Here's how to make authentic pasta carbonara! This simple pasta dish has humble origins. It was originally served as a hearty meal for coal workers in Rome and surrounding villages in Italy's Lazio region. Today, it's still one of the most delicious pasta dishes ever created.
1cupPecorino Romano cheese(substitute or mix with Parmigiano Reggiano)
100gramsguanciale(substitute with pancetta or bacon)
black pepper
sea salt
extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
Make carbonara sauce
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, grated Pecorino Romano cheese, and milling a generous amount of black pepper.
Cook the guanciale till golden brown
Slice the guanciale into nice and thick cubes. You're going to render out the fat from the meat, which is why you need that thickness in the first place.
Brush your skillet with just enough extra virgin olive oil. Preheat it on medium-high heat for 5 minutes.
Add the guanciale to the hot skillet and cook for 7-10 minutes. Cook until the cubes have shrunk and turned golden brown, and most of the fat has rendered out in the pan.
About 1-2 minutes before the guanciale is done browning, deglaze the pan with a little white wine and bring down the heat to medium.
Turn off the heat, but keep the guanciale and fat in the skillet. You're going to toss the pasta in the skillet shortly.
Cook the tagliatelle
Bring salted water (10 grams of salt per liter) to a boil. Italian chefs often say that to make good pasta, the pasta water "should taste like the sea."
Cook the tagliatelle until al dente. Read the recommended time on the instructions and, 2-3 minutes before it, start tasting the pasta. When the tagliatelle is cooked enough to not be crunchy, but still has firmness and resistance to it, it's done.
Make the tagliatelle carbonara
Strain the tagliatelle and add them immediately to the skillet with the guanciale. Pour the carbonara sauce and start tossing the pasta. Toss the pasta thoroughly; you're using the residual heat from the noodles to thicken the carbonara sauce.
Serve with freshly grated black pepper.
Nutrition
Calories: 574kcal
Keyword carbonara sauce, dry pasta, pasta carbonara