Details count – spaghetti alla carbonara

Anyone who has ever read this blog knows that I approach a recipe more as a set of suggestions than a script to be followed.  Ingredients, techniques, timings – all are subject to improvisation.  There are some occasions, though, in which the details really count.  To my surprise, pasta can be one of those things.

After our vacation from Rome last spring, I attempted, and failed, to duplicate the spaghetti cacio e pepe that we had enjoyed so often (link).  On the plate, it seems simple – spaghetti, cheese, ground black pepper.  What could go wrong?  Well, lots of things I found out.  It needs to be made with round pasta (spaghetti) not flat pasta (fettucine), you can’t make more than two servings at a time, the order in which things happen is important, and the temperature of everything is critical.

Pasta doesn’t always require that level of precision (except for the actual cooking of the pasta – undercooked and overcooked pasta are both fails).  Garlic and oil, pesto, and tomato based sauces are all pretty forgiving. I improvised a mushroom sauce for some ravioli the other night that was delicious and no recipe was involved.

But there are some pasta dishes that one might think require a licensed practitioner to create and spaghetti alla carbonara is near the top of that list.  I’m intimidated by it.  I tried once to make it and the result was a gooey greasy mess, for many of the same reasons my first cacio e pepe was a disaster.  From that point on, I’ve quivered at the thought of making the dish that novelist and food writer Calvin Trillin has campaigned to replace turkey as our national dish at Thanksgiving.

However, my true love came across a recipe for spaghetti alla carbonara and sent it to me with the message “want want want.”  I had no choice. I researched the dish as much as I could and tested it a couple of evenings when she wasn’t home. The results of my tests convinced me that I had to follow the rules. If I did, the results were spectacular.  If I didn’t, they were significantly less than that.

This recipe is an amalgamation of about a half-dozen I found but they are all very, very similar, differing only slightly in the ingredients and never altering the technique.  This is also one of those recipes (like most Chinese recipes, actually), where assembling and preparing the ingredients before doing any cooking is really important. So here goes – spaghetti alla carbonara. Pay attention.

Recipe – Spaghetti alla carbonara

Ingredients

1 lb spaghetti (It must be spaghetti – a round pasta of moderate thickness.  Dry or fresh doesn’t matter as much, just follow the directions for cooking)

2 tbl olive oil

4 oz guanciale (pig jowls) cut into small cubes (pancetta is an acceptable substitute, American bacon would change the flavor of the dish)

4 garlic cloves minced (garlic can be adjusted to taste)

2 large eggs

1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus more for the table

freshly ground pepper (lots)

chopped parsley for garnish (optional)

Directions

Fill a large pot with salted water and bring to the boil.  While that’s happening…

Assemble the rest of the ingredients.  Measure out the oil and set aside.  Cube the guanciale/pancetta and set aside.  Mince the garlic and set aside. Beat the eggs then add the cheese to the eggs and mix well. Heat a skillet to medium.  Warm the serving platter.

Add the spaghetti to the boiling water.  Follow the directions for cooking, but dry spaghetti usually takes 10-12 minutes and fresh spaghetti 4-6 minutes.

Now take a deep breath, because things are going to get interesting.

Five minutes before the pasta is supposed to be done (which means immediately if you are using fresh pasta) add the oil and the guanciale/pancetta to the hot skillet, stirring regularly, until the the fat is rendered and the cubes begin to crisp.  This should take about 3 minutes.

Add the garlic and swirl around the fat for about 30 seconds.  Reduce the heat to medium/low.

Taste the spaghetti.  If it’s done, scoop out a cup of the water and set aside and drain the pasta.  You can either drain in the sink with a colander or use a spider.

Add the drained spaghetti to the skillet and stir thoroughly to make sure that all the spaghetti is covered with fat and the meat is well-distributed.

Take the skillet off the heat and add the egg/cheese mixture (if you don’t take it off the heat, the eggs may cook separately, turning your dish into a scrambled egg and pasta combo).  Mix it vigorously and thoroughly into the spaghetti.  Add a few twists of your pepper mill and mix again.  Add a little more pepper on top if you like pepper.

Transfer to a warmed serving platter and serve (adding a little chopped parsley if you like).

Those last several steps all take place in about 90 seconds or less and there’s no chance to stop and check to see how it’s going.  If everything is prepared and you’ve thought about what has to happen in what order, the results will be wonderful.  I’m no longer scared by spaghetti alla carbonara.