23 February 2013

Spaghetti à la carbonara

Carbonara is a classic of the comfort food category. It's good food for a cold winter day. Melted cheese, bacon, eggs, and pasta. What could be better?

Spaghetti à la carbonara made with French lardons and French fromages

The first step in making spaghetti à la carbonara like this is to brown some lardons or bacon or ham. Walt and I like French smoked pork lardons, but you could also use pancetta, which is Italian salt-cured pork. Then, separately, cook the pasta in a big pot of boiling water, and grate up some cheese.

When the pasta is cooked, spoon it out of the pot (using a pasta dipper) rather than draining it into a colander, so that you don't lose the hot cooking water. Drop the cooked pasta into the pan with the bacon (first remove some of the fat if you think it's too much) and gradually spoon in some of the cooking liquid to loosen up the pasta, moisten the meat, and deglaze the pan.

While it's all still very hot — keep the pan on low heat — put in a cup or so of grated cheese. Parmesan is the classic, with maybe some Perorino Romano added. For my French version, I used a mixture of Comté (a Swiss-style cheese) and Cantal (more like white Cheddar) and we served grated Parmesan at the table.

Stir in the cheese, adding more of the boiling liquid to make a smooth cheese sauce. Then, off the heat, drop in two raw eggs (or just egg yolks if you prefer) and stir everything together so that the egg cooks in the hot pasta and sauce but, if you're lucky, without scrambling. That's the delicate part of the operation, and it can take some practice.

Even if the egg scrambles slightly, it's no big deal and the carbonara is still delicious. Don't forget the fresh-ground black pepper.

Walt was keeping Callie busy in the living room while all this was going on. Then we enjoyed the spaghetti à la carbonara with good bread, red wine, and a green salad.

19 comments:

  1. NOW I KNOW!... why my carbonaras are always too dry.... "and gradually spoon in some of the cooking liquid to loosen up the pasta and deglaze the pan" and "adding more of the boiling liquid to make a smooth cheese sauce".... a bit like a making rissotto... I've always made a creamy cheese sauce... beaten the eggs into that... stirred in the lardons and then poured it over the pasta and stirred all togother... we have a guest this week... they'll be getting carbonara!! Your method. Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Tim, a lot of French recipes for carbonara call for putting in some cream, but I don't do that.

    Speaking of white stuff, we're having snow flurries this morning. You too?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Yep, us too! We have to go to Chatellerault this p.m. so I hope it doesn't amount to much! P. pp T

    ReplyDelete
  4. Ooooh, that looks so yummy Ken, now I'm hungry.

    ReplyDelete
  5. The carbonara looks wonderful.
    I have a bowl of oatmeal to look
    forward to. Blog from the Tarn-et-
    Garonne says they are expecting
    blizzard conditions. Passes in
    the Pyrenees closing because of
    snow drifts.

    ReplyDelete
  6. great work! i love pasta carbonaras - and i use a little cream as a cheat. i love that last pic - just lovely :-D

    ReplyDelete
  7. I sometimes make something similar here in the US, & it's interesting to see how it could be done with ingredients easily available in France. Your blog is still the first thing I read each morning--I'm glad your hiatus was short-lived. Writing is clearly a part of your daily life, & I find that most inspiring. Belated felicitations on your wedding!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Love the last photo with Callie and Walt having some fun on her birthday! Do you think Carbonara would work with some thick cut American bacon?

    ReplyDelete
  9. Evelyn, yes, I think thick-sliced U.S. bacon would be good in carbonara. Walt was surprised when he saw that last photo. I'm sneaky...

    Hello Mary Riser, thanks for the nice comment. Our first anniversary (and 30th year together) are coming right up.

    Sheila, Virginia, OFG, thanks for the nice comments.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Awww, I loved that last photo, too :)
    Your Carbonara looks and sounds delicious-- I've never seen how to make it before. I think my mom has made this, with the addition of peas.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hi Judy, yes, I've seen recipes that include peas too. Hope you are having a good weekend.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I am now scrambling (pun intended) to look up recipes for this dish on the internet. Yours looks divine. I remember the first time I had this was at a party chez DeLay.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Hi Cheryl, the first time I ever had carbonara was also in Champaign, back in the 1970s. It was Harriett W. who made it, after her stay in Italy. Same with pesto.

    ReplyDelete
  14. One of my favorites any time of the year!

    ReplyDelete
  15. P.S. Elise has this recipe on her Simply Recipes site.

    ReplyDelete
  16. I think Elise's recipe would be better with a little of the pasta cooking liquid added in for a better consistency. I might add garlic to mine next time. No real need for extra salt, since the bacon, cheese, and pasta liquid are all salty.

    ReplyDelete
  17. I wondered about adding garlic. I kind of think it would change the simplicity of the dish. I think I might add onions, though.

    ReplyDelete
  18. I saw Elise's recipe. By simplicity I mean flavors, not difficulty.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Nicely composed photo. It almost looks like an ad for a pasta company!
    Hope you stay warm.

    ReplyDelete

What's on your mind? Qu'avez-vous à me dire ?