Carbonara sauce is one of the most recent inventions of Italian culinary experts. It was first prepared in the middle of the last century, but it has already gained popularity all over the world and is considered one of the best masterpieces of Italian cuisine. It is served with spaghetti or pasta, as its creamy-garlic taste perfectly complements the taste of pasta. The recipe is based on cream, egg yolks, garlic and cheese, thanks to which the sauce acquires a unique taste and aroma. Fried bacon and some other ingredients give it additional shades. To appreciate the unique taste of carbonara sauce, there is no need to go to an Italian restaurant and leave a lot of money there. Carbonara sauce can be made in your own kitchen. Moreover, any housewife can cope with this task if only she knows a few important points.
Cooking features
The products that make up carbonara sauce are quite affordable, unless you strive to maintain complete identity and try to get Italian-made products. The cooking technology is also not too complicated, but it still has several features, without knowledge of which you should not start preparing the dish.
- They say that an unlucky housewife can hide her flaws behind the sauce. However, this trick will not work if mistakes were made when preparing the sauce itself. If you try to use low-quality and stale products for it, this will certainly affect its taste and aroma. In the end, it will not save, but, on the contrary, will ruin the main dish.
- Raw eggs, or rather their yolks, are used to prepare the sauce. The heat treatment they undergo during the brewing process may not be sufficient to ensure their safety. Therefore, you can only use eggs for sauce that you are sure are safe. For example, you can purchase them from a farmer you know, especially since in this case they will be even healthier than store-bought ones.
- To prevent the sauce from turning into an omelette during cooking, it is better to brew it in a water bath, constantly monitoring its condition. As soon as it thickens and turns yellow, it should be removed from the heat.
- The sauce most often includes bacon, which is fried in a frying pan. If it is quite fatty, there is no point in using oil for this, since it will increase the energy value of an already high-calorie dish.
- Use the sauce hot, adding it to equally hot pasta. In this case, the dish must be stirred. Only in this case will it turn out homogeneous, without lumps. Otherwise, pasta with carbonara sauce will look unappetizing.
- It is not customary to add salt to carbonara sauce. It is considered sufficient to salt the water in which the pasta is cooked.
- Do not rinse the pasta before adding the sauce to prevent it from getting cold. Thanks to this, they remain saltier.
Serve hot pasta with carbonara sauce. If you sprinkle the dish with fresh herbs, it will only benefit from it.
Classic carbonara sauce recipe
- cream – 0.2 l;
- egg yolks – 4 pcs.;
- Parmesan cheese – 100 g;
- bacon – 0.4 kg;
- garlic – 2 cloves;
- Italian herbs - to taste.
Cooking method:
- Cut the bacon into small pieces.
- Chop the garlic with a knife.
- Fry the bacon in a frying pan until some of the fat has rendered out. If there is not enough fat in the bacon, you can pour a little olive oil or other odorless vegetable oil into the pan.
- Add the garlic to the bacon and fry everything together for a few minutes until the garlic begins to change color.
- Remove the pan from the heat. Sprinkle the herbs over the bacon and stir.
- Grind the cheese on a grater with small holes.
- Separate the yolks from the whites. The whites are not required, but the yolks should be beaten with a whisk.
- Add the yolks to the cream, beat with a whisk or mixer until a homogeneous mixture is obtained.
- Place the cream and yolks in a water bath. Heat on it, stirring constantly, until the mixture becomes thicker and acquires a yellowish tint.
- Remove the container of cream from the water bath, add the grated cheese and mix well.
- Add bacon, fried with garlic, to the mixture. Stir again.
After this, it remains to mix the sauce with the boiled pasta. Remember that both the pasta and carbonara sauce must be hot.
Carbonara sauce with onions and ham
- ham – 0.2 kg;
- onions – 100 g;
- garlic – 3 cloves;
- cream – 100 ml;
- hard cheese – 100 g;
- vegetable oil – 50 ml;
- fresh herbs - to taste.
Cooking method:
- Cut the ham into small cubes.
- Chop the garlic cloves with a knife.
- Peel the onion and cut into small pieces.
- Melt the butter in a frying pan. Place onions and garlic in it and fry them until golden brown.
