How to Prepare Authentic Carbonara Pasta
Carbonara. Just the word strikes fear into chefs worldwide because of the difficulty of pulling off the perfect execution. Carbonara is a traditional Roman dish comprising four simple ingredients: pasta, eggs, cheese, and guanciale (specially cured pork.) Combining these simple ingredients is the recipe for an everyday, no-brainer family meal.
Done well, carbonara creates an irresistible silky sauce over soft pasta that combines the best of flavors we all love, bacon, egg, and cheese. Unfortunately, one misstep in timing or execution results in what Italians lovingly refer to as a pasta frittata. Eggs are no respecter of inexperience, and chefs have only one chance to get it right.
We’ve assembled a few carbonara hacks from the owner of Taverna Trilussa in Rome. These should help you navigate the usual carbonara land mines and create a meal you’ll be proud of.
Authentic Carbonara Pasta Tips
First off, try to find Italian ingredients as much as possible. Italians are notoriously proud of their ingredients, and with good reason, they are the best in the world. Their passion for food, tradition, and the minute details that create the perfect ingredients are centuries in the making.
We understand that if you can’t find all the authentic Italian ingredients for carbonara at your local market, do your best. Let’s start with cheese. Carbonara is typically made with pecorino romano cheese. Avoid any pre-packaged, grated cheeses from the supermarket. Instead, seek a local cheese store and pick out a tangy block of pecorino romano that you can grate by hand. It will melt better into the sauce. Some recipes you’ll find mainly in the US use a combination of Parmigiano-Reggiano and pecorino Romano cheeses for an extra salty-tangy bite. The choice is yours, but the traditional Italian version includes only pecorino Romano.
Next, use room-temperature eggs. You probably already know that eggs don’t need to be refrigerated and have at least a two-week shelf life, but if you prefer to refrigerate yours, make sure you take them out of the fridge in time to get them to room temperature for your sauce to come together. Adding cold eggs to hot pasta noodles is a recipe for disaster and increases the risk of creating scrambled eggs.
Use mostly egg yolks to create that extra creamy sauce we all love. Using only egg whites will tend to make a more watery sauce, but using only the yolks can make your sauce too thick and custardy. Where’s the balance? Five yolks and one whole egg is the perfect ratio. This hack is one of the most important to remember. And don’t waste those extra egg whites; save them for an omelet tomorrow morning.
Save some water before you drain the pasta to add to your sauce. The water helps to thin out the sauce if needed and the starches in the water help ensure the sauce stays cohesive.
And now for the most critical carbonara hack: turn off the heat. Yes, before adding the eggs and pasta, you must turn off the heat, or you’ll overcook the sauce and find yourself with the dreaded frittata. But, you say, I don’t want to eat raw eggs, do I? Don’t worry; the residual heat in the pasta and pasta water provides enough heat to cook the eggs without scrambling.
It’s all in the timing and organizing of your workspace to ensure all these steps happen quickly and in the correct order.
And now, the moment of truth: adding the egg and cheese mixture to your pasta. This final step separates the seasoned carbonara chef from the neophyte. Make sure you organize all the utensils and ingredients before you start. Add the eggs and quickly stir with tongs and stir until the sauce naturally thickens. Don’t stop stirring until the sauce until it’s the consistency of heavy cream. Finally add the guanciale.
One more hack: warm your serving bowls in the oven at a low temperature for a few minutes before serving your carbonara. The heated surface will ensure that the sauce stays the perfect consistency and doesn’t separate. Happy cooking!
