Carbonara Recipe

If you’ve been on our Soriano tour, you might remember Carbonara from our Thursday night class. It’s a very rich spaghetti dish made with pancetta, eggs, and a whole lotta cheese :). I wouldn’t suggest it if you’re on a diet, but if you want to enjoy one of the favorite pasta dishes of the Italians, this one is for you.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb (½ kg) spaghetti
• 3 fresh eggs
• 1/3 cup (78 ml) milk
• salt and pepper to taste
• 4 oz (113g) diced swiss cheese
• 4 slices  pancetta, cut up into small pieces (bacon is fine too)
• 1/2 cup (60 gr) Reggiano Parmesan cheese, grated

Directions:

1. Heat a pot of salted water to boil
2. In a small bowl, beat the eggs with the milk, some of the parmesan cheese and salt and pepper to taste
3. In a large skillet, nonstick if you have it, saute the pancetta pieces with a tablespoon of olive oil until crispy
4. Cook the spaghetti until almost done (very al dente)
5. Drain spaghetti and add to the skillet with the pancetta. Save about ½ cup of pasta water.
6. Return skillet to low to medium heat and add the egg/milk mixture and the diced swiss cheese.
7. Toss the spaghetti to coat with the eggs/milk for about a minute
8. The dish is ready to serve when the spaghetti is still moist, the egg is no longer runny, and the swiss cheese is just beginning to melt.
9. Sprinkle remaining parmesan cheese on top
10. The secret to this recipe is not to allow the pasta to become dry.  You can add a few drops of milk or water from the pasta if spaghetti appears dry.