This is an Italian classic (Roman) but I first tasted this dish when I visited the Greek island of Corfu in 1988.
Carbonara is very popular in Greece and it’s often found on menus alongside other pastas & pizzas. Legend has it the name “carbonara” comes from all the black pepper in the dish…reminiscent of soot-covered coal miners.
Spaghetti Carbonara
(serves 4)
300 gr. of spaghetti
1 cup diced pancetta, guanciale or bacon
2 cloves of garlic
2 cups grated Romano (or Parmensan) cheese
4 large eggs
lots of fresh ground pepper
- Place a large pot of water on your stove-top. Once boiling, add a good amount of salt, the spaghetti and cook for 6-7 minutes.
- Place a large skillet on your stove-top and add your garlic and bacon. Turn heat to medium, stirring often until bacon is brown and crisp. Discard garlic.
- In large bowl, add cheese, eggs and pepper and whisk until creamy.
- When the pasta is cooked, use tongs to transfer to bowl with the bacon (save some pasta water).
- Using tongs, quickly toss pasta and egg/cheese mixture until creamy. Add pasta water if you want to loosen the sauce a bit.
- Divide and serve in bowls, top with more cheese and fresh ground pepper and serve.
