Now I know what you're thinking. Aren't I trying to eat healthier? Doesn't carbonara have tons of cheese and pancetta? What's going on here? Well, this is a dinner my husband prepared for me a couple of weeks ago and was too delicious not to post. He's really the expert when it comes to pasta and I am jealous of his ability to get it just right. All I can do is watch him like a hawk in the kitchen but I know what his secret is.
There is no real secret to perfecting a recipe besides practice, and to be perfectly frank, most of the time it's all about trusting your senses. Does it look right? Does it smell right? Does it taste right? It's really nothing I can spell out in steps. When I asked my husband how he mixed the hot spaghetti in with the sauce without creating scrambled eggs, he really didn't have a straight answer. It was just about feeling.
Now the carbonara sauce uses raw egg which is mixed in with the cooked spaghetti. The heat from the spaghetti cooks the egg a bit, but I know some people have issues with raw eggs. There is no other authentic way to make this sauce. The saltimbocca recipe is from an Italian recipe website that I am going crazy over. I won't go into detail and outline the ingredients and method for the saltimbocca, but you can find the exact recipe for it here. You can also watch Sonia prepare it with the video below.
Spaghetti alla Carbonara
Ingredients:
1 box spaghetti cooked al dente
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 pound pancetta, chopped
1 1/2 cups grated pecorino
2 whole eggs and 2 egg yolks
freshly ground black pepper
Method:
While the pasta is boiling, heat the olive oil in a small sautee pan. Cook until well browned. Remove from the pan and place on a plate lined with a paper towel. Let cool completely.
In a large bowl, beat the eggs until smooth. Add about half of the grated cheese and blend. Add the cooled pancetta and mix together.
Once the pasta is cooked al dente, drain it, but make sure to reserve a couple of cups of pasta water. Add pasta to the egg mixture and toss quickly. Sprinkle in the rest of the cheese and season with pepper.
You will want to add some pasta water to the mix to create a nice creamy sauce. Add a little bit at a time until desired consistency is reached. Taste for seasoning. Since the pecorino is quite salty, you probably won't have to add salt.
Serve with the veal saltimbocca.
Happy cooking!
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