The purist Roman version or a family version taught to me on vacation in Puglia? You be the judge.
story
Raw Egg Revelation
“This dish has raw egg?” I said, eyes wide, mouth agape, and my hungry toddler on my hip.
Sure, I like a nice runny yolk for brunch, and have even encouraged my kids to eat plenty of raw cookie dough along with me, but somehow making a pasta “sauce” using raw egg seemed unfathomable to me at the time. I had a lot to learn.
Ever-gentle and patient, Puglia-born Piera smiled and said, “well, yes, but it is somewhat cooked by residual heat.” Piera’s reputation proceeded her, and having already tasted several of her Italian dishes in my own kitchen and enjoyed the most amazing porchetta to the preschool picnic that year, so we were game, and it was absolutely delicious.
Piera taught us the original Roman version, which is simply spaghetti, guancale or pancetta, egg pecorino romano cheese and black pepper. But I soon learned there was another camp of carbonara lovers who like to add shallots.
Fast-forward to August 2018, and ever-gracious Piera had invited us to see her beautiful homeland and meet some of her incredibly lovely family, in Puglia. One amazing evening we welcomed her siblings and cousins over to our AirBNB in Vieste, to share a meal on our rooftop, as a way to thank them for their hospitality at the beach all week.
This time, at the hands of her brother-in-law, Mimmo patiently taught me his version of spaghetti carbonara.
Carbonara, made either way, is a now family favorite that we make whenever we want to feel a satisfying hug from Italy. Both recipes are provided below.
music
Favonio
Saxophonist and singer in the band Favonio, Mimmo was the one who showed me how to whip up carbonara for a crowd one steamy evening on a rooftop in Vieste, Italy.
So it is his music we now pair with this delicious dish. It’s fun for cooking, and for a dance party as well.
Note: also catch Mimmo’s music as part of the Limoncello Cake portrait!
recipe
Classic Carbonara
This is the carbonara recipe I learned from Piera, who is married to a man from Rome, where this dish originated. It was just one of many dishes Piera taught me on weekday evenings as our kids played. kitchen. Someday I hope to add others to capture these memories and meals I we hold so dear.
Spaghetti Carbonara
Ingredients
- 2 eggs at room temperature
- 4 yolks at room temperature
- 2/3 cup Pecorino Romano cheese, grated ~ 2 ounces
- 12 oz spaghetti, dried 3/4 lb
- 1/2 tsp olive oil optional
- 4 oz guanciale (or pancetta if that's all that's available), diced
- 1 cup pasta water reserved
- freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Heat a large pot of salted water to a boil, then add spaghetti and cook al dente, according to instructions.
- Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk eggs, yolk and cheeses, and season with a bit of salt and a lot of fresh black pepper. Set aside.
- Heat a small frying pan to medium and add a teensy bit of olive oil (depending on pan and meat you may want to prevent sticking). Then add guanciale and cook, stirring occasionally until browned a bit and cooked through. Turn off heat and set aside.
- When pasta is done, reserve 1 cup of cooking liquid, then drain the pasta. Put the pasta back into the large pot and add the oil/guanciale and stir to combine. Heat the mixture on medium until warmed through then turn off the heat, and stir in the egg mixture, combining quickly, and adding a bit of pasta water as you go to get it creamy.
- Serve immediately with additional grated pecorino and black pepper. Buon appetito!
Notes
- Shallots? – The Roman purists will say no shallots here, but it was served to us once with shallots in Italy, and it was delicious as well. If you so desire, add about 1/3 cup finely diced along with the guancale.
- Use Dried Pasta – I’ve been told this works better with dry spaghetti to help the sauce stick, and it’s also more authentic to it’s roots as a peasant dish as well.
- Serving Bowl? – If you’d like to prep in a serving bowl, warm the serving bowl with boiled water and dump it out prior to serving. You could also add the egg to the pasta in this bowl if it’s large enough to mix, and it makes a great presentation / statement for your guests.
recipe
Carbonara with Shallots
And this is the Carbonara recipe I learned from Mimmo, in a summer rental on Vieste in Puglia. Making due with the limited kitchen supplies, half the fun was how he got creative to pull this off!
Mimmo’s Carbonara
Ingredients
- 2 eggs at room temperature
- 4 yolks at room temperature
- 2/3 cup Pecorino Romano cheese grated ~ 2 ounces
- 12 oz dried spaghetti (3/4 lb)
- 1/2 tsp olive oil optional
- 4 oz guanciale
- 2 shallots, sliced thin
- 1 cup pasta water reserved
- freshly ground black pepper
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Grate cheese and chop shallots and guancale.
- Heat a large pot of well-salted water to a boil, then add spaghetti and cook al dente, according to instructions.
- Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk eggs, yolk and cheeses, and season with a bit of salt and a lot of fresh black pepper. Set aside.
- Heat a small frying pan to medium and add a teensy bit of olive oil (depending on pan and meat you may want to prevent sticking). Then add guanciale and shallots, and cook, stirring occasionally until browned a bit and cooked through. Turn off heat and set aside.
- When pasta is done, reserve 1 cup of cooking liquid, then drain the pasta. Put the pasta back into the large pot and add the guanciale/shallots and stir to combine. If needed, heat the mixture on medium until warmed through then turn off the heat, and stir in the egg mixture, combining quickly, and adding a bit of pasta water as you go to get it creamy.
- Serve immediately with additional grated pecorino and black pepper. Buon appetito!
- Buon Appetito!!