Pasta carbonara is the Roman’s answer to comfort food. It’s composed of a humble trio of ingredients — eggs, cheese and noodles — which, with the elemental magic of heat and water, alchemize to create a glistening bowl of pasta that’s as restorative as it is comforting.
Crispy pancetta is a traditional ingredient in a carbonara, and its rendered fat adds salt and flavor to the dish. While less traditional, sweet peas add brightness and balance the pork in this recipe.
This carbonara comes together quickly, so it’s important that your ingredients are prepped before you begin cooking. The most important element is the egg and cheese mixture, which coats the hot noodles and creates the slick sauce that binds the dish. Add the whisked eggs and cheese to the hot noodles away from direct heat, stirring constantly to thoroughly coat the noodles. The heat from the pasta will help to cook the eggs, and the stirring will prevent them from scrambling. It may sound complicated, but once you give it a go, you will see how easy and foolproof this method is.
Try to use bucatini for the pasta, which resembles thick spaghetti with a hole running through the center, which allows the sauce to permeate the pasta and give it more flavor.
Pasta Carbonara With Sweet Peas
Yield: Serves 4
INGREDIENTS:
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup finely grated pecorino Romano cheese, plus more for sprinkling
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 pound bucatini
- 6 ounces thick-cut bacon or guanciale, diced
- 1 cup thawed frozen sweet peas
- 1 to 2 cloves garlic, minced or pushed through a press
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
DIRECTIONS:
1. Whisk the eggs and cheese in a bowl to combine; set aside.
2. Bring a large pot of water and 1 tablespoon kosher salt to a rolling boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water and drain the pasta.
3. While the pasta is cooking, cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until the fat is rendered, stirring to separate the pieces, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer the bacon with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with a paper towel.
4. Add the peas, garlic and red pepper flakes to the skillet and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add the drained pasta to the skillet and cook briefly, stirring to coat the noodles.
5. Remove the pan from the heat. Quickly add the eggs and cheese, stirring constantly to coat the pasta and to prevent the eggs from scrambling. Add some of the reserved pasta water, a little at a time, to loosen the pasta to your desired consistency. Return the bacon to the pan and stir once more. Serve.
Lynda Balslev is an award-winning food and wine writer, cookbook author and recipe developer. She authors the blog TasteFood, a compilation of more than 600 original recipes, photos and stories. More recipes can be found at chicago.suntimes.com/taste.