- Add the ham cubes to the pan. Fry until it is browned.
- Place the yolks in the cream, first separating them from the whites. Beat with a whisk or mixer. Brew the sauce by placing it in a water bath.
- Chop fresh herbs.
- Finely grate the cheese.
- Add ham with onions and garlic to hot pasta and stir.
- Add the sauce and stir again.
- Sprinkle with herbs and cheese.
This recipe is easier to prepare the sauce, but it will be slightly different from the original carbonara.
Carbonara sauce with shrimp
- peeled shrimp – 0.3 kg;
- fresh dill – 50 g;
- chicken egg (yolks) – 2 pcs.;
- olive oil – 50 ml;
- cream – 100 ml;
- garlic – 1 clove;
- Parmesan cheese – 150 g;
- ground black pepper - a pinch.
Cooking method:
- Finely grate the cheese.
- Separate the yolks from the whites.
- Finely chop the dill.
- Boil the shrimp for 2-3 minutes, adding dill and pepper to the water. If desired, you can add salt to the water so that the sauce does not turn out too bland.
- Finely chop the garlic.
- Cool the shrimp and cut them into small pieces.
- Heat olive oil in a frying pan, add garlic shrimp and fry them for 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Whip the cream together with the yolk and brew the sauce by placing it in a water bath.
- Add about 2/3 of the grated cheese to the sauce and stir.
- Mix the creamy egg mixture with the shrimp and garlic. Add it to the hot pasta and stir.
- Sprinkle with remaining cheese and serve.
Despite the fact that a slight deviation from the classic recipe was made in the preparation of carbonara sauce, it fits into the traditions of Italian cuisine. This recipe is sure to please those who love seafood.
Carbonara sauce with mushrooms
- ham – 0.2 kg;
- fresh mushrooms – 0.2 kg;
- cream – 0.2 kg;
- hard cheese – 0.2 kg;
- fresh basil – 20 g;
- olive oil – 50 ml.
Cooking method:
- Wash the mushrooms and cut into small cubes.
- Grind the cheese.
- Cut the ham into small cubes.
- Heat the cream to a boil, but do not boil.
- Heat olive oil in a frying pan. Place the mushrooms in it and fry them until the liquid released from the pan evaporates.
- Add the ham to the mushrooms and fry the ingredients together for 5 minutes.
- Mix the ham and mushroom mixture with hot cream and grated cheese.
- Season the resulting sauce with freshly prepared pasta. Sprinkle with basil.
Unlike traditional carbonara, this sauce does not contain raw eggs, which means it can be eaten without fear for your health. In addition, mushrooms will add a seductive aroma to the sauce. This allows it to compete with those prepared according to the classic recipe.
Any housewife can prepare carbonara sauce with her own hands. The most difficult thing is to make the sauce according to the classic recipe, but there are also simplified options when brewing is not required. In addition, there are so many sauce recipes that everyone can choose a recipe to suit their taste, including their favorite foods and seasonings.
(5 out of 5)
Italian Pasta Carbonara is one of the easiest pasta dishes that can be prepared very quickly at home. With a rich, creamy and smooth flavor, Carbonara is great for a quick lunch or dinner.
The pasta gets its creamy flavor thanks to a special sauce. This sauce is prepared from raw eggs and grated cheese. The classic Italian recipe for Carbonara pasta does not include cream. Eggs cook at the temperature of just-cooked spaghetti, without forming an omelet.
Simple pasta Carbonara is a traditional Italian recipe. Be sure to try making this dish at home. You will be pleasantly surprised by its simplicity combined with exquisite taste and nutritional properties.
Ingredients
- Add to shopping list +
- Add to shopping list +
- Add to shopping list +
- Add to shopping list +
- Add to shopping list +
- Add to shopping list +
- Add to shopping list +
Calorie content
Calories per 100 g
738 kcal
Squirrels
37.8 g
Fats
12.1 g
Carbohydrates
56.0 g
Preparation
Step 1
Place a pan of water on the fire, bring to a boil and add salt. Boil the spaghetti until half cooked.
Step 2
Pour some of the water in which the spaghetti was cooked into a cup. After this, place the pasta in a colander.
