Sunday, December 28, 2008

Perfect!

When I was a kid, my sister made Spaghetti alla Carbonara for us, and I took it down like I had never eaten good food in all of my life. And then that night I got the stomach flu, and I'll spare you the details, but it was a bad situation. Unfortunately, that tainted my view of Spaghetti alla Carbonara, and I couldn't even think of eating it again. Until one day a bunch of my friends and I went out to eat at an Italian restaurant in Tokyo that serves their pastas family style. I loved that place! One of my friends had ordered Carbonara without my knowing, and when it came out, it looked good so I ate some and thought it was perfect! I asked what it was and they told me, and I was shocked that I enjoyed it so much. Anyway, ever since then I've been a little afraid to make it myself, but have always wanted to try. So tonight, i finally decided to give it a shot, and I'm kicking myself for not trying it sooner. SO yummy, SO easy, So affordable! I used mostly staples that I already had in my pantry or fridge. If you like bacon, cheese, and pasta, you're going to LOOOOOOVE this dish! And you'll love making it because it's so easy.

The key is the keep your serving bowl warm, and to toss the pasta with the eggs immediately after the pasta is done cooking. That makes sure that the eggs are fully cooked, and not curdled. And it turns out so creamy without the heavy cream that a lot of other recipes call for.

Spaghetti alla Carbonara
serves 4
3 large eggs
3/4 C parmesan cheese, grated
1/4 C pecorino romano cheese, grated (or use a whole cup of either cheese)
3 garlic cloves, minced or grated
8 oz bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
3 T extra virgin olive oil
1/2 C dry white wine
salt
1 lb spaghetti (or linguine or fettucine)
pepper
  1. Preheat oven to 200°. Place an oven proof serving bowl in the oven. Meanwhile, bring quarts of water to a boil in a large pot for the pasta.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, cheese, and garlic. Set aside.
  3. Cook the bacon and olive oil in a large skillet until crispy. Add white wine and simmer until it is slightly reduced, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cover.
  4. When the water is boiling, stir in 1 T salt and pasta. Cook, stirring often, until pasta is al dente, about 8 minutes.
  5. Reserve 1/2 C pasta water then drain the pasta, leaving it slightly wet. Remove the serving bowl from the oven and add pasta. Immediately pour the egg and bacon mixtures over the pasta and toss to coat. Season with salt and a lot of fresh ground pepper to taste. Add the reserved pasta water as needed to loosen the sauce before serving.
  6. Serve with some more freshly grated cheese.

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