The wonderful cuisine Spaghetti alla carbonara

There is currently a debate in Italy on the origin of carbonara, which seems to involve the Americans. This recipe, despite having entered the Roman cuisine by right, has its origins in pasta “Cacio e ova” (cheese and eggs) from Abruzzo. According to some, the American military landed in Italy in the Second World War, they added bacon to Abruzzo pasta, actually inventing it bacon and egg. According to others, it owes its name to the Carbonari, who in the nineteenth century went to mass to work in the charcoal pits of Lazio. Having available the “guanciale” used in many preparations, and the eggs, almost always easily available in the area, “invented” this recipe to be cooked even in the workplace.

Ingredients for 4 people

400 g of spaghetti

4 egg yolks

200 g of bacon

100 g of grated aged pecorino

5-6 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil salt and black pepper

Bring a saucepan with plenty of salted water to a boil and cook spaghetti or, at most, the bucatini.

In the meantime, cut the bacon into cubes and brown it in the oil, until it is toasted.

In a bowl, beat the egg yolks with the pecorino cheese, salt and a generous amount of minced bacon with a fork of black pepper.

It is important to let the bacon cool down a little because, when we add it to the eggs, they are not cooked. Once warm, add the sauce to the egg and cheese mixture. Drain the pasta al dente and pour the egg over the pasta. The heat of the pasta itself will make the egg thicken, without overcooking it. Mix thoroughly, possibly adding a tablespoon of the cooking water pasta if the sauce is not creamy enough, then sprinkle with a little more pecorino grated and black pepper to taste.

Wine pairing: for my taste a soft white, but sapid and mineral, capable of contrast the richness of the egg, then a Verdicchio Superiore (Marche) or a Chardonnay Trentino (Trentino Alto Adige).