Step 3
Place the frying pan on the heat and add olive oil.
Step 4
Cut the bacon into small pieces, for example, slices or sticks, as you prefer.
Step 5
Fry the bacon in a frying pan until crispy.
Step 6
While the bacon is frying, prepare the sauce. To do this, grate Parmesan cheese on a fine grater and mix it with raw eggs. Add ground pepper and mix thoroughly.
Step 7
Add the pasta to the pan with the bacon, stir and let it warm up well. Remove pasta with bacon from heat. Let it cool a little, but not for long, so that the eggs have time to cook at the spaghetti temperature and the cheese has time to melt. Next, add the egg and cheese sauce and mix thoroughly. If necessary, you can add a little water left after cooking the spaghetti.
Step 8
Place pasta on serving plates. Sprinkle with a little cheese and ground pepper. Serve Carbonara to the table immediately after preparation. We enjoy a delicious and nutritious dish with a light creamy taste and the unforgettable aroma of fried bacon. Bon appetit!
Pasta Carbonara- This is one of the most popular Italian dishes, which is distinguished by its rich taste and ease of preparation. The classic recipe for pasta or spaghetti Carbonara involves the use of dry-cured pork cheeks, bacon or brisket. Also for this dish, a special sauce is prepared based on raw eggs, Parmesan cheese, spices and salt.
Traditional Italian Carbonara does not include cream, although the recipe that migrated to other countries has been somewhat improved and changed. We have already looked at the classic simple Carbonara pasta recipe, and now we will present several alternative, but no less popular recipes.
Recipe for Spaghetti Carbonara with Chicken and Cream
If you love spaghetti and are a fan of Italian cuisine, be sure to try making pasta with chicken and cream. Of course, this recipe is somewhat different from traditional carbonara, but the chicken dish is no less tender and appetizing. 
Ingredients:
- Spaghetti or pasta - 250 g
- Chicken breast – 2 pcs.
- Onion - 1 pc.
- Egg – 1 pc.
- Cream – 4 tbsp. l
- Grated Parmesan – ¼ cup
- Olive oil – 2 tbsp. l
- Salt - to taste
- Ground pepper, spices - to taste
Preparation:
- Boil the chicken breasts in lightly salted water until fully cooked, which will take about 30 minutes. Once the chicken is completely cooked, remove it from the broth and shred the fillet into small pieces using two forks.
- Cut the onion into small cubes.
- Cook pasta or spaghetti in a large saucepan of salted boiling water until done. Reserve a cup of water for further cooking, drain the rest of the water and drain the pasta in a colander.
- Heat olive oil in a sauté pan or high-sided frying pan. Once the oil is hot, add the chopped onion to the pan. Fry the onion until soft and translucent but not golden.
- Then add the shredded chicken and mix thoroughly. Salt the fillet and season with a little pepper. You can add other spices to your taste.
- Fry the chicken for 5 minutes until the edges are lightly golden. Remove from heat.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg, cream and grated Parmesan. Add a little salt to your taste, but do not forget that Parmesan itself is quite salty. Add ground black pepper, spices to your taste and whisk the sauce thoroughly.
- Remove the pan with the chicken from the heat and add the cooked pasta. Add the resulting cream sauce and stir until the pasta is well combined with the sauce. You need to cook quickly enough so that the pasta does not cool down. The whole trick of this recipe is that the eggs present in the sauce are cooked at the temperature of the pasta, and the cheese, on the contrary, melts.
- Add a couple of tablespoons of the remaining spaghetti water to the dish if the pasta seems too dry and does not mix well with the sauce. Serve the dish immediately, sprinkled with spices on top. Bon appetit!
Delicate Carbonara pasta with cream and bacon is in no way inferior to the classic Carbonara. Try preparing this wonderful dish using our recipe. Treat yourself to a nutritious, satisfying and flavorful lunch. 
Ingredients (for 4 servings):
- 500 g spaghetti
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 150g bacon, cut into small pieces
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped with a knife
- 100 g Parmesan cheese, finely grated
- Spices (nutmeg, ground pepper) - to taste
- Salt - to taste
Preparation:
- Boil the spaghetti in boiling salted water until it remains slightly damp. Take 1/2 cup of water and drain the rest of the water. Set the spaghetti aside.
