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05/28/2002 Archived Entry: "Spaghetti alla Carbonara"

As I was preparing for the WOR trip to Rome, gathering a few recipes to hand out for dishes that we would be eating while there, I realized that there was no recipe for Spaghetti all Carbonara, one of my absolute favorite pastas. What an omission!

Spaghetti alla Carbonara

Serves 6

This is a famous Roman dish that is hardly ever made correctly in Italian restaurants in the U.S. Carbonara does not have cream – ever. It is not made with prosciutto, but with pancetta (Italian bacon). It is not so much a sauce as a seasoning and light coating of egg, cheese, pancetta fat, and freshly ground black pepper. And the pasta should be of the dried, wheat-and-flour factory type, not egg pasta. It can be macaroni, instead of spaghetti, but always commercial pasta. Choosing the legend about it that I like most, it is a dish of the charcoal burners, the men who, in the old days, would turn wood into fuel in the hills of Lazio, the countryside around Rome. (That is, when there was still wood to burn in the hills of Lazio.) A few easily transported ingredients could be taken into the hills by the workers and turned into a superb dish without their women around to cook for them. This is likely more myth than truth, but it is amusing to think about. Another story is that there should be so much black pepper ground onto the pasta that the dish should look like it is full of charcoal. What’s the difference? It is sublimely satisfying.

4 ounces pancetta, cut in slices 1/8-inch thick and cut into pieces 18-inch wide
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 to 3 cloves garlic, crushed lightly under the heel of your hand
3 large eggs
1/2 cup grated pecorino Romano, or Parmigiano-Reggiano, or a combination
Freshly ground black pepper
1 pound spaghetti or linguine
Grated cheese to add at the table

Put 5 quarts of water, covered, on high heat for the pasta, then start the sauce.

In a 9- to 10-inch skillet, over medium-low heat, combine the pancetta, olive oil and garlic. Cook, stirring frequently, so the pancetta renders some of its fat. Do not let the garlic brown. As it cooks, turn it a few times and, when it gets soft, press it with the back of a wooden spoon into the fat in the pan. When it finally begins to brown, remove it. Continue cooking, raising the heat slightly, until the pancetta browns.

Meanwhile, salt the pasta water with at least 2 heaping tablespoons of salt, then add the pasta to the boiling water. Stir well, keep covered until the water comes back to the boil, then uncover and continue to boil.

While the pasta is cooking, in a pasta serving bowl, beat the eggs until well mixed, then beat in the grated cheese and about 3/4 teaspoon (at least) of freshly ground black pepper.

When the pasta is done, drain it well in a colander. Add a generous forkful or 2 of the pasta to the egg mixture, to heat the eggs slightly. Then turn the rest of the hot pasta into the egg mixture. Toss well. Add the pancetta and all the fat in the pan, and toss well again. The pancetta and fat should be hot, but not sizzling. If too hot, they will scramble the eggs.

Serve immediately with extra cheese on the side, and pass the peppermill so everyone can add more pepper to taste.