Clearly I’m off that grain free diet, however we do limit the amount of grains we consume – especially pasta. This is my first pasta in 2 months! I’ve gone full deliciousness with wheat pasta, but you could substitute whole wheat or spelt pasta for a “healthier” version.
A few years ago, we were on holiday in Rome with my brother and sister-in-law and were really excited to try what is heralded as some of the best pizza in Rome – only to find it closed on arrival. The pizza place was a destination and a ways out from the center. We were all starving so we decide to just walk around the block to see if there was anything open. We came upon a little hole in the wall, local place, which was just about to close. They told us to sit down and they would “whip” us up something. They brought out two family style plates of pasta. One of those plates was a carbonara. But it was unlike any carbonara I had had before. It was sooo yellow and sooo creamy. Ever since I’ve been trying to replicate it. Along the way I’ve learned that there is no cream in a traditional carbonara, it gets its color from a lot of egg yolks and is made with a tubular pasta. This is a really simple and fast recipe so a great go-to when time is limited – or you’re too tired to make anything else. Here is my take on a classic carbonara.
Pasta Carbonara
- Tubular pasta – penne, rigatoni
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- 2 eggs + 2 egg yolks
- 100 grams of pancetta (or use regular bacon)
- 1 cup of grated good quality parmesan or pecorino plus more for sprinkling
- A Lot of fresh ground pepper
Put a large pot of salted water to boil and cook your pasta. Pour your olive oil into a frying pan and crisp up the bacon.
Mix up your eggs, egg yolks, cheese and pepper.
Drain your pasta and reserve some of the pasta water. Place pasta back in the pot, put the pot back over a very low heat and pour over your egg sauce. Stir, stir, stir quickly to combine and thicken the sauce. If it becomes too thick, remove from heat and pour in some of your reserved pasta water. Once you have your sauce to the right consistency – smooth, creamy and glossy – its ready to serve! Put on a plate, load up with some of grated cheese, drizzle with a high quality Italian extra virgin olive oil and fresh ground pepper. Voila!
A Lot of Things 