- Pour olive oil into a deep frying pan. Add chopped bacon and fry it over medium heat until crispy. Add chopped garlic and fry everything together for about 1 minute.
- While the bacon is frying, pour the egg yolks and cream into a small bowl, add the grated cheese and ground pepper. Mix thoroughly until smooth.
- Reduce the heat under the pan with the bacon to low and add the boiled spaghetti to the bacon. Add the resulting sauce and a little water left after cooking the spaghetti. Quickly mix all the ingredients and remove the pan from the heat when the sauce is uniform and creamy. Usually it is enough to hold the frying pan with pasta on low heat for no more than 1 minute.
- Transfer the still hot pasta to serving plates. Sprinkle ground pepper and nutmeg on top. You can sprinkle with a small amount of grated Parmesan. Serve the dish to the table and enjoy its delicate creamy taste. Bon appetit!
This simple recipe adds mushrooms to traditional Carbonara pasta. You can use ordinary champignons as mushrooms, but a small amount of bacon will give the dish an unforgettable aroma and pleasant taste notes. 
Ingredients:
- 45g pancetta (bacon), finely chopped
- 2 tbsp. spoons of olive oil
- 250 g mushrooms, sliced
- 1/2 onion, finely diced
- Spices - to taste
- Salt and ground black pepper - to taste
- 200 g spaghetti
- 2 eggs
- 85 g grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 tbsp. spoons of dry white wine
- 10 g fresh basil leaves, torn into small pieces
Preparation:
- Take a saucepan, pour water into it and put it on fire. Add some salt and wait until the water boils.
- Pour olive oil into a deep frying pan or sauté pan and fry the chopped bacon or pancetta until golden brown. This process usually takes about 3 minutes. Next, add sliced champignons and onions. Salt and add spices to your taste. When the mushrooms are cooked through, remove the pan from the heat.
- Place the spaghetti in boiling water, stir and cook until half cooked.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl, beat the eggs with a fork and add the grated cheese.
- Drain a little water from the spaghetti into a cup and drain it in a colander.
- Add wine to the pan with mushrooms and bacon and simmer for at least another minute.
- Remove the pan from the heat, add the spaghetti and stir thoroughly.
- Add the egg and cheese sauce and, if necessary, add a little water left after cooking the spaghetti. This will make the sauce less thick.
- The eggs should be cooked through the temperature of the paste. If the pasta has cooled too much and the eggs remain runny, you can put the frying pan on low heat and let the dish warm up a little.
- Transfer the carbonara pasta with mushrooms to serving plates and sprinkle with ground pepper and torn basil leaves. Serve the dish immediately before the pasta has cooled. Bon appetit!
Carbonara pasta with ham and green peas
Ham and green peas are ideal products that allow you to prepare delicious and appetizing pasta with the traditional Carbonara sauce. This recipe will turn an ordinary dinner into a real feast of taste. Try it, you won't be disappointed! 
Ingredients:
- 500 g spaghetti
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 200 g ham, thinly sliced
- 200 g green peas (frozen)
- 1-2 cloves garlic, diced
- 3 eggs
- 150 g Parmesan cheese, finely grated
- 3/4 cup cream
- Salt and pepper - to taste
Preparation:
- Before you start cooking, make sure the onions and ham are chopped and the cheese is grated. Peas should be thawed first. Pasta needs to be cooked quickly, so prepare your ingredients in advance.
- Cook the spaghetti in a pan of boiling salted water until half cooked. Before draining them, pour about 1/2 cup of water into a cup. If necessary, you can dilute the sauce with it.
- Heat a frying pan or saucepan and add olive oil and butter. Next, add the onion and fry it over medium heat until golden brown, about five minutes. Add ham, peas and garlic. Fry everything together.
- In a separate bowl, combine eggs, Parmesan and cream. Mix thoroughly.
- Add boiled spaghetti to hot ham and peas. Mix thoroughly.
- Remove the pan from the heat and add the Parmesan egg and cream mixture. By the way, if the sauce seems a little thick to you, you can add a little water.
