Carbonara for exquisite pasta (with recipe)
Carbonara is likely a Roman dish of egg, cheese and some sort of pork. The word itself comes from the Latin word for “coal.” So, theoretically, a carbonara has to do with any piece of meat cooked over charcoal.
Over time, the dish became pretty firmly entrenched in its use of pancetta or guanciale and usually with a spaghetti or fettuccine.
As for the cheese, well that’s traditionally Pecorino-Romano or Parmigiano-Reggiano — or a luscious combination of the two.
With so few ingredients, the dish is actually tricky to make successfully and takes some trial and error to get just right.
Here’s a recipe from chef Kyle Rennie, who has cooked at Auberge de Pommier, Thuet Bakery, Splendido and with Jason Parsons and David Lee. He knows his stuff and brings a solid pedigree with him.
I’ve tried several of Rennie’s dishes when he was in Waterloo Region and have his version of carbonara a few times at home. Give it try! I think you’ll enjoy it too.
Kyle Rennie’s spaghetti carbonara
Spaghetti carbonara
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 lb. spaghetti or other long pasta
4 large eggs
8 oz. guanciale (or bacon or pancetta), small dice
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 cups Parmigiano Reggiano, finely grated
1 tablespoon kosher salt (plus more to taste)
Freshly cracked black pepper
1 shallot, minced
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 half cup parsley, chopped
Lemon juice to taste
Method
Bring 6 quarts of well-salted water to a boil.
Crack eggs into a large mixing bowl and add cheese, salt and a good helping of black pepper. Lots of pepper and cheese are key to this pasta. Beat together with a fork.
Heat olive oil on medium heat. Add diced guanciale and cook until the fat has rendered, and the guanciale is crispy. Keep fat in the pan. Add shallot and garlic clove and add a pinch of salt. Turn to low heat and cook shallot until translucent.
Add pasta to boiling water. Stir. Cook to al dente. Put your pan on medium high heat. Add a 3-oz ladle of pasta water to your pan. This starchy water will help coat sauce to your pasta. Add pasta to your pan and reduce until water is mostly evaporated away. Remove garlic clove.
Add hot pasta with bacon to your mixing bowl with your eggs. Toss vigorously. The heat from the pasta will cook the eggs slightly, creating a creamy cheesy sauce as you toss in the bowl. Add parsley and a small squeeze of lemon juice.
Grate some fresh Parmigiano on top and serve.
