Infallibile Pasta Carbonara
Using a bit of corn starch gel as an emulsifier makes this version of Pasta Carbonara foolproof, or as an Italian would say "Infallibile!"
Ingredients
- 50 grams water a generous 3 tbsp
- 5 grams cornstarch about 2 tsp
- 2 oz grated Pecorino Romano see notes
- 6 oz guanciale see notes
- 2 large eggs
- 2-3 cloves garlic minced
- freshly ground black pepper
- 4 tbsp fresh parsley chopped
- 1 lb dry pasta
- salt
- 2 fl. oz reserved pasta cooking water
Instructions
Prepare the cornstarch gel
- Place the 50 grams of water and 5 grams of cornstarch in a microwavable bowl and whisk into a slurry.
- Place in the microwave for 15 seconds. The corn starch should have started to thicken, but also has drifted toward the bottom of the bowl. Re-whisk the solution.
- Return to the microwave for another 15 seconds and re-whisk. At this point the gel should be stable. If not one more round in the microwave and one more whisk should do it.
- Allow the cornstarch gel to cool
Prepare the sauce ingredients
- Select a container that works well with an immersion blender. Most immersion blenders come with a mixing cup, and wide mouthed mason jars generally work well.
- Add the eggs, grated cheese, and the cooled cornstarch gel to the container.
Prepare the pan ingredients
- Whichever cured pork option you chose, chop the pork into small pieces and cook over medium-low heat in a large skillet so it renders the fat and gets a little crispy.
- Remove the cooked pork to a bowl and set aside. Drain all but about a tablespoon of the pork fat from the pan.
- Add the minced garlic and a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper to the pan. Stir and let them sizzle a couple minutes in the pork fat.
- Deglaze the pan with the white wine. Return the cooked pork to the pan and stir. Turn off the heat for now.
Prepare the pasta
- Prepare the pasta according to package directions. Alternately use the directions available at https://thought4food.life/kenjis-new-way-to-cook-pasta/. The pasta water should be well seasoned with salt. Think salted like soup (delicious), not salted like the ocean (not delicious).
- Reserve a cup of the pasta cooking water at the end of the cooking process.
Blend the sauce and finish the pasta
- Add twoounces of the pasta cooking water to sauce ingredients and use an immersion blender to puree everything into a homogenous sauce.
- Add the still hot, drained pasta and the pureed sauce to the pan with the pork, garlic and black pepper. Return the heat to medium-low, and stir with a silicon spatula. Continue heating and stiring until the sauce has obtained the desired creamy texture and clings nicely to the pasta.
- Plate the pasta and garnish with chopped parsley
Notes
- Guanciale (cured pork jowl) is the traditional pork used in Carbonara. Pancetta (cured pork belly) is the closest substitute. Bacon is another possible substitute. Like pancetta, bacon is also cured pork belly, but bacon is smoked. Whether you appreciate the smoked nuance or not is up to you.
- Pecorino Romano is the traditional cheese for Carbonara. But some people prefer Parmigiano Reggiano or a blend of the two cheeses. Other flavorful, aged grating cheeses will also work. The choice is really up to you.
- 2 ounces of hard grating cheese, by weight, is about 2/3 cup in volume.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!