Carbonara

La verdad es que ésta es una receta que llevamos haciendo mucho tiempo y que a mí me parece “la original”, la forma en que pensaba que este plato, típico italiano, era preparado por las *mammas *de toda Italia. Qué equivocado estaba… Todos los italianos que nos han visto preparar este plato se han sorprendido, reído e indignado por partes iguales al vernos preparar “su plato” con nata en lugar de utilizar uovo. Aquí podéis ver cómo lo preparan ellos y yo paso sin más dilación a presentaros nuestra forma (habiendo probado las dos me quedo con la nuestra :p)

**¿Qué necesitamos? **

(Para 2 personas)

• 200 gr. de espaguetis

• 4 lonchas de beicon

• 1/2 cebolla

• 200 ml. de nata de cocinar

• Sal y pimienta

¿Cómo lo hacemos?

• Ponemos a cocer los espaguetis en abundante agua (cuando ya esté hirviendo) un poco sazonada.

• Mientras la pasta está cociendo, la dejaremos en torno a los 15 minutos, ponemos un chorrito de aceite en una sartén y echamos la cebolla.

• Dejamos que se sofría un poco y añadimos el beicon.

• Cuando esté hecho añadimos la nata y dejamos que hierva.

• Añadimos una pizca de sal, cuidado con pasarse ya que el bacón da sabor a la salsa, y un poco de pimienta. Reservamos si todavía no está cocida la pasta.

• Escurrimos la pasta y mezclamos con la salsa carbonara.

Consejos:

• Dependiendo de vuestra cocina, olla y pasta puede que ésta esté lista un poco antes de los quince minutos o un poco más tarde. No dejéis de vigilarla si os gusta la pasta “al dente”.

• El beicon puede ser sustituido por panceta.

• Podéis espolvorear un poco de queso parmesano cuando sirváis la pasta.

 [English version] SPAGHETTI CARBONARA* *Ingredients:

• 200 g spaghetti

• 4 slices of bacon

• 1/2 onion

• 200 ml cream

• Salt and pepper

* *

• *Add the spaghetti into a saucepan filled with boiling water with salt. *

• *In the meanwhile (the pasta will be cooked after 15 minutes aprox.) add a bit of olive oil into a frying pan. Add the onion. *

• *Fry lightly and add the bacon. *

• *When it is cooked, add cream and leave simmer for a while. *

• *Add salt and pepper. Set aside until pasta is ready. *

• Strain the pasta and mix with the carbonara sauce.

* Tips:- Depending on your saucepan, stove, etc. the pasta will need more or less minutes to be cooked. Watch out to get the perfect cooking, specially if you like pasta al dente. *- You can sprinkle the pasta dish with Parmesan cheese.

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.

Esta pizza fue dos gustos como podría haber sido uno, cinco o doce. Lo importante es darse cuenta de que con pocos ingredientes se puede hacer una comida fácil y rápida. Además para todos aquellos que tenéis amigos un tanto tiquismiquis con la comida (sí, todos tenemos alguno de ésos) que no comen cebolla, atún o tomate, la idea de dividir los sabores de la pizza satisfará los gustos de todos sin tener que hacer un millón de pizzas diferentes.

¿Qué necesitamos?

Masa:

•       200 g agua
•       300 g harina (si es harina de fuerza, mejor)
•       1/2 cucharadita de sal
•       1 sobre de levadura seca de panadería (o 20 g de levadura fresca)
•       15 g aceite de oliva virgen extra

Gusto hawaiano:

•       Salsa barbacoa
•       1/2 cebolla
•       3 rodajas de piña natural
•       4 lonchas de bacon

Gusto carbonara:

•       Nata
•       1/2 cebolla
•       4 lonchas de bacon
•       4 rodajas de queso de cabra
•       1 huevo
•       Sal y orégano

¿Cómo lo hacemos?

• Mezclamos la harina con la sal y la levadura granulada en un recipiente amplio. Hacemos un volcán en el centro y añadimos el agua templada (si está muy fría no activará la levadura, si está muy caliente la “matará”) y el aceite de oliva.

• Removemos bien con un tenedor hasta obtener una masa lisa que se despegue de las paredes del cuenco y la ponemos en una superficie enharinada.

• Amasamos estirando y aplastando la masa con la base de la mano durante 5 minutos.

• Si se nos pega la masa podemos añadir un poco más de harina a la mesa o a nuestras manos, pero no demasiada ya que podría endurecer nuestra masa.

• Formamos una bola con la masa y la reservamos en un cuenco untado previamente con aceite de oliva. Cubrimos el cuenco con film transparente o un trapo limpio y dejamos fermentar durante 30 minutos aproximadamente.

• Pasado el tiempo de fermentación, la masa habrá subido, así que la aplastamos un poco con las manos y procedemos a estirarla (a mano o con rodillo).

• La ponemos en una bandeja de horno y hacemos una división con masa por la mitad.

• Precalentamos el horno a 220º

• En la primera mitad (estilo hawaiana) añadimos una base de salsa barbacoa, cebolla en juliana, bacon en tiras y piña natural en trozos.

• En la segunda mitad (estilo carbonara) la salsa base será nata (con un poco de sal), cebolla en juliana, bacon en tiras y queso de cabra.

• Introducimos la pizza en el horno y pasados 10 minutos lo abrimos para echar un huevo  y un poco de orégano en nuestra mitad estilo carbonara.

• Dejamos hornear la pizza otros 10 minutos más y lista para comer.

Consejos:

• Si queremos que la masa de la pizza quede más gordita y esponjosa, una vez estirada la masa sobre la bandeja, la podemos dejar reposando otros 15 minutos antes de ponerle los ingredientes.
• Podemos aprovechar cualquier ingrediente que tengamos por la nevera para hacer una pizza riquísima.
• Si el tiempo apremia o tenéis un apetito voraz, los tiempos de fermentado pueden disminuirse. La masa quedará menos esponjosa pero, tranquilos que mala no estará nunca.

[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!* 

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! :-)