Traditional Carbonara

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I decided to research how to make a traditional carbonara after I was berated by an Italian friend over my version of carbonara (which I invented, but later found was a common way to make a modern carbonara).

I’ll be honest, I prefer my carbonara as a pasta dish, but the two are really incomparable. This is a completely different dish because the sauce and texture are world’s appart.

About carbonara: Carbonara is a hearty dish that was eaten in coal mining regions. The name “Carbonara” actually refers to the specks of black pepper in the dish, the namesake of the dish drawing comparisons between the black pepper and coal dust created by the region; hence the name “Carbonara”, because of the carbon from the coal.

Ingredients

• Pasta
• Bacon
• Eggs
• Parmesan cheese
• Black Pepper
• Vegetables (optional)
• Chicken stock (optional – this is my addition to the recipe)
• Something To Crow About – Roasted Garlic Seed Topper (optional)

Directions

1. Boil water, dice the bacon and shave Parmesan cheese.
2. Cook the bacon and vegetables.
3. Boil the pasta, adding the stock to the water.
4. Mix the Parmesan cheese with a couple of eggs.
5. When the pasta is cooked, use some of the water to mix with the Parmesan/egg mix (if you’re not using stock, you should still use the dirty pasta water).
6. Mix a large amount of black pepper into the Parmesan, egg and stock/pasta water. Stir like crazy.
7. Add the mix to the bacon. Try to get the flavours from the bottom of the pan into the mix as you stir.
8. Promptly add the cooked pasta, then stir.