Spaghetti alla Carbonara from Roma
A Roman friend’s son Luca shot a video of Claudio, the chef/owner of Osteria Dar Bruttone making spaghetti alla carbonara, a classic Roman pasta dish. I had to share it with you.
Claudio is passionate about Roma and about its food. His osteria in the San Giovanni neighborhood where he serves simple traditional Roman fare is popular with locals and tourists alike.
Claudio beams as he talks about the virtues of the most beautiful city on earth and Roman culinary tradition, a vital part of Roman life. Walk with Claudio as he shops in the markets near his osteria for the food that he will cook at his restaurant that day.
The spaghetti alla carbonara video is in Italian but even if you don’t speak the language watch it anyway. The shots of Rome, the markets and the kitchen techniques are priceless. Everyone I know who watched the video, fluent in Italian or not, had to make spaghetti alla carbonara right away. Here’s my translation of Claudio’s recipe for you to enjoy in your kitchen.
Spaghetti alla carbonara only has 4 ingredients and is ready to eat in the time it takes to cook the spaghetti. Search out guanciale. It’s integral to the dish. (In a pinch you could use pancetta.) Use a dried durum wheat pasta extruded through bronze dies imported from Italy so the sauce will cling to its rough surface. Don’t be shy with the black pepper. Use pecorino for it’s more robust flavor, not parmigiano.
The spaghetti takes on a golden hue. Creamy, silky sauce coats every strand. Rich pecorino flavor plays off salty, crispy guanciale and black pepper tickles your throat with every bite.
I miss Roma. Buon appetito!
Spaghetti alla Carbonara
Ingredients
- 1 pound or 500 kilograms imported durum wheat pasta
- 4 slices guanciale, about a half-inch thick
- 5 eggs (4 yolks, 1 whole egg)
- 1 cup grated pecorino romano
- 1 tablespoon EVOO
- 1 tablespoon grated black pepper
- 2 tablespoons sea salt for the pasta water
Cooking Directions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
- Put the egg yolks and one whole egg in a bowl and beat them well.
- Add the percorino and a healthy amount (about a tablespoon) of freshly ground black pepper.
- Mix the egg mixture well. Set aside.
- Cut 4 half-inch guanciale slices and cut the slices into one-inch strips.
- Over a medium flame heat the EVOO in a large skillet.
- When the oil begins to sizzle add the guanciale and saute until the guanciale starts to develop a crispy, brown crust.
- Drain all but two tablespoons of the fat from the saute pan.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low.
- Pull the al dente spaghetti out of the water with tongs or a spider and put it in the saute pan. (If you drain your pasta save 2 cups of the pasta water.)
- Add a cup of the hot pasta water and mix the spaghetti to distribute the guanciale well. Saute the spaghetti in the sauce for about a minute to finish cooking.
- Make sure the pasta is hot so it cooks the egg mixture.
- Close the flame.
- Add the egg mixture and coat the spaghetti well all over. Be quick you do not want to scramble the eggs. If the sauce is too dense add more pasta water to loosen the sauce.
- Serve family style or twist a nest of spaghetti onto a warm plate.
- Sprinkle freshly ground black pepper and grated pecorino over the top of the spaghetti.
- Serve immediately.
Followed the link to the video but it comes up as private and needs a password.
Sorry that the video is no longer available. I’ll check with my friend Luca who produced it to see what’s up.
Loved the recipe but couldn’t find the video.