The origins of this classic Italian sauce may be a topic for debate, but there’s no contesting this holy union of egg, parmesan, crisp pork and pasta.
Nutrition
2926 kj Energy
21g Fat Total
7g Saturated Fat
4g Fibre
36g Protein
248mg Cholesterol
1210.67mg Sodium
88g Carbs (total)
Spaghetti alla carbonara
Print RecipeIngredients
- 500g spaghetti
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, bruised
- 150g piece pancetta, rind removed, finely chopped
- 4 eggs, at room temperature
- 40g (1/2 cup) grated parmesan, plus extra, to serve
Instructions
- Step 1Cook pasta in a large saucepan of boiling salted water for 8 minutes or until al dente. Drain, reserving 125ml (1/2 cup) cooking water.
- Step 2Meanwhile, heat oil in a large, deep frying pan over medium heat. Add garlic and pancetta, and cook, stirring, for 6 minutes or until both are light golden. Discard garlic and remove pan from heat.
- Step 3Whisk eggs, parmesan and 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper in a bowl (don’t add salt as cooking water and pancetta are salty). Add reserved hot cooking water and whisk until well combined.
- Step 4Return frying pan to medium heat. Working quickly, add hot pasta and toss for 2 minutes or until well coated with oil and pancetta. Remove pan from heat, add egg mixture, then toss for 1 minute or until egg mixture is creamy and warmed through (the heat from the pasta and pan will cook and slightly thicken the egg mixture without scrambling it).
- Step 5Divide carbonara among plates and scatter with extra parmesan. Serve immediately.
Notes
This dish tastes best before the sauce has time to set, so serve it immediately.
Top tips:
1) To bruise garlic, place the blade of a knife over a peeled clove. Using the heel of your other hand, lightly bash the knife. The clove will be flattened, with the aromatic interior exposed, but will still be in one piece.
2) Salt is added to pasta cooking water for flavour and to assist with even cooking. Add 2 tsp salt to every litre of water.
3) For best results, use bronze extruded spaghetti. When pasta is extruded through bronze, rather than plastic dies, it gives pasta a rougher exterior for sauce to cling to. Available from delis. Alternatively, use ridged spaghetti labelled ‘rigati’, from selected supermarkets.
- Author: Leanne Kitchen
- Image credit: Jeremy Simons
- Publication: MasterChef
