Receta 10 Minute Spaghetti alla Carbonara
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A
short time ago, we went to the Jewish Community Center of Manhattan (344
Amsterdam Ave, NY NY 10023 Tel: (646) 505-4444). Judging from the smell of
freshly-baked chocolate chip cookies, the place has a robust culinary arts
program in addition to all its other offerings in Health and Wellness, Arts and
Ideas and myriad others. We were there to hear Ruth Reichl
talk about her latest book. We are no
strangers to this particular tome as it was the subject of earlier posts and
recipes. See http://www.chewingthefat.us.com/2016/01/review-of-ruth-reichls-my-kitchen-year.html
and http://www.chewingthefat.us.com/2016/01/ruth-reichls-beef-wine-and-onion-stew.html. Ms. Reichl simply brought to life much of the
misery she suffered when Gourmet abruptly closed its doors leaving Ms Reichl,
its editor literally out in the cold. To
our friends, Jill and Steve who went with us, much of this was news. To me, it was just a sad reminder of what happened
when we were robbed of both Gourmet and Ruth.
So when the question and answer session began, I asked the ultimate
stupid question: What is your favorite recipe in the book?
The
question is on a par with which is your favorite child, as Ms. Reichl pointed
out to me. But I pressed on altering my
question to ask ‘which recipe gets used the most’. Fortunately, Ms. Reichl had a ready answer
for this one: Page 140. Spaghetti alla
Carbonara. The moderator of Ruth’s talk chimed in to say she herself had made
it the previous evening. Since the
first thing I ate in Rome after a 40 plus year absence was Spaghetti alla
Carbonara, I was intrigued. And when I discovered
that this recipe takes all of 10 minutes to cook I was also delighted. Carbonara is as Roman as it comes. And its creamy, cheese-y bacon-y sauce is
about as delicious a take on Spaghetti as I can imagine. Hot Pasta is taken immediately from the
pasta pot and combined, Grated Parmigiano is add to the egg The
first time I made it, I confess to being concerned that the Pancetta I used
would be fully cooked before the pasta was, so I took a little longer the first
time. The second time I stood at the stove murmuring ‘hurry’ to the pasta pot.
So the recipe I am sharing is with Ruth’s original instructions on timing.
We
know Spaghetti alla Carbonara is Roman. But at that point, its origins get a
little hazy. The word “Carbonaro” means
“Charcoal Burner” in Italian. So there
are those who believe it was first made for Italian charcoal workers. The recipe is of fairly recent origin. It is
found in Elizabeth David’s “Italian Food” an early English language ‘bible’ of Italian cuisine
published in 1954. When and where it
didn’t appear (In “La Cucina Romana” published in 1930 by Ada Bono) gives rise
to my favorite story of Carbonara’s invention.
After the Second World War, Italy’s La Stampa newspaper described the
dish as being a favorite of American military officers from the allied
liberation of Rome. It was first
described as a Roman dish when many Italians were eating eggs and bacon
supplied by troops from the USA. Ruth only added the garlic because she likes
the fragrance. Ruth’s recipe relied on
ordinary bacon. I like to use slab bacon
when bacon is requested. But I also have
used a package of cubed pancetta like the one shown here. You can also use guanciale, if you can find
it. Here is the recipe. Ruth Reichl’s Recipe for Spaghetti alla Carbonara Serves 3. Takes all of 10 minutes
to make. 1 pound spaghetti
1/4 to 1/2 pound
thickly sliced good quality bacon or pancetta or guanciale.
2 cloves garlic,
peeled
2 large eggs
Black pepper
1/2 cup grated
Parmigiano cheese, plus extra for the table
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. When it is
boiling, throw the spaghetti in. Most dried spaghetti takes 9 to 10 minutes to
cook, and you can make the sauce in that time.
2. Cut the bacon or guanciale crosswise into pieces about 1/2
inch wide. (Or use the diced Pancetta I
found in the supermarket.) Put it in a skillet and cook for 2 minutes, until
fat begins to render. Add the whole cloves of garlic and cook another 5
minutes, until the edges of the bacon just begin to get crisp. Do not overcook;
if they get too crisp they won’t meld with the pasta. Meanwhile, break the eggs
into the bowl you will serve the pasta in, and beat them with a fork. Add some
grindings of pepper.
3. Remove the garlic from the bacon pan. If it looks like too
much to you, discard some, but you’re going to toss the bacon with most of its
fat into the pasta. When it is cooked, drain the pasta and immediately throw it
into the beaten eggs. Mix thoroughly. The heat of the spaghetti will cook the
eggs and turn them into a sauce. Add the bacon with its fat, toss again, add
cheese and serve.