For ➍400 g dried spaghetti
175 g piece smoked pancetta (at least 0.5 cm thick), rind removed*
2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped**
handful flat leaf parsley leaves, finely chopped
3 large free-range eggs, beaten***
7 cl white wine***
50 g pecorino Sardo maturo cheese (mature Sardinian pecorino), finely grated
salt & freshly ground black pepper
Bring 4 l of water to the boil in a large saucepan with 8 ts of salt. Add the spaghetti and cook for 9 m or until al dente.
Meanwhile, cut the pancetta into short little strips, about 0.6 cm wide.
Heat a large, deep frying pan over a medium-high heat, add the oil and the pancetta. Fry until lightly golden. Add the garlic and parsley and cook for a few s, then remove from the heat and set aside.
Drain the spaghetti well, tip into the frying pan with the pancetta, garlic and parsley, add the beaten eggs and half the grated pecorino cheese. Toss together well.
Season to taste with a little salt and black pepper. The heat from the spaghetti will be sufficient to partly cook the egg, but still leave it moist and creamy.
Serve in warmed pasta bowls. Sprinkle with the rest of the cheese.
Meanwhile, cut the pancetta into short little strips, about 0.6 cm wide.
Heat a large, deep frying pan over a medium-high heat, add the oil and the pancetta. Fry until lightly golden. Add the garlic and parsley and cook for a few s, then remove from the heat and set aside.
Drain the spaghetti well, tip into the frying pan with the pancetta, garlic and parsley, add the beaten eggs and half the grated pecorino cheese. Toss together well.
Season to taste with a little salt and black pepper. The heat from the spaghetti will be sufficient to partly cook the egg, but still leave it moist and creamy.
Serve in warmed pasta bowls. Sprinkle with the rest of the cheese.
*Belly-meat, not to be confused with ordinary ham.
**Or cut cloves in half, add to the heated oil, remove after finishing the sauce.
***Use only the egg yolks and add white wine to the pancetta, garlic and parsley mix.
Although associated with Lazio, the region around Rome, the origin of this recipe is uncertain. Some say it was taken from Umbria to Rome by revolutionaries in the 19th century; other people say it belongs to a Neapolitan noble, Ippolito Cavalcanti, who published it in a book.
This dish could derive from the union of ingredients and ideas between the U.S. soldiers, arriving in Rome in 1944, and the chefs of the local restaurants. The soldiers supplied bacon and powdered eggs, the chefs their fantasy. This was the version became widely spread after WWII in America and Europe, most of the time with cream (and eventually mushrooms) added to the sauce, making it look and taste like fettuccine Alfredo, an hybrid American-Italian pasta favourite. The charcoal in the name refers to the baking of the bacon. This recipe is close to that favoured by the official Accademia Italiana della Cucina.
Read more on American-Italian hybrids: fettuccine Alfredo, spaghetti alla puttanesca, chicken Marsala, white pizza, American Italian spaghetti with meatballs & tomato sauce.
Read more spaghetti & linguine recipes: a quick spaghetti, spaghetti with scallops & tomatoes, scallops & rucola spaghetti, spaghetti with vegetables, shrimps fra diavolo, raw tomato spaghetti, spaghetti with clams, spaghetti with small clams, spaghetti with oil & garlic, spaghetti alla puttanesca, Palermo spaghetti with tomatoes & mint, American-Italian spaghetti with meatballs, vermicelli with parsley sauce, shrimps & Brie linguine, butter & tomato pasta sauce, lemon pasta with sea spinach.
Read the Japanese fusion recipe for pasta carbonara. Or an American café version.
Use the Roman version with guanciale, cured pork cheeks.
