Classic Pasta Carbonara or Spaghetti pasta alla carbonara

I have learnt this recipe from my Italian friend, in my kitchen in Kolkata. Please follow the steps, exactly the way I have mentioned here, in that order. It is different from all the online recipes found in youtube (I have checked). The word Carbonara means Bacon and egg.

Look of classic Pasta Carbonara 

                                          

                                                     Pic credit : pasta+carbonara

1. Heat the half table spoon olive oil (not extra virgin) in a large pan over medium heat. Add the bacon (or pancetta) and cook slowly until crispy. Cut any hard skin off the Bacon. I add button mushroom and Broccoli (which is not authentic actually).  Then add 4-5 table (not tea) spoon of cream and turn off the heat and left in the pan. Actually Bacon has lot of fat, that is why you don't need much olive oil. Oil will come out of it. None of the recipes in internet has talked about cream. But I always use it as per the advise of my friend. So I guess cream is optional.

2. Put the 1 egg yolk (yes you read it right!) into a bowl . In Internet they have advised people to add Parmesan Cheese with egg. I do not do it. Nor did my friend suggest it.

3. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the 200 gms of pasta (Sphagetti or Penne) and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until tender, yet firm (as they say in Italian "al dente.") . My friend says there is no need to add oil while cooking the pasta in boiling water. However according to my friend al dente is not a must. She likes it "more than al dente" . Drain the pasta well. Tip: Take a Sphagetti out and break it into 2 pieces. See if the colour of the core is consistent, with the surface. In other words, make sure that the core should not be white. White means not fully cooked. My friend said "​No garlic, do not even mention it, in Carbonara...! " However many youtube videos do add garlic. I will stick to my friend's advise, otherwise she will not host me, when I go to her house !!

4. Add the hot, drained spaghetti to the large pan (mentioned in point 2 above) and toss for 2 minutes to coat the strands in the bacon fat. 

 5. Remove the pan from the heat and pour the egg into the pasta, whisking quickly until the Pasta is coated with egg; but do not scramble (this is done off the heat, to ensure this does not happen) . You might be skeptical about the raw eggs, it actually gets cooked through completely from the residual heat.

6.Serve it immediately. Season the Carbonara with several turns of freshly ground black pepper and taste for salt.  You may garnish with chopped Parsley. I do not add Parsley. My friend does not add Parsley. 

Pass some Parmesan cheese around the table. You can add some extra virgin olive oil at the end. Buy good Pasta and not Pasta available for Rs 15,  in the local market !

This serves 2 people.

Your guest chef

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Crtg0kPrPjY- not exactly the one, I have mentioned here. But it is somewhat similar.