That's Eyetalian for Bacon

They say the classics are classic for a reason. For me, this is especially true with many Italian-American dishes that are practically cliches now due to their sustained popularity. Chicken Piccata, Penne alla Vodka, Linguini and Clam Sauce, Chicken Marsala, etc. are all staples in American restaurant cuisine. While many of these dishes have distant roots 'back in the Old Country', it was the vibrant restaurant scenes of New York and Boston that modified and cemented their status in this country.

Once such favorite in our house is Spaghetti alla Carbonara. Like most cliched classic Italian-American dishes, the recipe is not all that complex. While the ingredient list for Spaghetti alla Carbonara might be short, a successful result for this dish relies almost entirely on procuring the highest quality ingredients possible, particularly the cheeses, but more on that later. Let's get to it. 

Ingredients

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

4 ounces diced pancetta

2 medium to large cloves of garlic sliced thin

1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley

1/2 cup white wine (anything but the sweet whites will work)

1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese

1/4 cup grated Romano Cheese

2 whole eggs at room temperature

1 pound pasta (spaghetti, linguini, pretty much any pasta shape except the very small shapes used in soups)

Two to four warmed bowls to serve the completed dish in

Carbonara really comes down to three flavors - pancetta, wine, and cheese. As such, I feel it is vital that you use the highest quality examples of these ingredients that you can get:

• Pancetta, Italian bacon. A salt-cured, gently spiced, non-smoked chunk of pork belly. You can typically score this at your grocery's deli department. Ask them to slice you a 1/2" chunk and note the weight. You need a quarter-pound for this dish. Can you use American bacon (smoked)? Well yes you can, but it will be very different, the smoke from the bacon will carry through and may (though not always) clash with the wine and cheese.
• Wine - We are looking for a non-sweet white wine here. A dry Chardonnay, a Sauvignon Blanc, a Pinot Grigio will all work. You want to use a wine that you happily enjoy drinking normally and why not, this dish only uses a half-cup, so might as well serve the rest with dinner!
• Cheese - Far and away, here are the two most important ingredients in this dish. For the Parmesan, there is only one acceptable option - authentic Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Yes, you will pay $20ish per pound, but Parmigiano-Reggiano is not known as the King of Cheeses for nothing. You need to buy a legit chunk, and a grater if you do not have one, and completely avoid any pre-grated cheese or any cheese just labeled as 'Parmesan'. The Romano has a bit more leeway, but you will typically see the imported stuff right next to the Parmigiano-Reggiano, so might as well toss a chunk of that in the cart too.

Process

Spaghetti Carbonara is a dish that cooks quickly once you get started, so it is important to have each component at the ready. Matic and I went for extra-credit and made our own pasta this time around which meant the first thing for us was to roll the pasta dough out before starting anything.

First up, regardless of which pasta you are using, get a pot of salted water boiling away. 

Next, crack the eggs into a large bowl and beat/whisk until the yolks and whites are well blended. Once blended, grate each cheese into the eggs and stir around to combine:

Turn your attention to the stove and in a large skillet over medium heat, heat the olive oil and toss in the diced pancetta. Cook the pancetta until it starts to brown, about 5 minutes:

If you are using dry pasta, add it to the water now. Fresh pasta peeps can hold off on this until later. Once the pancetta is browned, lower the heat to medium-low, toss the garlic in and stir well. Keep a close eye on the garlic, we don't want it to brown but we do want it fragrant. After about a minute, toss in the wine and raise the heat to medium-high. We want to bring the liquid up to a boil and reduce down by about half. The key is to smell the steam rising up out of the pan - if you still get an alcohol burn or smell in the nose, it has not reduced enough:

Once the alcohol smell is gone, lower the heat to low and prepare for final assembly. Fresh pasta can now be added to the boiling water. Dry pasta should be done soon. Once the pasta is done, use tongs to grab the pasta out of the water and throw in the egg-cheese bowl. We want to work quickly here, get all the pasta transferred over. No worries if some of the pasta water clings/splashes over into the bowl, a little bit of pasta water will help make the sauce.

Once the pasta is transferred, using your tongs, toss/mix the pasta in the egg-cheese mixture vigorously. The heat in the noodles will cook the egg and melt the cheese which is one reason we don't dump the pasta into a strainer, then dump the pasta into the bowl, we want to retain as much residual heat as possible. Once well coated, dump the olive oil-pancetta-garlic-wine mixture as well as the parsley in the bowl with the noodles and mix well again. 

Using your tongs, transfer portions of pasta to the serving bowls and give each a fresh grating of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Lastly, and most importantly, serve and enjoy immediately. Carbonara is not a sauce that can sit for a long time. Like a soufflé, it should be enjoyed as soon as possible.

Bon Appétit