This afternoon we drove up to my Mom and Dad's to surprise them -- they were. For supper tonight Ken and I made Carbonara for the 8 of us. Gregory has been craving it as his after-procedure comfort food and we decided to share it with the whole family.
Tonight's preparation of this yummy dish included a little variation in our recipe (which I'll explain later in the "variations" section of this recipe), but over all the "spaghetti special" was delicious. We also came to realize that carbonara, though a long time favorite and a more recent house specialty (yes, and comfort food), has not yet been added to the Madison House Chef recipes.
Carbonara was most likely created in response to the abundance of bacon and eggs provided to the Italians after WWII. It's a resourceful way to prepare a hardy, flavorful dish using ingredients that were available in a time of shortage.
Here is my standard carbonara recipe in "narrative form."
Pasta alla carbonara
2 lbs of thin spaghetti (I often use whole wheat cappellini because the kids really like the taste of that pasta, but ordinary spaghetti or cappellini are also GREAT) 1 lb of pancetta (bacon of course could be used, but pancetta elevates the dish) 2 - 3 T garlic, minced (we like our pasta dishes garlicy; modify yours accordingly) 2 eggs 4 - 6 ounces of shaved Parmesan cheese 1/4 C cream or half and half (cream is an abomination to many, but I live with Mr. Wisconsin and any dish to which cream can be added, should be. Likewise, some restaurants use an abundance of cream which is an altogether different dish.) fresh ground pepper, to taste Dice pancetta and place in a hot, large (large enough to hold 2 lbs of cooked pasta and still have room to mix it; I use a 14 inch Calphalon pan) frying pan over medium heat. Begin to render the fat. (Render: draw the fat out of the pancetta by slowly cooking it... almost melting the fat out into the pan). When the pancetta fat has begun to render, but before it browns, prepare the spaghetti according to the directions on the box bringing it to a toothy al dente.. Finesse here comes with experience so that the pancetta is well rendered at the same time the pasta is al dente. As unorthodox as I'm sure it is, I turn the fire on the boiling pasta down to almost a simmer if the spaghetti begins to get too close to al dente before the pancetta has become brown (but not crispy like well done breakfast bacon) Continue to cook pancetta until it browns. Add garlic to pancetta and cook 2 - 3 minutes, stir occassionally or shake the pan so that the garlic doesn't burn. As the spahetti approaches al dente, ladle 1/2 - 2/3 C of pasta water into the pancetta. Shake or stir the pan. Drain water from the pasta and pour all of the pasta into the pancetta/garlic pan. With a sturdy tongs toss and stir the spaghetti until all strands are coated with the pan's liquid and the pancetta is evenly distributed through the pasta. Reduce the heat and add the eggs one at a time, stir egg in quickly and completely. You don't want scrambled eggs -- save that for the fried rice. Cover with fresh shaved parmasean cheese, and fresh ground pepper (don't be stingy with the pepper, it adds a wonderful depth of flavor) Add cream and a final time. Pour into a large serving platter. Serve with more cheese and ground pepper. Carbonara is definitely a variations on a theme dish. This recipe lends it self to the personal taste of your table. You may want to add more garlic, more pancetta, more cheese, less cheese, a drop or 2 of cream which is an abomination to some is the source of a new depth of flavor, and dare I say comfort food, for others. 09/09 Having finally photographed the preparation of carbonara, I've inserted the photos... however, I still left the stock photo above -- it looks pretty close to mine, especially when I don't add the creme. Enjoy!
