Carbonara

Truth is, this is a recipe we’ve been making for ages and one that I always thought was “the original” — the way I figured this typical Italian dish was prepared by mammas all over Italy. How wrong I was… Every Italian who’s seen us make this dish has been surprised, has laughed, and has gotten outraged in equal measure when watching us prepare “their dish” with cream instead of uovo. Here you can see how they make it, and without further ado I’ll show you our version (having tried both, I’ll stick with ours :p)

What do we need?

(Serves 2)

• 200 g (7 oz) spaghetti

• 4 slices of bacon

• 1/2 onion

• 200 ml (3/4 cup) cooking cream

• Salt and pepper

How do we make it?

• Put the spaghetti to cook in plenty of water (once it’s boiling), lightly salted.

• While the pasta is cooking — we’ll leave it for around 15 minutes — pour a splash of oil in a frying pan and add the onion.

• Let it sauté a little and add the bacon.

• Once it’s done, add the cream and let it come to a boil.

• Add a pinch of salt — careful not to overdo it since the bacon already gives flavor to the sauce — and a bit of pepper. Set aside if the pasta isn’t ready yet.

• Drain the pasta and mix with the carbonara sauce.

Tips:

• Depending on your stove, pot, and pasta, it may be ready a little before the fifteen minutes or a little after. Keep an eye on it if you like your pasta “al dente”.

• The bacon can be swapped for pancetta.

• You can sprinkle a bit of Parmesan cheese on top when you serve the pasta.

Comments

Miguel (2012-11-07 12:01:29):

I usually make this same recipe, but when I add the salt and pepper, I take the chance to throw in a tiny bit (very, very little) of nutmeg.

And I also prefer the cream version over the egg one.

tía pi (2012-11-07 23:41:40):

For me, carbonara is without onion, with bacon, cream and egg, but I’ll give yours a try.

Palstelera (2012-11-09 21:26:49):

I love nutmeg. Truth is I always add it to béchamel but never to carbonara — I’ll try it next time :-)

Palstelera (2012-11-09 21:27:17):

Without onion? Try it, it’s delicious!

Vio (2012-12-07 20:44:34):

Boo! I love the blog, but you also know I couldn’t stay quiet knowing you call this carbonara. Maledetti!

I’ll take the chance to tell you that, aside from the amazing recipes, the site is super pretty and the photos rock ;-)

Big kiss!

Palstelera (2012-12-11 13:04:25):

hehe, Vio. It’s not that we call it carbonara… it’s that half of Spain does! That’s why, to avoid hurting any feelings, we started the post by making clear that what’s called carbonara in Spain has nothing to do with the Italian recipe… But honestly, I love the Spanish version :-)

Vio (2013-03-05 12:39:39):

Haha, sure — you, Spain… it’s all about complaining :-P

The truth is I do really like this version, but I think the Italian one is much tastier when it’s done right, with crispy bacon, lots of pepper, and nice juicy spaghetti. I will say a lot of Italians make a pretty lousy version and it really brings the dish down.

This pizza was two flavors but it could just as easily have been one, five, or twelve. The important thing is to realize that with just a few ingredients you can put together a quick and easy meal. Plus, for all of you who have friends who are a bit picky with food (yes, we all have one of those) who don’t eat onion, tuna, or tomato, the idea of splitting the pizza into different flavors will satisfy everyone’s tastes without having to make a million different pizzas.

What do we need?

Dough:

•   200 g (3/4 cup + 1 tbsp) water
  

•   300 g (2.5 cups) flour (bread flour is best)
  

•   1/2 teaspoon salt
  

•   1 packet of dry baking yeast (or 20 g fresh yeast)
  

•   15 g (1 tbsp) extra virgin olive oil
  

Hawaiian side:

•   BBQ sauce
  

•   1/2 onion
  

•   3 slices of fresh pineapple
  

•   4 strips of bacon
  

Carbonara side:

•   Heavy cream
  

•   1/2 onion
  

•   4 strips of bacon
  

•   4 slices of goat cheese
  

•   1 egg
  

•   Salt and oregano
  

How do we make it?

