Spaghetti Carbonara, A Rich, Sophisticated Classic.

Spaghetti Carbonara is one of Rome’s most famous pasta dishes. Known as one of the four classics of this amazing city, Carbonara is made with only four or five ingredients (6 if you count the mixture of two kinds of cheese). It surprises me that this simple, yet sophisticated, dish is not made at home very much. Even in Rome, most people go out to a restaurant to enjoy one of my all-time favorite pasta dishes.

I have been obsessed with Stanley Tucci’s Searching for Italy on CNN. It has become my must-watch on Sunday nights. A word of warning, though, it is addictive to watch this delightful journey through each of Italy’s varied regions. It will make you want to eat Italian food, even if you have already had dinner. I always find I begin to think about what I might have in my cupboards to make while watching. Each week the series features Stanley exploring the foods and cultures of a different region. In one of the first episodes, he goes to Rome to meet friends and explore the four classic pastas of this romantic city and the surrounding region of Lazio. There were 6 episodes in the first series, I very much hope for more of this incredible series.

These four classics, Cacio e Pepe, Spaghetti Alla Carbonara, Bucatini all’Amatriciana, and Pasta Alla Gricia, are actually very closely related, and only one of them, the Amatriciana, has tomatoes in it. Spaghetti Carbonara is the richest, and most known outside of Italy, with the added egg. I would love to continue exploring this family of wonderful pasta from a city I love so much.

I first learned to make a much more American version of this dish, using cream, long ago in my teens when I was exploring cooking and fell in love with this dish. I loved the bacon and egg combination with the cheese. I now know that adding cream is considered sacrilege to the citizens of Rome. A true Spaghetti Carbonara should just have a silky coating of the egg, rendered bacon, and cheese with some pepper, nothing else. No cream or even a garnish of parsley should adorn this gastronomic masterpiece.

One of the most classic Italian pasta dishes, Spaghetti Carbonara, has only been in the limelight since the 1950s. No record of it goes back before a couple of years after WW2. There are several different stories on how this Carbonara came about. One tells the story of coal miners needing to cook their pasta on their shovels over coal embers. The word for charcoal in Italian is carbone, after all. A different tale talks about American soldiers that were missing their breakfasts of bacon and eggs. The soldiers combined them using rations of powdered eggs and bacon in a pasta dish for a taste of home. Yet another tale talks about the black flecks of pepper that look like coal flecks. There is really no way to tell which of these is the true origin. Whichever the actual origin, the end result is that we have this very rich and sophisticated classic to enjoy.

There are only a few secrets to making this luxurious pasta at home. This classic dish is actually quite easy as long as you don’t overcook the eggs. You want all the parts done and still warm. But all you need to cook the eggs is the heat from the cooked pasta and the bacon fat. You must quickly mix everything together all at the same time. It all comes down to using the best ingredients you can find. A combination of real Pecorino and Parmesan will make all the difference. This is where you want to splurge and find the good stuff. That goes for the eggs as well. If you are lucky enough to have a local farm eggs source, they will shine in a Carbonara. Traditionally in Rome, they actually use pork cheeks or Guanciale instead of bacon, which might be hard to find here in the States. However, Pancetta can be found almost everywhere anymore, which is a great substitute. And, of course, bacon can easily be used. All of those various meats will impart slightly different flavors. But the end result will still be fantastic with whatever meat you choose. I am always an advocate of using fresh pasta. But here, dried spaghetti is what should be used. Dried pasta gives this dish the right texture and bite.

Though our precious world seems like it is rounding a corner, we still have a ways to go. Please be mindful of others and think about our actions and desires for things to be back to normal before making decisions. What we choose to do now will make getting back to normal easier. We are almost there if we all just can hang on. Use patience, be safe and healthy. That’s all for this week. I hope you have a fantastic day and don’t be intimidated by Spaghetti Alla Carbonara. It is a fantastic dish to be enjoyed at home as much as any restaurant. I’ll be back at it next week!