key is to be very careful, and heat everything to as hot as you can get it before plating.
Love carbonara…except… I've done lots of experimenting over the years and, unless the pasta is the perfect temperature, the whites always "curdle"…
Mark Bittman has the most delicious recipe for eggs w/ pasta….I became seriously obsessed w/ this pasta dish for about a month..and in my obsessing, came to the conclusion it was a de-constructed carbonara!
It's basically spaghetti w/ a fried egg, cooked w/ ham and lots of butter. that's it…the runnier the yolk, the better this is…..Seriously…try this! YUM!
here's the link to the recipe: http://www.howtocookeverything.tv/htce/TakeOnTheRecipes/detail/recipeId-46.html
made this tonight and really enjoyed it.
one question though: if making more than one serving, should one plate, then add the yolk to each separate serving, or maybe make use of a secondary bowl for mixing in the yolk (thinking that the bacon pan is still going to be too warm to achieve maximal results). making two servings and having to reserve the two separate yolks, etc., was a bit of a pain.
of course, it could be fun at a dinner party to add the yolk at the table and let people mix it in. then again, that may set off the food police because of the raw egg…
There is a way to keep the egg whites from scrambling. Try this and see if it eliminates the white flecks. After frying the bacon (for a more authentic flavor use guanciale or pancetta both of which are cured but not smoked) turn off the burner and add a spash of pasta water or plain water to stop the cooking. In a bowl, whisk together the egg whites with salt to taste, plenty of freshly ground black pepper and a handful of freshly grated Parmesan or Romano cheese. Drain the freshly cooked pasta with a little of the pasta water clinging to it to the pan and pour the egg white mixture into the pasta. Toss until the heat of the pasta cooks the egg white mixture (without scrambling it) and coats the pasta. Plate in a warm pasta bowl and top with the egg yolks and more cheese to taste. I prefer to whish the whites and yolks together adding an additonal yolk (which could be put on top for presentation). Like you I could eat this for breakfast as well…it's got eggs in it right?
Made this dinner and had it with a nice Fume Blanc. Comforting and satisfying. My wife and I started brain-storming on all the different meats that could go into this: pancetta, mild sausage bits, ground veal bits, pork belly (my first choice). Delicious!
Yummy! What a great, easy recipe! Due to the whites scrambling last week, I tried Ron's method (above) tonight. Added a small amount of pasta water to the bacon to "stop" the cooking, let it cool a bit while the pasta was still cooking, then added the two whole eggs with fresh grated pecorino, salt and lots of pepper that I had whipped together. Before draining the pasta, I reserved some of the water in a bowl. This was very helpful, as I could add a little water as I was stirring the pasta with the mixture to get the creamy, saucy texture I like. After stirring that for a bit, I added two yolks and stirred. The presentation of the yolk on top would be fun for people who don't worry about raw-ish eggs, otherwise, they are none the wiser. This is one dish that is always a failure at restaurants as they use cream and ruin it.
I learned about Carbonara from a friend who stressed at the final steps of trying to drain the pasta and preserving the liquid by some fast sleight of hand, and it never occurred to him to add some hot pasta water to compensate for a dry mixture!
Rabbitrun above also mentions using other variations. I have had this with sausage and it rocks too! I've also had it with raw garlic pressed into the mix, which is not traditional, but delicious…and good for you! Just be sure everyone around you eats that garlic! I think I'll try adding garlic to the bacon when it is almost done next time. I do like the bacon crispy in this recipe. Of course, this recipe is perfect as is. I just love garlic!
As soon as I find it, I'll post a recipe for you, a shamefully easy way to make an asparagus-cheese Risotto that turns out perfect and is delicious….in the microwave! Until then, thanks for helping me learn to make great tasting but easy to cook meals! The frozen dinners were getting old!
Can't believe I'm posting anything on a cooking website! Looking forward to learning more easy, simple recipes!
Thanks so much Nick! And the pics are great too.
Try duck eggs
They were out of chicken eggs at my local farmer's market recently and I ended up with duck eggs. I made carbonara with them and it was fantastic! They are a bit richer and slightly nutty compared to chicken eggs, which works really well in carbonara. They are bigger than chicken eggs, so you may want to alter your recipe a bit, although I don't really mind a little extra egg.
I don't know if they fit in any traditional sense, but if you come across them, I highly recommend trying duck eggs as a variation.
I have been making Carbonara for years, but this one, well … it's nothing short of amazing. I had never used the bacon grease, as I always make this with left-over, thickly-sliced, nitrite/nitrate-free, apple-smoked bacon … but, leave that grease in … mmmmm.
That was fantastic. Thanks!
*Note to self: More bacon next time.
This took me about 8 minutes to make and 3 minutes to eat! Holy cow, it was sooo good. I ran a 5k this morning, so ate it without even a little bit of guilt
May try pancetta next time as I prefer that to bacon- excellent recipe and ADORE your website!
I’m finally gonna make this tonight! I can’t wait! Will post pics on blog