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Gerzsi had decided that Saturday supper would be carbonara. He had the eggs, he had two kinds of cheese, and he had a big pot of salted water coming to the boil. What he did not have was a quiet kitchen, because Reggie had found a shiny chrome pasta machine at the back of the cupboard.
“Fresh pasta!” said Reggie, and turned the handle. Spaghetti came out of the front. Spaghetti came out of the sides. Within a minute Reggie was wearing most of it.
Gerzsi stuck to the plan. He crisped the pancetta, whisked the eggs with both cheeses and a lot of black pepper, and dropped the dried spaghetti into the pot. Then came the scary part. Eggs plus a hot pan can mean scrambled eggs on noodles, and Gerzsi stood there with the bowl in his paws, not sure when to pour.
Chef Tamás walked past, reached over and turned the burner down to medium. Gerzsi tipped in the pasta, poured in the eggs and stirred without stopping. Two minutes later the sauce was glossy and creamy, with no cream in sight.
Reggie untangled himself just in time to be first in line. “I helped,” he said, still dripping noodles. Nobody argued. It was too good to argue.
Why this one works
There is no cream here. The sauce is eggs and finely grated cheese, warmed by the hot pasta and the pancetta fat until they thicken. Parmesan brings nutty depth and pecorino brings salt and tang. The pasta comes out of the water a minute early, because it keeps cooking in the pan while you stir.
Spaghetti Carbonara with Crisp Pancetta and Two Cheeses
Spaghetti tossed with crisp pancetta, eggs, Parmesan, pecorino and plenty of black pepper. No cream.
Ingredients
- Kosher salt, for the pasta water
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil
- 3/4 cup (about 4 oz / 115 g) pancetta, cut into 1/4-inch (6 mm) cubes
- 1 lb (450 g) dried spaghetti
- 8 large eggs
- 1/2 cup (45 g) finely grated Parmesan
- 1/2 cup (45 g) finely grated pecorino
- Freshly ground black pepper, lots of it
- 4 scallions, thinly sliced on the diagonal (optional)
Directions
- Bring a big pot of water to a boil and salt it well.
- Warm the olive oil in a large skillet and cook the pancetta, stirring now and then, until it is brown and crisp. Turn off the heat and leave the pancetta and its fat in the pan.
- Cook the spaghetti for 1 minute less than the time on the package. Taste a strand to check. Before you drain it, scoop out a mug of the cooking water.
- While the pasta cooks, whisk the eggs, Parmesan, pecorino and a pinch of salt in a large bowl until smooth. Grind in plenty of black pepper.
- Put the skillet back over medium heat. Drain the spaghetti, add it to the pan and toss it in the pancetta fat.
- Pour in the egg mixture and stir and toss without stopping for 1 to 2 minutes, until the eggs thicken into a creamy sauce that clings to the pasta. If it gets too thick, loosen it with a splash of the pasta water.
- Serve right away, with the scallions on top if you like them and more pepper and cheese at the table.
Keep the heat at medium. Too much heat turns the eggs into scrambled eggs.
Guanciale (cured pork cheek) is the traditional choice. Pancetta works fine and is easier to find.
Grate the cheese on the fine side of the grater. Fine cheese melts into the sauce instead of forming clumps.
The scallions are not traditional. Leave them out for a classic plate.
🛒 Worth buying for this recipe
- T-fal Specialty Stainless Steel 12 Qt. Stockpot. Co-winner of America’s Test Kitchen’s stockpot test: light, with grippy handles. Plenty of room for a pound of spaghetti to move. About $50 at the time of their review. See it on Amazon
- All-Clad D3 Stainless 12″ Fry Pan with Lid. America’s Test Kitchen’s longtime favorite skillet. Big enough to toss the pasta with the pancetta and eggs. About $150 at the time of their review. See it on Amazon
- Microplane Premium Classic Zester/Grater. ATK’s best zester-style grater. Turns hard Parmesan and pecorino into fine, fluffy cheese that melts into the sauce. About $19 at the time of their review. See it on Amazon
- OXO Good Grips 12-Inch Tongs. The winner of ATK’s tongs test. The easiest way to lift and toss long pasta in the pan. About $18 at the time of their review. See it on Amazon
- Victorinox Fibrox Pro 8″ Chef’s Knife. The winner of ATK’s chef’s knife test, “the best option for most people.” For neat little pancetta cubes. About $47 at the time of their review. See it on Amazon
How Chef Tamás makes it
Carbonara is often on the daily menu at Chef Tamás’s restaurant. He makes two changes to the recipe above: he uses only egg yolks (or extra yolks), and he adds cream as well.
Tools we use
Tamás didn’t name brands for this one. The linked models are America’s Test Kitchen’s picks for the same jobs.
- A large skillet to finish the pasta in. See the ATK pick on Amazon
- A big bowl to toss everything together.
- A Microplane or other fine grater for the cheese. See the ATK pick on Amazon
- Tongs for the pasta. See the ATK pick on Amazon
Chef Tamás’s tricks
- Loosen the sauce with the pasta water.
- Take the pan off the heat before the eggs go in.
- Pull the pasta out of the water one minute early.
- Grate the cheese very fine.
- The most common mistakes he sees: the eggs scramble, the cheese turns lumpy, and the pasta is overcooked.
- Serve it on its own with freshly grated cheese, or with a green salad. Smoked bacon can stand in for the pancetta.
Adapted from Spaghetti alla Carbonara by Anne Burrell on Food Network. Cooked our way at the inn.
Sources
- Food Network: Spaghetti alla Carbonara (Anne Burrell)
- America’s Test Kitchen: The best stockpots
- America’s Test Kitchen: The best 12-inch stainless steel skillets
- America’s Test Kitchen: The best rasp-style graters
- America’s Test Kitchen: The best kitchen tongs
- America’s Test Kitchen: The best chef’s knives
🛒 Shop this recipe
Gerzsi’s carbonara kit, sorted by job.
For the pasta
For the sauce
For prep
Affiliate links. Test results from America’s Test Kitchen, linked under Sources.
🎁 While the water boils: Reggie’s surprise pick
A big pot of pasta water takes its time. Gerzsi used the wait to pick spaghetti out of Reggie’s fur. Reggie used it to take pictures of the whole thing with a camera the size of a matchbox. “For the family album,” he said. Gerzsi did not want to be in the family album. He is in it now.
Reggie’s pick is the Kodak Charmera keychain camera, a tiny retro-style digital camera that clips onto your keys. Shiny, pocket-sized and a little bit silly, so of course Reggie loves it. Check today’s price.
Not kitchen gear. Just a better way to spend the wait. Affiliate link.
Meet the cooks: Reggie and Chef Tamás
Reggie and Gerzsi are made up. The recipe, the gear and Chef Tamás’s notes are real.
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