- Season the dish with salt and pepper if desired. Serve the pasta immediately after cooking.
I think that pasta carbonara will appeal to many, given our genetic love for eating lard. A classic Italian dish - Pasta alla carbonara.
Usually this is spaghetti - pasta with a round cross-section, about 2 mm in diameter, and, as a rule, more than 15 cm in length. Thin spaghetti is called “spaghettini”, and thicker ones are called “spaghettoni”. For spaghetti, as a rule, oil-based sauces are prepared, which evenly linger on the pasta, literally “sticking” to it. But it is laid in layers and baked with meat sauce. However, spaghetti with chicken is good even without thick sauce.
One of these sauces is carbonara.
The sauce is prepared from small pieces (cubes, slices) of bacon, ham, and brisket. But this is due to the lack of Italian guanciale in wide sale.
Real carbonara sauce is made from guanciale - dry-cured pork cheeks, then the pasta is obtained most correctly.
The word guanciale comes from guancia - cheek. The aroma of guanciale is very strong, the texture is delicate, but more oily. The second option is pancetta, literally “brisket”). Pancetta is a fatty cut of pork belly cured in salt, spices and herbs (rosemary and sage). For carbonara sauce, fattier pieces of pancetta are used. Usually carbonara pasta is guanciale or pancetta, although the taste is completely different.
Carbonara pasta. Step by step recipe
Ingredients (2 servings)
- Spaghetti 250 gr
- Bacon (ham, pancetta, guanciale) 200 gr
- Olive oil 1 tbsp. l.
- Parmesan 30 gr
- Garlic 1 clove
- Eggs 3 pcs
- Ground black pepper, salt taste
- Pasta carbonara has long been a tradition in Italy, especially in the central region of Lazio, of which Rome is the capital. Carbonara, so they say, was first prepared after the end of World War II, when the Allied forces brought traditional American bacon and a lot of dried egg powder to Italy.
Ham, eggs, parmesan and garlic clove
- Gradually, bacon was replaced with local products, powdered eggs with fresh eggs, and the art of making carbonara sauce was brought to the absolute level. Although, as far as I understand, pancetta is used only in Italy, while all over the world they use the usual bacon or smoked lard with sprouts.
Pancetta, bacon or smoked lard with sprouts
- It is worth saying that carbonara, like any pasta, a folk dish for the “poor,” has a strong aroma and high calorie content. Carbonara sauce is not used with short and curly pasta. The most common pasta is spaghetti. Spaghetti carbonara, if you will.
The most common pasta is spaghetti
- The spaghetti for this pasta is of the highest quality. Firstly, you are cooking for yourself, and secondly, good spaghetti “holds” the sauce much better. Well, thirdly, don’t get used to eating consumer goods.
- In principle, you need to be an expert to distinguish good spaghetti from “folk” ones. I'll give you one piece of advice: look at the spaghetti. Good spaghetti has a light, matte-rough surface, which after cooking holds the sauce much better. The glossy surface of the spaghetti will cause the spaghetti to simply float in the sauce. It is enough to go to a fairly large store and visually compare packs of different pasta.
- Boil the spaghetti in lightly salted water until al dente. Usually the time is indicated on the package. It is better not to break spaghetti into pieces, as is often done, because... They don't fit into the pan right away. Don't be afraid, after a minute the spaghetti will be completely immersed in the boiling liquid.
Boil spaghetti in lightly salted water until al dente.
- In a frying pan, fry two peeled and crushed garlic cloves in heated olive oil. The purpose of the garlic is to flavor the oil, then the garlic must be removed and discarded.
In a frying pan, fry two peeled and crushed garlic cloves in heated olive oil.
- Cut bacon (ham, pancetta) into cubes or strips.
Cut bacon (ham, pancetta) into cubes
- Next, fry in olive oil. Cook until the bacon bits begin to crust and crisp slightly.
- Empty the contents of one egg into a deep bowl and add two yolks, carefully separating the whites.
Empty the contents of one egg into a deep bowl and add two yolks
- Using a fork, stir the eggs until smooth. Then add pepper to taste and mix again.
