Spaghetti Carbonara
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The Tale of Spaghetti Carbonara
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Carbonara's precise origins are debated, but most food historians place its emergence in Rome around the mid-20th century, with one popular theory linking it to American soldiers' rations of bacon and powdered eggs during and after World War II meeting the local Roman tradition of pasta with cured pork and cheese. Whatever its true origin, it's become one of Rome's defining pasta dishes, made simply with eggs, guanciale, pecorino, and black pepper.
Ingredients
Scale:· 4 servings
- 400g spaghetti
- 200g guanciale or pancetta, diced
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
- Freshly cracked black pepper
- Salt for pasta water
Instructions
- 1Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the spaghetti until al dente.
- 2Meanwhile, render the diced guanciale in a skillet over medium heat until crisp.
- 3Whisk the eggs with grated Pecorino Romano and a generous amount of black pepper in a bowl.
- 4Reserve a cup of pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta.
- 5Add the hot pasta to the skillet with the guanciale, tossing off the heat to combine.
- 6Quickly pour in the egg and cheese mixture, tossing continuously and adding splashes of reserved pasta water to create a creamy sauce without scrambling the eggs.
- 7Adjust consistency with more pasta water if needed.
- 8Serve immediately with extra cheese and black pepper on top.
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