My humble take on one of the most iconic Italian pasta. It’s very simple, only 5 ingredients required:
1) Pasta. In Rome it’s very common to see it serve with fresh pasta. But traditionally, it’s more appropriate with dry pasta, as this dish is pretty “heavy” and fresh pasta made with eggs might be too much for your tummy. Well, there’s always ppl preferring one over another, but I stick with Gragnano IGP dry pasta all day round.
2) Pepper. Use only freshly-ground black peppercorn, and if possible slightly roast them before grounding. Power-type pepper simply lack the aroma required to kick this dish up another notch.
3) Eggs. Free-range eggs produce a much more velvety, richer tasting cream than the lower grades type. Trust me, I’ve tried before. You really want the best eggs for this dish.
4) Cheese. Specifically Pecorino-Romano. But sometimes my wife finds it too salty, so i mix a blend of young-age (has to be young ones as older ones have very distinct flavour which alters this dish) parmigiano-reggiano (maximum 24mths, 50%) and pecorino-Romano (another 50%). If you find P.Reg to be too expensive, grana-padano is acceptable too. But Pecorino Romano is essential! Never fully substitute it for something else.
5) Meat. This is by far the most important. Recipe calls for guanciale, or Italian cured pork jowl. Some say you can substitute for pancetta or bacon. IMHO this dish simply stands out mostly because of this, and to replace this for something else is like dropping a Toyota engine in a Ferrari. Kinda works, but you take the soul out of it.
In a nutshell, fresh, great ingredients are the most important factor to make an outstanding carbonara. Making a great pasta is like building a Ferrari: ensure only the best goes into it, and the results always deliver.
by MajesticHandle34