Spaghetti Carbonara

Merlin5 · 19 Apr 2019 at 03:14

First time I've made it. Came out pretty tasty with nice amount of creaminess. I made it quite peppery too which I love. While I've learnt that authentic carbonara doesn't use cream, I added a couple of tablespoons of single cream, and it made it just right for me. What I found though was that the proportion of pasta to bacon seemed unbalanced. I was getting loads of spaghetti but not enough meat. I followed a recipe by an ozzie chef called Carina.
4 Rashes of Bacon
1 Egg
1 Egg Yolk
1/3 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
Cracked Black Pepper
300g Spaghetti
1 Tablespoon Cream

My 4 rashers weighed about 110g. I can't help feeling that I could have doubled that amount and it would have given more meatiness to the dish. Probably also might have been better to not have chopped the bacon pieces too small, some chunkier bits would have been nice.

Anyone know the best way to reheat carbonara? I've got some left. Might make it with tagliatelle next time.

Scam · 19 Apr 2019 at 17:12

Looks pretty good. I tend to add peas to mine. It's really a skill to get the sauce/consistency right. I bet the next time you make it you'll end up with scrambled eggs

Also, don't overdo the cheese. If you add too much bacon and cheese it gets very salty very quickly. Not good.

Merlin5 · 19 Apr 2019 at 18:04

Hah, yeah, I was worried about scrambling the eggs.

I was careful to take it off the heat, add some of the pasta water and let it cool for a couple of minutes before adding the eggs.

Yes, getting the sauce right is a little tricky. It seems the authentic way is to not add cream but to get the creaminess from rendering the fat from frying the bacon or pancetta, plus the eggs adding creaminess.

When I watched a couple of Jamie Oliver videos, it didn't look like the super creamy Carbonara I get in restaurants so I added some single cream.

I think I'll add a bit more bacon though next week time so that it doesn't feel as carbohydrate heavy and a bit more protein balanced, although that said, I suppose the eggs are adding protein.

Martynt74 · 19 Apr 2019 at 22:04

Glad you enjoyed it. I’ve found I much prefer the non cream version.

Although I don’t always get it right myself.

D.P. · 20 Apr 2019 at 06:15

The lardon is for flavor, and the fat makes a creamy sauce.

If you want additional protein you can cook a secondi dish, veal marsala etc. Or some beans, artichokes, pine kernels and pesto

robj20 · 20 Apr 2019 at 09:07

This is my go to recipe.

220g Spaghetti
25g pancetta
2 tbsp olive oil
2 eggs
50g Parmesan

Easy to get the sauce perfect.
Fry the pancetta, remove from the heat and tip the pasta in with a little of the water.
Pour eggs in and the cheese and fold it all together, that's it. Simplicity itself.

If i fancy it a bit different i like a drizzle of truffle oil on top.

silverblack · 20 Apr 2019 at 09:23

Add more pancetta but hold some back,sprinkle it on top once you have plated up.

Scam · 21 Apr 2019 at 12:16

Regarding the cream, I'll add creme fraiche if I feel like it (we always have that in the fridge, never cream) but to be honest carbonara is supposed to be quite subtle isn't it? Make sure you don't end up going down the road of an alfredo which is a far thicker, creamy sauce.

ganesh · 21 Apr 2019 at 12:39

Delia smith’s carbonara recipe is my standard go to.

Merlin5 · 21 Apr 2019 at 12:44

robj20 said:
This is my go to recipe.

220g Spaghetti
25g pancetta
2 tbsp olive oil
2 eggs

That doesn't sound like enough meat to me? That's like less than an 1/8 meat to pasta. But then it seems most recipes don't use much bacon or pancetta.

silverblack said:
Add more pancetta but hold some back,sprinkle it on top once you have plated up.

That sounds little a good idea.

Scam said:
Regarding the cream, I'll add creme fraiche if I feel like it (we always have that in the fridge, never cream) but to be honest carbonara is supposed to be quite subtle isn't it? Make sure you don't end up going down the road of an alfredo which is a far thicker, creamy sauce.

I was going to do creme fraiche but only had some single and double cream in the fridge so used a dollop or two of single.

But yeah, this is an example of what I think might be too much cream.

robfosters · 21 Apr 2019 at 13:15

Am I weird for liking spaghetti plain with just a touch of grated Parmesan?

robj20 · 21 Apr 2019 at 17:51

Merlin5 said:
That doesn't sound like enough meat to me? That's like less than an 1/8 meat to pasta. But then it seems most recipes don't use much bacon or pancetta.

Its how it should be. Traditional.

robfosters said:
Am I weird for liking spaghetti plain with just a touch of grated Parmesan?

No. I like it with just truffle oil on

silverblack · 22 Apr 2019 at 13:26

A few times i have spaghetti with just garlic and chilli flakes fried in olive oil,then add the cooked pasta and some of the pasta water to make a sauce.

touch · 22 Apr 2019 at 19:58

Merlin5 said:
Yes, getting the sauce right is a little tricky. It seems the authentic way is to not add cream but to get the creaminess from rendering the fat from frying the bacon or pancetta, plus the eggs adding creaminess.

The creaminess comes from mixing the fats (oil,melted cheese and melted fat from the pancetta) into the water. Water + fat doesn't mix well but when you've got starch in it from the pasta that coats the fat and helps it mix better. The more starch you've got in the water, the easier it is to make a creamy sauce.
Don't put too much water in the pan when cooking the pasta, just enough to cover the pasta and no more (less water = higher starch concentration). You can even use the water twice: boil some pasta, drain it and put it in the fridge for lunch tomorrow then boil more pasta in the same water. Double starch!

Merlin5 · 22 Apr 2019 at 20:48

^ That's a great tip, using less water for higher starch and a creamier sauce. I shall do that next time. I tend to put too much water in the pan when boiling pasta or rice.

robj20 · 23 Apr 2019 at 15:53

Even better tip, fresh pasta the flour that ends up in the water really brings the sauce together.