The recipe for the authentic Italian Carbonara

 written by Addevico Valentino

There is no dish that can withstand the goodness of a perfect carbonara!

Carbonara is one of the most important Italian dishes in the world, everyone knows it and many try to replicate it every day. The Carbonara recipe, although easy, is difficult to "get right". 

Why?

The recipe requires a few steps and the main difficulty lies in the accuracy, in fact, it is enough to miss a small step to make an omelet (and not metaphorical, mind you).

History of Carbonara

Do you know the true history of Carbonara?

It seems incredible, but in this typical Italian recipe, there is a lot of American.

Yes, you read that right, those of pizza with pineapple come into it with the birth of one of the most famous traditional Italian dishes in the world. 

It seems that the first carbonara recipe was published in 1952 in a Chicago restaurant guide. The guide, entitled "An extraordinary guide to what’s cooking on Chicago’s near north side" was edited by Patricia Bronté.

In this guide, you can't go wrong, there is exactly the recipe for carbonara.

But why is the history of carbonara intertwined with the United States of America?

It seems that, during 1944, the allied soldiers stationed between Lazio, Campania, and Abruzzo, had the opportunity to know and fall in love with the typical Abruzzo dish “pasta cacio e ova” (cacio cheese with egg). To feel closer to their "traditions", they used to add guanciale, to prepare a dish as close as to the "typical" bacon & eggs.

It looks like science fiction, it looks like fake news, but to date, it is the most accredited theory on the birth of carbonara - you can learn more about the history of carbonara here. 

How is the Perfect Carbonara prepared?

Apart from stories and legends, how do you prepare the perfect carbonara? 

The recipe is revisited and prepared in every possible variant in Italy, as well as in the world (unfortunately).

But there is only one original carbonara!

To prepare the perfect carbonara for 4 four people you need:

• 350 gr of Rigatoni or Spaghetti - those are the original one;
• 150 gr of Pecorino Romano D.O.P.;
• 300 gr of Guanciale (pork cheek);
• 5 egg yolks;
• q.b. Black pepper;

Nothing more!

Let's now pass to the actual preparation.

The first and most common mistake, which is always made at this stage, is to prefer bacon and parmesan to guanciale and pecorino and replace the egg with cream. 

Having established this, we say STOP, and let's move on to the preparation.

Cut the guanciale into strips and let it sweat in a pan over low heat (without adding oil). We separate the yolk (red) from the egg white because we will only use the yolks. 

Take a bowl and combine the egg yolks with the pecorino, the melted fat from the guanciale, the pepper, and the cooking water. We mix until obtaining a soft and yellow cream.

While we are preparing the "carbo-cream", put the water (we will need it for the pasta) in the pot and let it boil.

When the water boils, pour in the pasta, salt the water and let it cook, and then remove it from the heat a few minutes earlier than the cooking time in order to have the pasta al dente.

Now there is the most difficult part: after draining the pasta, let it jump first with the guanciale, and then, with the flame strictly off, add the cream and let it all thicken (it is very important to have the fire off so as not to make an omelet. 

The recipe is finished, you just have to try it and share it with a friend who absolutely has to learn Carbonara.

To simplify the steps and to celebrate together Carbonara day (April 6), here is a video recipe we have created for you.

Imagine being able to create one of the most famous dishes in the world, having a box with the best-selected products at your disposal, to faithfully cook the recipe of the pasta dish that the whole world love.

Here is what the Carbonara Box is!

A box with selected ingredients, to make the original Carbonara recipe for 4 people.