Oct 12, 2012
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Spaghetti Carbonara

Real Roman spaghetti carbonara is pasta, whole eggs, pancetta or guanciale (cured pork jowl), and pecorino romano cheese—never cream. The sauce should gild, not asphyxiate, the noodles. It can be enjoyed at any hour, but the ideal time is dawn, after a night of revelry. I've found that carbonara is also a foolproof way to a man's heart—unless he's watching his cholesterol. —Mei Chin, from "Roman Art" (March 2007)
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Spaghetti Carbonara Enlarge Image Credit: Todd Coleman
SERVES 4

INGREDIENTS

3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
10 oz. pancetta, cut into ½″-long x ¼″-square strips
⅔ cup white wine
1 lb. dried spaghetti
⅔ cup finely grated Parmesan
¼ cup finely grated pecorino Romano
2 tbsp. finely chopped parsley
2 eggs
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat oil in a 12″ skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic, and cook until golden, about 1 minute. Remove and discard garlic. Add pancetta, and cook until edges are crisp, about 6 minutes. Add wine, and cook until thickened, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat.

2. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add spaghetti, and cook until al dente, about 7 minutes. Drain, reserving ¼ cup pasta water. In a large bowl, whisk together Parmesan, pecorino, parsley, and eggs; while whisking constantly, slowly drizzle in reserved pasta water until smooth. Add spaghetti along with reserved pancetta mixture. Season with salt and a generous amount of pepper. Toss to combine, and serve immediately.

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Spaghetti Carbonara

This article was first published in Saveur in Issue #100

Ratings & Reviews (4)

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Rich and delicious. Perfect for after a long mountain bike ride.
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This is as close to getting spaghetti alla carbonara they way they cook it in Rome as I have found. No cream, no peas, just pasta, cheese, bacon. Delicious!!
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carbonara is really different!!! i don't know where they got this stuff but it doesn't even look like carbonara!!!! which doesn't mean it is not tasteful, but surely something you should call with another name....
it's not pancetta but "guanciale" that means the cheek of the pork, no eggs but egg yolks, NO GARLIC NO NO NO!!!!!!!!! no oil or other greasy stuff, this is all...... useless for a REAL carbonara!!!!!
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Italian dishes only get better with garlic. Sometimes sundried tomatoes in olive oil -or- crushed red pepper does the trick. One thing is for sure, nothing like a good Montepulciano / Sangiovese vino to complement the pancetta.
Spaghetti Carbonara 4 5 2 4

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