Pasta, pancetta, garlic, Italian cheeses, and white wine. Let’s call this STOP PAYING A TON OF MONEY TO GO OUT FOR GOOD PASTA! And forget about good pasta, we’re making great pasta. Great pasta dishes start with great pasta though. I often make my own, but spaghetti and I don’t get along that well fresh. With the attachment that I have it always comes out stuck together… I just can’t get the flour right I guess.
Any way, what I’m getting at here is, when you’re making a show-stopper of a pasta dish, and one that isn’t laden down with a heavy sauce, spend the extra couple of bucks at the grocery store if you can to buy a better brand of dry pasta. Look for one with as few ingredients as possible. This is all you want to see under ingredients: semolina flour (durum wheat), water, and egg. If that’s all you see on the box of dried pasta, you’re in for a good time.
This pasta, it’s a good time.
It was so good that I went back for seconds twice. It was also both Oliver and Bo approved, something that very rarely happens in this house.
Enough jabbering right, let’s get to it!
Here’s what we need: eggs, pecornio romano, parmigiano reggiano, salt, pepper, olive oil, white wine, garlic, pancetta, good quality dried spaghetti, and fresh parsley
Grate your cheese. You’ll need 1/3 cup of each.
Chop up your parsley and set aside.
Get five cloves of garlic and peel them.
Slice the peeled cloves as thin as you can. this is what you’re going for.
I really, REALLY, love garlic.
Throw the spaghetti into a pot of boiling water and cook according to the package. I like mine just a little past al dente.
Put the cheese and eggs together into a bowl.
Give it a good stir with a fork.
In a large pan or skillet get some olive oil heating up.
Add the pancetta and cook, stirring occasionally, until just starting to crisp.
Oh that looks so good.
Add the garlic.
Stir it in and cook for about a minute, just long enough for it to start to soften. Now, a bit of fat in the pan is ok, but if you had really fatty pancetta like I did this time, you should sop some of it up with some paper towels now, leaving just a couple of tablespoons in the pan.
Add the white wine, give it a stir, then let it boil down until reduced by about half.
At this point you’re pasta should be just about ready so drain it off (always reserve a bit of the water when cooking pasta in case your sauce ends up too thick).
Put the pasta into a bowl and add the cheese mixture.
Toss it together really well. It’s important that every strand of pasta is well coated.
Add the pasta to the skillet with the pancetta and garlic and give it a good toss again.
Season with salt and a generous amount of pepper, then give it one more good toss.
Plate it up (I’m a big fan of family style whenever I can), and top with some of that parsley. I mean, you just can’t resist it.
So please, the next time you’re having the in-laws over, or you feel like a nice candle lit dinner, don’t go out. Make this and be amazed at just how great a pasta dish can be at home. The best part? It really is so, SO easy too. I promise!
Ok, a little closer, just this once.
Here’s your printable:
Spaghetti alla Carbonara
Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- 1/3 cup freshly grated pecorino romano cheese
- 1/3 cup freshly grated parmigiano reggiano cheese
- 500 g good quality dried spaghetti
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- ½ pound pancetta, cut into cubes
- 5 cloves peeled garlic, very thinly sliced
- 2/3 cup dry white wine
- salt
- pepper
- flat leaf parsley, chopped, for garnish
Instructions
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and add the pasta, cooking for about 9 minutes until just past al dente.
- In a small bowl, mix the cheeses and eggs together well and set aside.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the pancetta and cook, stirring frequently, until just starting to crisp, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for about 1 minute, until just starting to soften.
- If required, sop up some of the excess fat in the pan, leaving about 3 tablespoons.
- Add the wine and let cook down until reduced to half.
- When the pasta is cooked, drain and then place in a large bowl. Add the cheese mixture and toss well, ensuring that all the pasta is evenly coated.
- Add the pasta to the skillet with the pancetta and garlic. Season with salt and a generous amount of pepper, then toss well.
- Garnish with parsley and serve.
Jen @ Savory SImple
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