Pasta Carbonara

Sometimes recipes that you love just seem to fall by the wayside. Last night while considering what to eat over the weekend, I started to think back to what I used to cook regularly, before I really discovered I had a huge passion for food.

Italian cooking is what seems to come most naturally to me. I must admit I do take the easy route most of the time and buy pasta rather than make this Italian staple, however as shop bought pasta is such a good substitute, I am sure only the most critical critique would show distain for this shortcoming.

One such dish that springs to mind is the old “Italian” favourite pasta carbonara. Yes I know not really an Italian heritage dish by any means but still a tasty favourite that is quick and easy to prepare, the only downside of this really tasty dish is the serious lack of colour. The monotone-esque colour is the only part of this dish that lets it down.

Pasta Carbonara

There seems to be many varied ideas as to where the dish pasta carbonara came from. However one thing that seems certain is that this is a fairly modern dish. There are no references to pasta carbonara in any Italian recipe books that pre date world war 1.

Several areas, and  restaurants try to take credit for pasta carbonara and indeed even World War 2 may account for the creation of this carbonara classic. There is a restaurant in Rome that is called “carbonara” that lays claim to the dish and several other restaurants in southern Italy have tried to stake a claim for pasta ala carbonara at one stage or another. The carbonara name means black in Italian, and uncertainty also surrounds this.  Some say it is because the dish was prepared for Italian miners, however I don’t see this almost luxury dish being served up to the guys in the pits. I much rather refers to copious amounts of black pepper that should be lashed onto this fine plate of pasta to season.

There seems to be some credit in the claim that during the war American soldiers would trade their rations of eggs and cream and bacon with Italian eateries for hearty dishes that would be shared amongst the staff and the servicemen. The early concoction of carbonara was a dish that was prepared to suit the taste buds of both Italian and Americans alike.

The dish itself is very east to prepare and there are many variances. Standard ingredients are, spaghetti, cream, egg yolks and parmesan cheese along with fatty bacon (pancetta) that are combined and seasoned with lots of black pepper to taste. Additional ingredients that are frequently added are chicken, onions, mushrooms and on rarer occasions yellow peppers and sometimes chilli. Many people also like to add basil to finish off this dish and also adds a little more colour.

My variance on this dish does not add everything listed above, but if you like to add a little (or a lot of one of the aforementioned ingredients then by all means please do!)

The dish is quick to prepare, and must be eaten immediately. Never make this as a dish to serve later and reheating this just does not seem to work at all.

cooking at home, eating, Italian, Italian Food, Pasta, Recipe