Kids & Family

Queens Eats: Spaghetti Carbonara

Try this hearty pasta dish before it gets too hot outside.

This article was written by Erin Walsh.

Happy Friday, Patch readers.

I recently finished reading, “The Dinner,” a darkly humorous book by Dutch author Herman Koch, which, despite its title and the fact that the action largely unfolds over a dinner at a fashionable Dutch restaurant, has little to do with food.

Rather, the dinner provides the backdrop for two brothers - the narrator, a misanthropic, slightly disturbed former teacher, and his brother, an affected, blustery politician, as well as their wives - to gather to discuss a heinous act committed by their sons. I won’t give any more away, but I would highly recommend this humorous and slightly shocking book.

In the novel, the narrator mentions that the only dish that he has mastered is spaghetti carbonara, a dish that he makes for his son every night while his wife is in the hospital.

Given that I had extra eggs and bacon in the fridge, I decided to give this rich dish a whirl before it becomes too hot outside. The recipe that follows is from the New York Times, although many other variations exist.

The resulting dish is a hearty, eggy concoction that is perfect if you want substantial pasta, sans cream. Feel free to top with fresh parsley for added zest. Enjoy.

Spaghetti Carbonara (Source: New York Times)

Ingredients
         
Salt         
2 large eggs and 2 large yolks, room temperature         
1 ounce (about 1/3 packed cup) grated pecorino Romano, plus additional for serving         
1 ounce (about 1/3 packed cup) grated Parmesan         
Coarsely ground black pepper         
1 tablespoon olive oil         
3 1/2 ounces of slab guanciale (see recipe), pancetta or bacon, sliced into pieces about 1/4 inch thick by 1/3 inch square         
12 ounces spaghetti (about 3/4 box)

Preparation
 
1. Place a large pot of lightly salted water (no more than 1 tablespoon salt) over high heat,and bring to a boil. Fill a large bowl with hot water and set aside.

2. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, yolks and pecorino and Parmesan. Season with a pinch of salt and generous black pepper.

3. Set the water to boil. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat, add the pork and sauté until the fat just renders on the edge of crispness but not hard. Remove from heat and set aside.

4. Add pasta to the water and boil until a bit firmer than al dente. Just before pasta is ready, reheat guanciale in skillet, if needed. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water, then drain pasta and add to the skillet over low heat. Stir for a minute or so.

5. Empty serving bowl of hot water. Dry it and add hot pasta mixture. Stir in cheese mixture, adding some reserved pasta water if needed for creaminess. Serve immediately, dressing it with a bit of additional grated pecorino and pepper.

Yields four servings.


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