After trying loads of different spaghetti carbonara recipes and failing to perfect the right dish for our tastes we eventually found this one in Rao's Classics, a book featuring recipes from a famous New York restaurant. Unfortunately we have only made this recipe from the book but we have made it many, many times and it always turns out delicious!!
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Tips
- It's so very simple and very quick but the trick is to have everything ready before you start to cook. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do.
- We have a few bread recipes - see the links below - to try with this delicious spaghetti carbonara recipe!
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Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- 30ml double cream - we use Elmlea to reduce the calories
- 60g bacon/pancetta lardons
- 40g shallots, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp butter
- freshly ground black pepper
- 200g spaghetti
- 50g fresh grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Bring a large stockpot of salted water to a boil over a high heat.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the eggs and cream. Whisk until extremely well blended (the more incorporated the ingredients are, the smoother the sauce).
- Warm a large sauté pan over a medium-low heat. Spread out the bacon or pancetta lardons evenly across the pan.
- Gently turn the bacon with a wooden spoon until the cubes are lightly seared all over and golden around the edges, about 10 minutes. Remove the pan and drain the fat.
- Remove a quarter of the bacon and reserve for garnish. Note that the pan will remain hot and continue to cook the bacon, rendering a little bit more fat.
- Return the pan to the hob over a low heat. Add the shallots, and sauté for about 3 minutes. Add the butter and black pepper to taste. When the butter begins to froth, turn off the heat.
- When the pasta water is boiling, add the spaghetti. Subtract 2 minutes from the cooking time recommended on the packet.
- Drain the pasta, transfer it to the sauté pan with the butter, and place over a medium-low heat.
- Using tongs, toss the pasta until completely and evenly coated, about 1 minute. Very quickly pour the egg mixture into the pan. Rapidly turn the pasta with the tongs until the eggs begin to slightly thicken. As the sauce thickens, continue to toss the pasta for 1 minute, or until the sauce firms.
- Transfer the pasta and sauce to a large serving bowl. Add the grated parmesan cheese and toss. Garnish with the reserved bacon and serve.
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Spaghetti Carbonara
Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- 30ml double cream we use Elmlea to reduce the calories
- 60g bacon/pancetta lardons
- 40g shallots finely chopped
- 1 tbsp butter
- freshly ground black pepper
- 200g spaghetti
- 50g fresh grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Bring a large stockpot of salted water to a boil over a high heat.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the eggs and cream. Whisk until extremely well blended (the more incorporated the ingredients are, the smoother the sauce).
- Warm a large sauté pan over a medium-low heat. Spread out the bacon or pancetta lardons evenly across the pan.
- Gently turn the bacon with a wooden spoon until the cubes are lightly seared all over and golden around the edges, about 10 minutes. Remove the pan and drain the fat.
- Remove a quarter of the bacon and reserve for garnish. Note that the pan will remain hot and continue to cook the bacon, rendering a little bit more fat.
- Return the pan to the hob over a low heat. Add the shallots, and sauté for about 3 minutes. Add the butter and black pepper to taste. When the butter begins to froth, turn off the heat.
- When the pasta water is boiling, add the spaghetti. Subtract 2 minutes from the cooking time recommended on the packet.
- Drain the pasta, transfer it to the sauté pan with the butter, and place over a medium-low heat.
- Using tongs, toss the pasta until completely and evenly coated, about 1 minute. Very quickly pour the egg mixture into the pan. Rapidly turn the pasta with the tongs until the eggs begin to slightly thicken. As the sauce thickens, continue to toss the pasta for 1 minute, or until the sauce firms.
- Transfer the pasta and sauce to a large serving bowl. Add the grated parmesan cheese and toss. Garnish with the reserved bacon and serve.
Notes
- It's so very simple and very quick but the trick is to have everything ready before you start to cook. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do.
Cheryl Jackson
There is no cream in traditional carbonara. Creaminess is created by the eggs, and this recipe is stingy. Use at least 3 or 4 to achieve the desired creaminess. Boil your water first, THEN add the salt. Reserve about a cup of pasta water to loosen sauce if necessary. Lastly, adding the butter mixture to your pasta will cause the wonderful carbonara sauce not to adhere to your pasta, and you'll miss out on some real flavor.
Deborah
Thank you for taking the time to comment Cheryl. It isn't one of our own recipes, but it's one that we really enjoy - taken from the book Rao's Classics: More Than 140 Italian Favorites from the Legendary New York Restaurant. Regards, Deborah