Pasta Carbonara
I love to cook but I also love to enjoy recipes created by my family and friends. This is a recipe that was shared with me when my in-laws were visiting from out of town. I surrendered my kitchen to them and this is the recipe they prepared for us. To this day it is one of our favourite quick meals to prepare. Make this recipe your own by varying the amount of garlic and hot pepper flakes and if you like shrimp, it is absolutely excellent mixed into this dish.
Ingredients
For the pasta:
- 1 -pound (500 grams) spaghetti
- 4-6 liters water Pasta cooks best when there is a lot of room in the pot so don't skimp on the cooking water.
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- Note: You need to reserve ¾-1 cup of hot pasta cooking water to use to temper your egg yolks and make your sauce.
For the sauce:
- ¾-1 cup pasta cooking water
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 8 slices bacon chopped or hot or mild pancetta
- 1 tsp hot chili flakes
- 5-6 cloves garlic sliced and chopped
- ½ cup dry white wine like Pinot grigio you can increase the wine to up to ⅔ cup
- 1 cup fresh parsley chopped
- 3 large egg yolks whisked slightly
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese freshly ground
Instructions
Before heating the water for cooking the pasta:
- Chop the bacon and set aside. Chop the parsley and mince the garlic. Separate your egg yolks from the whites. Reserve the whites for another use. If you do this before cooking the pasta the pasta should be done around the same time as your sauce. That way you will be adding the sauce to hot pasta which is ideal for mixing.
Cook the pasta:
- Put an 8-litre pot on the stove filled ¾ (at least 4-6 litres) full with water. Bring the water to a boil and then add a generous amount of kosher salt.
- Add the pasta and cook about 8-10 minutes.
Make the sauce:
- Heat the frying pan to medium-high and then fry the bacon until crisp. Remove the bacon and place on a paper towel lined plate so that the grease gets absorbed. I remove the grease from the frying pan and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
- Heat the oil on medium heat and add the chopped garlic and fry for 1 minute, add the chili flakes and saute for 30 seconds. Then add the white wine and simmer for a couple of minutes, add the chopped parsley, stir and turn off the heat.
- Whisk the three egg yolks. Add about 2 tablespoons of the hot pasta cooking water. Whisk again and then add some more until you have added all the reserved pasta cooking water. You are tempering the egg yolk so that it does not curdle. It is important to add the hot water slowly to achieve this.
- Drain the pasta, but do not rinse it. Put the pasta into a large bowl and add the egg yolk mixture and stir the pasta. Add ½ cup Parmesan cheese, then add the bacon/garlic/parsley mixture and stir. Add the rest of the Parmesan cheese.
- Serve in bowls topped with more Parmesan cheese.
Video
Nutrition
Serving: 1-servingCalories: 685kcalCarbohydrates: 89gProtein: 27gFat: 21gSaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 162mgSodium: 2203mgPotassium: 417mgFiber: 4gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 1664IUVitamin C: 21mgCalcium: 378mgIron: 3mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Carbonara is my favourite pasta dish! I tried this recipe for dinner tonight and cannot wait to have it again soon. Amazing!