Rick Steins Spaghetti Alla Carbonara Recipes

SPAGHETTI ALLA CARBONARA (CHARCOAL-MAKER'S SPAGHETTI)

Steps:

• In a medium bowl beat the eggs and cream together with a pinch of salt.
• Heat the oil and butter in a large skillet.
• Add the bacon and cook gently until the fat becomes transparent.
• In a large pan of boiling water, cook the spaghetti according to package directions, just to "al dente" (do not overcook).
• Drain pasta and add it to the bacon pan; stir well.
• Remove the pan from heat and stir in the egg mixture with 1 tablespoon of each of the grated cheeses.
• The eggs will coagulate as they blend with the hot pasta so work quickly.
• Stir until all pasta is coated with the thick yellow cream.
• Stir in the remainder of the cheese and freshly ground pepper to taste.
• Serve at once.

SPAGHETTI ALLA CARBONARA (MARIO BATALI)

Steps:

• Bring 6 quarts of water to boil in a large pot, and add 2 tablespoons salts.
• Meanwhile, combine the olive oil and pancetta in a 12- to 14-inch sauté pan set over medium heat, and cook until the pancetta has rendered its fat and is crispy and golden. Remove from the heat and set aside (do not drain the fat).
• Cook the spaghetti in the boiling water until just al dente. Scoop out ¼ cup of the pasta cooking water and set aside. Drain the pasta.
• Add the reserved pasta water to the pan with the pancetta, then toss in the pasta and heat, shaking the pan, for 1 minute. Remove from the heat, add 1 cup of the Parmigiano, the egg whites, and pepper to taste, and toss until thoroughly mixed.
• Divide the pasta among four warmed serving bowls. Make a nest in the center of each one, and gently drop an egg yolk into each nest. Season the egg yolks with more pepper and sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup Parmigiano over the top. Serve immediately.

TYLER FLORENCE'S SPAGHETTI ALLA CARBONARA

Steps:

• Prepare the sauce while the pasta is cooking to ensure that the spaghetti will be hot and ready when the sauce is finished; it is very important that the pasta is hot when adding the egg mixture, so that the heat of the pasta cooks the raw eggs in the sauce.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until tender yet firm (as they say in Italian "al dente.") Drain the pasta well, reserving 1/2 cup of the starchy cooking water to use in the sauce if you wish.
• Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a deep skillet over medium flame. Add the pancetta and saute for about 3 minutes, until the bacon is crisp and the fat is rendered. Toss the garlic into the fat and saute for less than 1 minute to soften.
• Add the hot, drained spaghetti to the pan and toss for 2 minutes to coat the strands in the bacon fat. Beat the eggs and Parmesan together in a mixing bowl, stirring well to prevent lumps. Remove the pan from the heat and pour the egg/cheese mixture into the pasta, whisking quickly until the eggs thicken, but do not scramble (this is done off the heat to ensure this does not happen.) Thin out the sauce with a bit of the reserved pasta water, until it reaches desired consistency. Season the carbonara with several turns of freshly ground black pepper and taste for salt. Mound the spaghetti carbonara into warm serving bowls and garnish with chopped parsley.