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Pasta carbonara

pasta carbonara

Thanks for all the get well wishes. This head-cold continues to kick my butt and make life miserable. It’s times like this that I truly appreciate simple food like pasta carbonara. Authentic carbonara should be made with guanciale, a pork cheek that is rubbed with salt and pepper and cured for three weeks. But since I don’t have guanciale, nor do I have pancetta, I made do with 1/4 lb. of delicious bacon…not authentic, but tasty nonetheless. An egg, some grated parmesan, freshly ground black pepper, a pound of pasta, and a splash of pasta water round out the ingredients.

pasta carbonara

Put your pasta water on to boil, make sure you salt it really, really, well…I bet I use 2 -3 tablespoons. Dice the bacon and put it in a skillet over medium low heat. Once the bacon is done remove it from the pan. Grate about a cup of parmesan and set it aside. Once your pasta of choice is done, drain it, but make sure you reserve a cup of the pasta water. I usually make this with linguine, but this time I used penne, another of my favorite pasta shapes.

pasta carbonara

Dump the drained pasta into a large bowl, toss in the bacon and cheese, crack an egg over it all and add a substantial slosh of pasta water. Stir/toss it all together, grind black pepper over it all and mix it up again. That’s it. Bowl it up and head back to the couch to eat this lovely, velvety delight while watching The Daily Show on tivo…well at least that’s what I did.

pasta carbonara

BTW…if you think that perhaps I made a mistake and left the cream out, you’re wrong. Carbonara doesn’t have cream in it. Also, I think that carbonara has a bad reputation for being heavy and rich. Actually the opposite is true…it’s delicate and light and one egg and 4 ounces of bacon served to 4 people is hardly gluttonous. So don’t shun carbonara….embrace it!

Head over to Accidental Hedonist and check out my chocolate, caramel, toffee tart. I couldn’t have made it without the assistance of my sous chef, Dexter.

February 9, 2008 | Filed Under beef, fish, poultry, pork, food, pasta, pizza, noodles, quick and easy, recipe 

comments

16 Responses to “Pasta carbonara”

  1. JEP on February 9th, 2008

    You do exactly what I like to do when I eat pasta—pile it in a bowl & eat with a spoon!

  2. Kevin on February 9th, 2008

    Carbonara is nice and easy and super tasty. You can’t go wrong with bacon, egg yolk, cream and parmesan!

  3. holler on February 9th, 2008

    Nice photos Vanessa!

  4. brilynn on February 10th, 2008

    I could definitely embrace this! Looks fantastic!

  5. Katie on February 11th, 2008

    Is it really safe to eat a raw egg like that? Or does the heat of the pasta cook the egg enough that it’s safe?

  6. vanessa on February 11th, 2008

    JEP, preferably under a blanket!

    Kevin…no cream, it doesn’t need it.

    holler, thanks!

    brilynn, I know you love bacon so this is perfect for you.

    Katie, the hot pasta does cook the egg but I’m not afraid to eat raw eggs…I know where my eggs come from and how they’re raised so I don’t worry. Thanks for the comment.

  7. Shawnda on February 11th, 2008

    Vanessa, I made this in place of our usual carbonara (Nigella’s recipe). This stuff is fantastic *and* light. Nigella’s recipe uses 4 eggs, heavy cream, and a full 2 cups of pancetta. The best part – I don’t feel like I have to workout an extra 2 hours after eating :)

  8. Amy on February 11th, 2008

    Vanessa, I had to thank you for this recipe. I haven’t eaten bacon in years, but DH is a fan. Made this, gussied it up a bit by sauteeing some sweet yellow onion with the bacon and added some green beans. It was incredible!
    His quote: “My mouth is exploding, with explosions of flavor.” Thanks for a tasty and quick recipe!

  9. vanessa on February 12th, 2008

    Shawnda and Amy, I so glad you enjoyed the carbonara

    Shawnda, Nigella is always such a lush…that’s why I love her, but you’re right…who could eat that more than once a year?

    Amy, a happy husband is a good thing.

    Thanks for the comments you two…you made my day.

  10. tommo on March 10th, 2008

    Thanks for the recipe! I found my way to your site through googling “crack an egg over pasta”, because I wondered how to do that. I made your carbonara tonight and it was great. :)

  11. Susan on July 24th, 2008

    Vanessa, I finally made the pasta carbonara tonight for friends. It was easy and awesome. Thanks for sharing it with us!

  12. Doreen on February 8th, 2009

    This is exactly how I make my pasta carbonara! Just found you through a google search and can’t wait to read more. Gorgeous photography, too.

  13. Peg on March 12th, 2009

    The easiest and best carbonara! I will brand this version into my brain to render up at will. Food for the simplicity gods!

  14. Fran on March 27th, 2009

    Try country ham instead of pancetta or bacon for a fabulous variation–southern style!.

  15. Annette on August 12th, 2009

    Dear Vanessa. Sitting here in Denmark on a august morning, planning a birthday party for my son, who will be 18 tomorrow. He wants Pasta Carbonara…. I’m to serve 10… Found your recipe, and now I’m confident, it will turn out to become a fantastic meal. Thank you so much.

  16. Mike on September 4th, 2009

    Greetings from Dublin. Thanks for this authentic recipe – now a family staple. As others have mentioned your photography complements the quality of your recipes very well.

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