Spaghetti alla Carbonara
A favorite comfort food meal I have been enjoying since I was a young girl. Adapted, changed, tweaked and finessed over the past thirty years, I could probably make this recipe with my eyes closed, I've made it so many times.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces spaghetti (traditional or whole wheat)
- 2 Tbsp extra olive oil
- 3 ounces thickly diced pancetta (choose fatty pieces, lean doesn't help the flavor - enjoy this dish!)
- 3 large eggs
- 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano
- 1 Tbsp freshly ground black pepper
- fleur de sel for the pasta water and to season the sauce
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil over medium/high heat.
- Add about 2 tablespoons olive oil to a large skillet over medium heat. Add the pancetta to the cold pan and slowly render all the goodness the pancetta offers over a medium heat and cook until it starts to color and become crisp. Just before you turn off the heat, if there is excess oil, drain all but two tablespoons. Continue cooking for medium heat and add a chopped up garlic clove for one minute. Turn off the heat and reserve.
- While the pancetta is rendering. Drop the pasta into the salted boiling water and cook it 1 minute less than it says on the package, usually about 6 to 7 minutes. Bite the pasta to check the consistency.
- While the pasta is cooking, crack the eggs into a large mixing bowl. Add the grated Parmigana Reggiano and season with a dash of salt. Whisk vigorously until it becomes a homogenous. Season generously with black pepper.
- When the pasta is just about done, return the pan with the pancetta to medium heat. Remove the pasta from the cooking water. Toss or stir the pasta into the pancetta to coat the pasta with the remaining fat in the skillet. Immediately and vigorously stir the egg mixture into the pasta. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly until the egg mixture looks like a cream sauce.
- Serve immediately and sprinkle with left-over grated Parmigiana Reggiano.