Spaghetti Carbonara Americas Test Kitchen Recipes

AMERICAN PASTA CARBONARA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, salt, add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until "al dente."
• Meanwhile, heat olive oil in skillet. Add bacon and saute for about 5 minutes or until it has rendered its fat and bits are crisp. Add garlic and saute for few seconds. Remove skillet from the heat, over and set aside until pasta is done.
• Whisk eggs and cheese together and season to taste with salt and pepper. When pasta is done, drain well and return to pot, off heat. Thoroughly combine with bacon, garlic and oil. Stirring pasta continuously with a long wooden pasta fork, slowly pour in the egg mixture. Continue to stir, over low heat, until the eggs thicken into a sauce. Remove from the heat immediately or eggs will curdle. (If you are concerned eggs are not cooked enough, continue to cook until they form soft curds; it won't look pretty but it will taste delicious.)

SPAGHETTI ALLA CARBONARA: THE TRADITIONAL ITALIAN RECIPE

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat; add guanciale (see Cook's Note). Cook, turning occasionally, until evenly browned and crispy, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat and drain on paper towels.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook spaghetti in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until tender yet firm to the bite, about 9 minutes. Drain and return to the pot. Let cool, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.
• Whisk eggs, half of the Pecorino Romano cheese, and some black pepper in a bowl until smooth and creamy. Pour egg mixture over pasta, stirring quickly, until creamy and slightly cooled. Stir in guanciale. Top with remaining Pecorino Romano cheese and more black pepper.

SPAGHETTI ALLA CARBONARA

Steps:

• In a large saute pan, heat the oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add the pancetta and cook until it is browned and the fat has rendered, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to the lowest setting and keep warm.
• In a large bowl, mix together the eggs, cheese, and pepper until uniform. Set aside.
• Fill a large pot with water and add enough salt so the water tastes like seawater. Bring the water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to the directions on the package until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking liquid.
• Drain the pasta, transfer to the bowl with the egg mixture and add the pancetta, along with all the fat from the pan. Toss the pasta with the egg-cheese mixture and the pancetta until the eggs are cooked and the pasta is coated and creamy, about 1 minute. Serve immediately.

CARBONARA (GUANCIALE, EGG, AND PECORINO ROMANO)

Steps:

• Put the guanciale and oil in a large skillet. Sauté over medium heat until the edges of the guanciale pieces are just turning brown, about 2 minutes. Don't let it get too crisp. Set the pan and its contents aside but keep warm.
• Bring 5 quarts (5 liters) of water to a boil in an 8-quart (8-liter) pot over high heat. When the water boils, add 3 tablespoons kosher salt, then add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente.
• While the pasta is cooking, break the eggs into a small bowl and add all the cheese and a generous grinding of pepper. Whisk gently until the mixture is smooth.
• Drain the pasta (reserving and keeping warm a cup of its water) and put it in the skillet with the guanciale over low heat. Toss quickly to mix well.
• Holding the skillet slightly above but not touching the burner, pour the egg and cheese mixture in a stream into the pasta. Now, if you have the skill, toss the pasta with a deft movement of the wrist to blend all the contents of the pan. If you don't, remove the pan from the heat and mix quickly with two wooden spoons. If you have a warm spot, such as a food warmer or even over a pilot light, rest the pan there while you work.
• Whatever you do, work fast or the pasta will get cold and the eggs will stay raw and runny. Ideally the heat of the pasta will cook the egg just enough, and the sauce should be creamy. You can mix in a tiny bit of the reserved water to smooth things out, but you probably won't need to.
• Transfer to individual heated bowls or plates and serve instantaneously.