Using a fork, stir the eggs until smooth.
- Grate Parmesan on a fine grater, or chop in any convenient way.
Grate Parmesan cheese on a fine grater
- Combine the egg mixture and Parmesan and mix well with a fork.
(or spaghetti carbonara) is a very popular dish of Italian cuisine. This is spaghetti with pieces of guanciale (cured pork cheeks) mixed with a sauce of eggs, Parmesan cheese, salt and freshly ground black pepper. Guanciale is often replaced with pancetta (from Italian pancetta - “brisket” - a type of bacon), so don’t be scared by the names of unfamiliar meat products in Italian cuisine, take the brisket or bacon you know, just not smoked. Carbonara sauce comes to full readiness from the heat of just cooked hot pasta. In the classic Italian version carbonara sauce It is prepared without cream, only with yolks, but in other countries cream is often added to the sauce. I suggest cooking carbonara pasta with cream, I like this option better. Garlic is also classic carbonara pasta is not added, but as we have already found out, you and I will not be preparing the most authentic pasta, but a slightly adapted one.
The specified amount of ingredients makes 4 servings Pasta Carbonara.
Ingredients
- spaghetti 200 g
- bacon 150 g
- cream 20% 150 ml
- parmesan cheese 50 g
- egg yolk 3 pcs
- garlic 2-3 cloves
- vegetable oil for frying
- salt
- black pepper
Preparation
We prepare all the ingredients. 
Cut the bacon into strips. 
Press the garlic through a garlic press or finely chop. 
Heat a little vegetable oil in a frying pan and lightly fry the garlic in it. 
Add bacon and fry well. 
Grate the cheese on a fine grater. 
Place the egg yolks in a deep plate or bowl. 
Salt and pepper the yolks and beat well. 
Add cream and grated cheese and mix thoroughly again. 
Boil the spaghetti until cooked in accordance with the manufacturer's recommendations on the package; it is very important not to overcook it (to properly cook spaghetti there is one rule: for 100 grams of spaghetti you need 1 liter of water and 10 grams of salt). Drain the water. 
Place the hot spaghetti in a deep frying pan, add the egg-cream sauce and mix well. 
Place fried bacon on top and mix everything thoroughly again. 
Pasta Carbonara is ready, serve it hot, you can also sprinkle finely grated Parmesan cheese on top. Bon appetit! 
Pasta carbonara is a classic of Roman cuisine. This is spaghetti combined with thin slices of bacon, and topped with cheese and egg sauce. It comes to readiness from the heat of spaghetti that has just been cooked.
If you follow all the rules and know the subtleties, the consistency of the sauce is the most delicate velvet. Italian bacon accentuates the taste so exquisitely that even the most fastidious gourmet will not find anything to complain about. The hot garlic note makes the pasta perfect. The dish is very nutritious, so it will relieve you of hunger for a long time.
Cooking technique
Some careless cooks serve spaghetti drenched in a rich, heavy sauce, covered with a thick layer of cheese that does not want to melt at all, and call it carbonara. But even if everything is prepared correctly, the dish will spoil if it is not served immediately after cooking. Remember, spaghetti carbonara doesn’t like to wait. After a while they will become sticky and tasteless.
Italian chefs assure that their cooking techniques are the same everywhere, the differences can only be in the ingredients:
- you need to prepare a raw filling from cheese and eggs;
- render bacon fat;
- boil the pasta;
- Add the filling to the spaghetti and stir until the dish achieves the desired unity.
The quantitative ratio of ingredients can be adjusted depending on personal taste preferences. To make carbonara that you think is perfect, you will have to experiment.
Secrets and subtleties
The basis of the most delicate sauce is eggs. They are the ones who glue all the ingredients and thin spaghetti together. The heat of freshly cooked pasta is quite strong and will easily bring the eggs to the required degree of doneness.
Therefore, it is very important not to make a mistake with their quantity. The sauce will be ideal if you take one glass of cheese and three eggs for 0.5 kg of spaghetti.
In Rome, cheese is used to make pasta with carbonara sauce. Pecorino Romano. It is made from sheep's milk and has a distinctive taste. But many people find it too harsh.
