Carbonara a la Piemontegirl
Carbonara: not as easy as it looks
I tried making Carbonara for the first time ever, and although there are not that many ingredients in the dish, getting it perfect is actually quite hard. But, now I know how to make it even better next time. Because it did taste good! I had run out of guanciale so I used prosciutto instead. Any sort of salty, bacon like meat will work. Hope you enjoy!
Ingredients (4 servings):
- 3 tbs extra-virgin olive oil
- 8 ounces / 230 grams of guanciale (or bacon)
- 1 pound / 450 grams spaghetti
- 1 1/4 cups / 3 dl freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano
- 4 large eggs, separated (keep both parts)
- Pepper
Instructions:
- Bring water to boil in a large pot and add some salt
- Meanwhile, combine the olive oil and guanciale in a pan over medium heat, and cook until it’s crispy and golden. Remove the pan from heat and set aside (without draining the fat)
- Cook the spaghetti in the boiling water until al dente. Take 1/4 cup / 0.6dl of the water and set aside. Drain the pasta.
- Add the pasta water to the pan with the guanciale, toss in the pasta and heat, while shaking the pan, for 1 minute. Remove from heat, add most of Parmigiano, the egg whites and pepper, and toss until thoroughly mixed.
- Divide the pasta among 4 plates, make a nest in the middle, and drop the egg yolk in. Sprinkle the remaining Parmigiano on top and voila!
Meet Piemontegirl
Sixteen years in Piemonte, and counting
- WSET Level 2 Certified
- Traveling to Piemonte every year since 2011
- Hands-on summers at Vietti and Altare in Barolo
- Hosting Piemontegirl Tastings in Oslo and Piemontegirl Tours in Piemonte