Creamy carbonara recipe | Jamie Oliver pasta recipes (2024)

FAQs

What is the golden rule of cooking a carbonara? ›

The golden rule to silky carbonara is to whisk your egg whites so that they're completely incorporated with the egg yolks. This will create a smooth, velvety sauce. As like any pasta dish, including carbonara, cook the pasta perfectly al dente so that it's soft but still firm, with some bite.

Whisk Like You Mean It

You're using more egg yolks than whites here, which is what makes carbonara so rich and luxurious. But there's still two eggs-worth of whites in there. Whisking your eggs so that the whites are completely incorporated into the yolks will give your sauce a more uniform texture.

Keep cooking it in the pan where you made the guanciale crispy, adding starchy water until it is cooked al dente. Then, off the heat, add your egg, black pepper and pecorino mixture, so it doesn't cook off completely and remains – bravo! – creamy. Carbonara is also best eaten quickly!”

A real carbonara does not contain onion, garlic, or cream.

Using a large mixing bowl and setting it over the boiling pasta water to create a makeshift double boiler helps prevent you from accidentally scrambling the eggs.

Combining Eggs and Pasta

Stir vigorously to combine really well. If the pan is too hot the eggs will start to pill, meaning you'll see these little crumbly bits. If you do it right the eggs will become thick sort of like over-easy eggs and the cheese will melt developing a creamy decadent carbonara.

Cream is not used in most Italian recipes, with some exceptions. However, it is often employed in other countries, as adding cream makes the dish more stable.Similarly, garlic is found in some recipes, but mostly outside Italy.

Equally important is that the fat that melts out of the guanciale is required to thicken the carbonara sauce to make it creamy. Basically, what happens is that when the fat from the guanciale and in the egg yolks is mixed with starchy pasta cooking water, it thickens.

Bring a large pan of salted water to a simmer and cook the pasta until it's al dente (about a minute less than the pack instructions). Meanwhile, whisk 2 egg yolks in a small bowl with a pinch of salt. Using kitchen tongs, lift the pasta from the water into the pancetta pan along with any dripping water.

How to improve a carbonara? ›

Given carbonara's simple yet decadent, breakfast-y lineup of ingredients, it's no wonder the preparation takes so kindly to springy additions that would also play well in omelets. I particularly like alliums, soft herbs, lemon, artichokes, and pea shoots, enriched by pretty much any sort of cured pork and hard cheese.

The Italian version doesn't use cream or ham. It is made with pancetta (pork belly meat that is salt cured, also referred to as Italian bacon), Parmigiano Reggiano or pecorino romano cheese, eggs, and black pepper—called the basics. The pork is fried in fat, usually olive oil.

The difference between alfredo and carbonara is that carbonara contains an egg while alfredo sauce does not. Carbonara is usually thinner in consistency than alfredo sauce, using the egg to coat the noodles instead of relying on the cream.

Carbonara is made with guanciale (cured pork), eggs, Pecorino Romano cheese, spaghetti pasta, and lots of black pepper. Italians don't add extra ingredients like cream, milk, garlic, or onions.

I like to use a ratio of 1 whole egg to 3 egg yolks because it balances the richness. If you are looking to avoid using raw eggs, I would recommend making my Cacio e Pepe recipe – this is another one of the four classic Roman pastas but requires only three ingredients (cheese, pepper, and pasta).

Should carbonara have cream? Typically carbonara sauce is only made of eggs, bacon, parmesan, olive oil, seasoning, and sometimes, vegetables. As for cream, Italians will tell you that is a big no no.

Guanciale – This is a key ingredient in carbonara, and is a cured fatty pork that is similar to bacon and pancetta. It adds adds flavour into the dish and the fat makes the sauce creamy when mixed with the egg and starchy pasta cooking water.