Carbonara sauce is an Italian classic that really needs no introduction. It’s part of a family of hearty and pared-back pasta dishes that all revolve around four ingredients: bacon, cheese, pepper, and the pasta itself.
Ingredients for four people
- 100g of pancetta or streaky bacon
- 50g of parmesan
- 50g of pecorino
- 350g spaghetti
- 3 garlic cloves
- 3 large eggs
- 50g unsalted butter
How we make it
1. Get a large saucepan and fill with water – put it on a high heat and bring it to the boil. Add a little salt and oil.
2. Beat your eggs and put into a bowl. Then finely grate the cheese and mix the two together with a reasonable amount of pepper.
3. With a sharp knife, chop the pancetta or bacon into thin strips. If you are using pancetta, make sure to cut the rind off.
4. After you’ve done this, peel your garlic and gently bruise it with the knife. To bruise the garlic, simple place the flat part of your knife against it and push down on with the heel of your hand. Now put your pasta in the boiling water.
5. While the pasta is cooking, put a frying pan onto a medium-high heat and throw in your butter. When the butter has melted, add the pancetta and garlic, stirring regularly.
6. After five minutes, the pancetta should be crisp and golden. At this point you should remove the garlic, as it’s given its flavour to the oil and pancetta.
7. Once your pasta is cooked, take it out of the saucepan and place into the frying pan with the pancetta, keeping the heat on low. Do not throw away the pasta water!
8. Then, take the pan off the heat, and pour in the egg and cheese, mixing together. If the sauce is not loose enough, put in a little pasta water. Once that’s done, you’re ready to serve.
Don’t scramble your eggs!
The most important part of cooking carbonara sauce is making sure your pan is off the heat when you pour in your egg mixture, and that you’re ready to keep everything moving in the pan. Otherwise, you will scramble your eggs and the carbonara sauce won’t be the smooth texture you want.
If, before you make your own, you want to try out a carbonara, then there are plenty of places you can do so on foodpanda, including PastaMania or Lucca’s Trattoria.
