The Collegio Pittsburg's student voice since 1916
Ingredients:
4 slices bacon sliced into bite sized pieces
2-3 cloves garlic, pressed
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons salt
1 pound spaghetti
3-4 sprigs flat-leaf Italian parsley finely chopped
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan
2 tablespoons freshly grated Pecorino Romano
4 large egg yolks
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Salt to taste
Instructions:
Begin by filling a large pot with water. Place the pot on the stove and bring it to a boil, then cook the pasta according to the directions on the package. While the pasta is cooking, begin to prepare the other ingredients for the dish. Slice the bacon into bite sized pieces. Then fry the bacon over medium-high heat until it is slightly crispy. For the garlic, use a garlic press to mince the garlic or if you don’t have one, finely chop it. You can use more or less garlic, depending on how much you like garlic.
Next, gather the parsley, chesses, garlic and egg yolks. In a large serving bowl, combine these ingredients and stir to mix them together. Once the pasta has finished cooking, and you’ve got it al dente, which is when it is cooked so as it is still a little stiff when bitten, or whatever your desired consistency of noodle is, drain the pasta. Once the pasta is drained, immediately dump the hot pasta into the bowl with the eggs.
Once you’ve combined the pasta with the other ingredients, toss it together quickly to combine it well and allow the eggs to cook from the heat of the pasta. Then, pour the bacon and grease over the pasta and toss it again. Salt and pepper the pasta and serve immediately.
Commentary:
Inspired by the Italian carbonara, this is a take on the dish as it’s not technically authentic. I watched a video of an Italian chef critiquing and overall roasting Gordon Ramsey for his carbonara recipe, so this probably wouldn’t pass the test of ‘authentic’ for Italians. It is, however, still delicious. This recipe is super easy and can be cooked up in a pinch or when you don’t have many ingredients.
The great thing about this recipe is that it can also be adjusted to suit your tastes and what you have in your pantry. You can substitute the bacon for another type of meat, or if you are vegan or vegetarian a vegetable. You can also add some vegetables or other ingredients. I sometimes add peas to the recipe and as long as they aren’t frozen or cold you can add it in when you add the bacon to the pasta. Another idea, if you’re cooking for a group with varying diets, is you can cook the pasta with everything except the bacon. Then, have various bowls with ‘toppings’ available for those to choose what they want. Bacon, peas, mushrooms, sundried tomatoes, and chicken are all options for what you can add.