In this case, you can use the following combination: three quarters of a glass "Parmigiano Reggiano" and a quarter - “percorino”. If you simply reduce the amount of cheese, the taste will not be rich enough.
Do you need cream and garlic?
Many carbonara pasta recipes call for heavy cream. But Italian chefs reject such variations. They insist that cream leaves a greasy taste in the mouth and, worst of all, kills the flavor of the cheese.
But they welcome garlic in recipes. You need to crush a few slices, fry them a little in olive oil and add to the sauce. You can add raw chopped garlic to make its aroma richer.
Typically in Rome, this dish is prepared with guanciale, raw pork belly. But finding it outside of Italy is very problematic. American bacon or Italian pancetta would be a good alternative. Both of these products are made from peritoneum.
Bacon has a slightly sweet taste because sugar is added when it is cured. Once fried, it retains a crispy texture and smoky flavor, unlike pancetta. Therefore, when preparing pasta carbonara, many cooks prefer to use American bacon.
At the final stage of cooking, inexperienced cooks may have difficulty distributing the egg-cheese mixture evenly.
First of all, the spaghetti must be mixed with the mixture, and only then carefully add the bacon. Then it will be evenly distributed throughout the dish and you will be able to cook the pasta correctly.
Should I add wine?
Famous Italian chefs are still arguing about this. Vermouth gives a rich herbal flavor that overwhelms the taste of other products. Red wine and smoked bacon - the “blow” is not very good.
If you want to add wine, then give preference to dry white. For it to show its taste, it must be at least half a glass. It should be added while the bacon is frying.
Traditional recipe
Preparation:
- High-quality spaghetti is suitable for carbonara - the thinner the long “threads”, the better the sauce is distributed over them. They need to be boiled in plenty of salted water. When they are ready, drain them in a colander, but do not rinse them. Be sure to have a glass of water in which you cooked the pasta. This “broth” will come in handy if there is not enough moisture to mix with the sauce;
- If the pasta sticks together, do not add oil under any circumstances. This will only make them fatter. You can do something smarter - add a little pasta water. The pasta will become shiny and slippery;
- While the pasta is cooking, you need to chop the bacon or pancetta. Fry over low heat so that the fat has time to render out and the pieces to brown. Break eggs into prepared dishes, grate cheese;
- When combining the pasta with the sauce, make sure that it covers every millimeter. If the pasta is sticky, add the broth a little at a time until it starts to slip. The sauce should shine like silk. It is better to place in heated plates so that the dish does not have time to cool down.
Carbonara with wine
Preparation:
- Boil 4 quarts of water in a large saucepan;
- While it is boiling, heat 0.25 cup olive oil;
- Cut the bacon into thin strips and fry until crispy;
- The fat should be completely rendered. Pour in half a glass of dry white wine and keep on fire until the smell of alcohol evaporates;
- Cover with a lid to keep the heat in. In a small bowl, beat three eggs with a glass of grated cheese, add garlic;
- When the water boils, salt the water and carefully add 0.5 kg of pasta. They must be stirred immediately to prevent them from sticking together. When they are cooked, drain them in a colander, do not rinse. Don't forget to leave the "broth";
- Pour sauce over hot spaghetti, add bacon and a pinch of black pepper. Once you have mixed them, serve immediately.
Pasta with cream
This recipe has a lot of fans.
Preparation:
- You can use regular spaghetti or flat long noodles (500 grams). Boil it in salted water. While it's cooking, make the filling;
- Cut bacon (300 grams) into cubes or strips, fry in a well-heated frying pan, without oil. Chop the garlic and add to the bacon;
- When almost all the fat has melted, pour in 70 ml of dry white wine. Simmer over low heat for about 7-8 minutes;
- For the sauce you will need six yolks. They need to be whisked together with 100 ml of cream, and then added 200 g. hard cheese. Stir until the mixture becomes homogeneous;
- Pour the sauce over the pasta, add bacon, pepper and salt to taste. Simmer the dish for a couple of minutes so that all the flavors blend.
The highlight of this recipe is the topping. There are two options: you can fry small pieces of black bread or finely chop black olives. Sprinkle the dish on top, garnishing it with basil leaves.