When I lived in Rome as a student, I ate this rich cream-sauced dish at least once a week. It was my introduction to pancetta and a Roman specialty that, at the time, was rarely found on this side of the water. A wonderful little restaurant called Grappolo d’oro, which was very near the Campo dei Fiori, featured it in on its menu and, much to my amazement it’s still there (https://www.grappolodorozampano.it/), and Carbonara is still on the menu. But all that cream and butter, pancetta and cheese put Carbonara on the endangered list once we reached a certain…size. But the memory lingered on and a recipe for a very much lighter version caught my eye and I cooked it. I’m posting it today on the off chance you may have some Easter Ham sitting around that you can easily substitute, cubed, for the pancetta or slab bacon. And I think it’s well worth sharing with you because it’s very quick and delicious and you can probably get dinner on the table in about 30 minutes.
- Bring a large pot of water to boil to make the spaghetti
- Chop the pancetta in cubes. Heat the oil in a skillet and sauté the pancetta with the garlic until it is golden and the pancetta crisp. Remove the garlic and throw it away. With a slotted spoon, lift the pancetta from the pan and keep it warm.
- Break the eggs into a bowl large enough to hold the spaghetti. Beat and season the eggs with salt and pepper. Whisk in the white wine.
- Cook the spaghetti until al dente, 9 to 10 minutes. Reserve half a cup of the cooking liquid. Drain the spaghetti and add it hot to the egg mixture. (It must be hot when you toss it with the eggs and that is what will cook them). Toss well, add the pancetta and grated cheese and toss to incorporate them. If the sauce need thinning, add some of the reserved cooking liquid. Season with plenty of freshly ground pepper, and add salt if necessary.
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Looks simple and delicious. That would be a good lunch for me.
Serendipitous! It's one of my favorite dishes, Monte. And yes, I just so happen to have a bunch of Easter ham leftover…so I'm definitely going to cook this up tomorrow. Thanks.
Thanks Mary and Jorge!
Mary, nice that you get to cook a lunch like this.
Jorge, How is Alexis? She looks so adorable on Facebook. I can't wait to see her in person. All best, Monte