We Make Mistakes So You Don't Have To

My current favorite pasta is Carbonara. Ocassionally my favorite changes, but one thing that stays the same is that I like simple paste. Deceptively simple. My past favorite was bucatini all 'Amatriciana; just onions, garlic, butter, tomatoes, and pancetta with some bucatini. It took a while to get the carbonara just right. First it was too dry, then it was too soggy, next it was too eggy. So here is a pic, and the recipe follows. Be warned: this is not one where you can just follow the recipe. I've included some tips but experimentation is essential. This is rich and creamy, but lightly sauced so that the pasta itself is still the star of the show!

EVOO.
Two servings of dry spaghetti. Preferably Barilla spaghetti rigatti. The ridges hold more flavor.
One egg.
1/4 cup of finely grated Parmigianno Regianno.
5 - 6 tablespoons diced pancetta.
7-8 tablespoons diced onion or shallot.
1 clove minced garlic.
1/3 cup white wine.
One tablespoon chopped parsley.
Salt.
Black pepper.

Bring a LARGE pot of salted water to a boil and drop the spaghetti. Get a skillet medium-hot, add a couple tablespoons of EVOO, and start sauteing the pancetta. After a minute or two, toss in the onion. When the onion is translucent but the pancetta hasn't quite started to brown or crisp, toss in the garlic. Just let the garlic warm-- do NOT let it get brown. Toss in the white wine and crank the heat to high. Let the wine boil down to about a quarter of its original volume- thick and rich. Turn the heat off and remove the skillet from the burner. Beat the egg in a large METAL bowl with the parm and season with salt and pepper. When the pasta is just al dente, spoon out about 1/4 cup of the pasta water, reduce the heat to simmer, and use the reserved water to temper the egg/parm mixture. Drain the pasta and dump into the mixing bowl with the egg mixture. Immediately dump the pancetta mixture in on top of that. Place the metal mixing bowl over the simmering burner and allow the pasta and sauce to thicken and meld. BAM with parsley, plate, eat, and shiver with ecstacy.