Anticiplate

Carbonara has been ubiquitous in all of the cookbooks and magazines that I have been reading lately. It seems easy enough, if you know the basic method. It requires pasta (generally spaghetti but I am using penne), some sort of onion (leek or scallion), hard cheese (parmigiano or pecorino), egg yolk (or whole egg), cured fatty pork (such as pancetta or bacon), and cracked black pepper. This seemed like the perfect meal to make on a lazy Sunday, while watching movies. 

The origin of the recipe is unknown, but the name “carbonara” is derived from the Italian word of charcoal, and could have been made as a hearty meal for the Italian charcoal workers. Others says that this pasta was named carbonara because of the specks of bacon and pepper that look like charcoal throughout the dish. Nevertheless, it has not been around for a long time, and was thought to have been made up outside of Rome during the second World War. 

I have never cooked pasta with eggs before, but it is really a delicious way to make a simple sauce. Just a tip: Keep your pasta hot when you drain it. Do not rinse it with cold water. The pasta cooks the egg yolks to make the creamy, silky sauce. 

Serves 4

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 15 minutes

10 slices applewood smoked bacon

2 large leeks, white and light green parts only, halved and cut thinly

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

3/4 lb. penne rigate (or you could use any pasta cut here) 

2 eggs, brought to room temperature

3/4 c. parmigiano reggiano, grated plus more for serving (or pecorino)

Kosher salt and Freshly ground black pepper

2 tbsp. flat leaf parsley, chopped

Chives, snipped thinly with kitchen shears (about 2 inches) 

In a large skillet, over medium-high heat, cook bacon slices until crisp, about 3 minutes per side. Place on a paper towel to cool and drain. Reserve 2 tbsp. of pork fat, and drain the rest. 

Reduce heat to medium. Add the leeks, garlic, and red pepper flakes and season with salt and pepper.  Cook until the leeks begin to soften, about 6 minutes. Set aside. 

Cook pasta in a large pot over boiling, generously salted water. Drain pasta, but reserve 1/2 c. of cooking liquid. (DO NOT RINSE PASTA WITH COLD WATER)

Meanwhile, whisk the eggs with parmigiano. Gradually add the 1/4 c. cooking liquid so not to cook the eggs, and season with salt and pepper. 

Add drained pasta to the leek mixture (not over the heat). Crumble pieces of bacon on top. Add egg mixture to the pasta and toss until all of the egg mixture is covering the pasta and cooked, about two minutes. Add more of the cooking liquid if needed. Add the chopped parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste, if needed. Top with chopped chives. 

*if egg mixture is runny, return the pasta over VERY low heat, and stir until silky)

Serve in bowls, and pass extra cheese.