Bucatini Alla Carbonara (Authentic Recipe)

Carbonara is a well-known classic Italian pasta dish that requires no introduction. It is a fundamentally simple and easy dish. But it is also the most-misunderstood dish. Many recipes call for cream, and I think this will surely annoy any Italians.

This is my understanding of how this Italian dish should be properly made, after consulting many books and my Italian friends. Carbonara is from the Lazio region (the area around Rome), and made with cured pork, hard cheese, black pepper and eggs. You only need these four ingredients for the sauce.

Cured meat – Use guanciale (cured pork cheek) which will give you a much more intense flavour, if you could find it. Pancetta (unsmoked) is also fine but never use bacon.

Cheese – The appropriate cheese to use is Pecorino Romano which is a hard, salty cheese from Lazio, but Parmesan may be a substitute.

Ground black pepper – Carbonara literally means ‘coal miner’. Ground black pepper is a reference to the coal dust, and therefore a must in this dish. It should be freshly ground as it loses its aroma very quickly.

Eggs – There is a lot of debate whether you should use whole eggs, just the egg yolks or a mix. I suspect the prevailing wisdom in Rome is egg yolks only.

Traditionally, it is cooked with dried long pasta (not fresh) such as bucatini, linguine, or spaghetti, but not tagliatelle.

The authentic version has no cream, garlic, onions, mushrooms, chicken, peas, parsley or whatsoever apart from the four ingredients described above.

Bucatini Alla Carbonara

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Serves: 2 Prep Time: 5 minutes Cooking Time: 20 minutes 20 minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

• 200g bucatini
• 100g guanciale (or unsmoked pancetta), cut into cubes or lardons
• 60g of grated Pecorino Romano cheese
• 3 fresh large organic (or free range) egg yolks
• Plenty of black peppercorns (about 5g) crushed in a mortar and pestle or coarsely ground in a mill

Instructions

1. Cook the bucatini in plenty of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain and save some pasta cooking water.
2. In a bowl, mix the egg yolk, black pepper and most of the cheese.
3. While the pasta is being cooked, add the guanciale or pancetta into a large saucier. Cook slowly over low heat for about 3-5 minutes, or until the fatty parts have turned translucent and the fat from the pork is fully rendered. Turn off the heat.
4. Tip the cooked pasta into the saucier. Toss to coat with the fat.
5. Mix in the egg mixture. Add a few tbsp of the pasta cooking water to loosen the pasta. Toss well.
6. Serve with the rest of the cheese scattered over the top.