• Mix the flour with the salt and the granulated yeast in a large bowl. Make a well in the center and add the warm water (if it’s too cold it won’t activate the yeast, if it’s too hot it will “kill” it) and the olive oil.

• Stir well with a fork until you get a smooth dough that pulls away from the sides of the bowl, then turn it out onto a floured surface.

• Knead by stretching and pressing the dough with the base of your hand for 5 minutes.

• If the dough sticks, you can add a little more flour to the surface or your hands, but not too much, or the dough could turn out tough.

• Form a ball with the dough and set it aside in a bowl that you’ve previously greased with olive oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and let it rise for about 30 minutes.

• Once the rising time is up, the dough will have grown, so press it down a bit with your hands and start rolling it out (by hand or with a rolling pin).

• Place it on a baking tray and make a divider down the middle with some dough.

• Preheat the oven to 220°C (430°F).

• On the first half (Hawaiian style) add a base of BBQ sauce, julienned onion, bacon strips, and chunks of fresh pineapple.

• On the second half (carbonara style) the base sauce will be heavy cream (with a pinch of salt), julienned onion, bacon strips, and goat cheese.

• Put the pizza in the oven and after 10 minutes open it up to crack an egg and sprinkle some oregano on the carbonara half.

• Let the pizza bake for another 10 minutes and it’s ready to eat.

Tips:

• If you want the pizza dough to come out thicker and fluffier, once you’ve rolled out the dough on the tray, you can let it rest for another 15 minutes before adding the toppings.
• You can use up any ingredient you have in the fridge to make a delicious pizza.
• If you’re short on time or starving, the rising times can be cut down. The dough will be less fluffy but don’t worry, it’ll never be bad.

[English version] TWO-FLAVOUR PIZZA* **Ingredients:*For the dough:

• • 200 g water*
• • 300 g white flour (strong white flour is best)*
• • 1/2 teaspoon salt*
• • 1 package dry yeast (or 20 g fresh yeast)*
• • 15 g olive oil** Hawaian flavour:- Bbq sauce**- 1/2 onion**- 3 slices of fresh pineapple**- 4 bacon slices** Carbonara flavour:- Heavy cream**- 1/2 onion**- 4 bacon slices**- 4 goat cheese slices**- 1 egg**- Salt and oregano** *

• Put the flour into a large bowl, then stir in the yeast and salt. Make a well, pour in warm water (too cold water will not ‘activate’ the yeast, too hot will ‘kill’ it) and olive oil.

• Bring together with a fork until the dough doesn’t stick to bowl walls. Turn into a lightly floured surface.

• Knead with your hands for 5 mins.

• Add a bit more flour if the dough is too sticky. But be careful and don’t add too much if you don’t want to harden too much your dough.

• Make a ball and put it into an oiled bowl covered by a tea towel or clingfilm. Leave the dough rise for 30 mins.

• After the rise, give a quick knead to the dough and roll it out (with your hands or using a rolling pin)

• Put it into a baking tray and make a central division with the dough.

• Preheat oven to 220º

• Smooth bbq sauce over the first half. Scatter with chopped onions, bacon and fresh pineapple. (Hawaian style)

• Over the second half smooth some cream and salt. Scatter with chopped onions, bacon and goat cheese. (Carbonara style)

• Bake the pizza in your oven for 10 mins. Open the oven and add one egg and sprinkle with some oregano in the Carbonara style half.

• Bake for other 10 mins.

*Tips: -If you want a soft and fluffy pizza, once you have rolled out the dough, leave it rise again for 15 mins before adding toppings.**- You can use any ingredient you find in your fridge!

• No time? Too hungry? Don’t worry, you can reduce rising times. The dough will be less fluffy but always delicious!*

Comments

mir (2012-07-17 12:03:17):

I can vouch for it — it was delicious!

Cesmm (2012-07-17 16:36:18):

Thanks! :-)