Best Carbonara recipe tips please!

[Twatterati]

Inspired by the Bolognese thread....

I love a decent carbonara sauce and do have a really good recipe BUT it's not an 'authentic' one as I use cream (and mushrooms and onions). I'd love to make a proper Italian, authentic version but worried I'll scramble the eggs by mistake!

How do you make yours please?

Felicity Cloake's 'perfect' recipe - scroll to the bottom for the actual recipe.
www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2012/may/10/how-to-cook-perfect-spaghetti-carbonara

It's bloody delicious, more or less authentic (I'm sure Italian purists will be horrified that she uses pancetta instead of guanciale!), and basically fool proof.

The key bit is reserving some of the pasta cooking water and using that in the sauce - it doesn't work otherwise.

I love carbonara and I always thought it was just egg yokes, cream, bacon and the spaghetti but I had one in a Bella Italia that was really cheesy. I sent it back as I don't like cheese and he said that's the authentic way of cooking it - none of the restaurants I'd had it in previously had cheese in it

Exactly what @rbe78 said (especially about the pasta water) but I crank up the pepper and a couple of extra egg yolks. It's one of those dishes that, in my opinion, should be gut-stickingly rich!

1 egg per person plus 25g of cheese - I use a mix of cheddar and parmesan (so for 4 people, 4 eggs/50g cheddar/50g parmesan). Mix and season well. Fry lardons (I use 150g for 4 people), cook spaghetti as per packet.*

This is the crucial bit. When you drain the pasta keep about 150ml of the pasta water, put it back in the pasta pan, add the egg & cheese mix and mix well. If it starts to scramble add a bit more pasta water. Add the bacon and mix again. Never fails. Sprinkle parmesan on top and serve with a smug smile

*Or if like me you have too much time on your hands, make your own tagliatelle.

Eggs yolks, cheese, a bit of pasta water, pepper and i use smoked lardons which is probably not authentic but they are yummy.

What kind of psychopath puts cheddar in a carbonara! That's plain criminal.

We just cook the spaghetti (or taggliatelle)... meanwhile fry some pancetta or bacon lardons, then put the (badly drained... you need it wettish) pasta in the frying pan, take off the heat, stir through a couple of beaten eggs add parmesan and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Done... 4 minute meal if you use fresh pasta.

@AmandaHoldensLips

What kind of psychopath puts cheddar in a carbonara! That's plain criminal.

I like cheddar.

Definitely second what the others say about pasta water - I just drain the spaghetti poorly so it’s still really wet. Then when I poor the egg mixture over, try to get it in the spaghetti and not on the hot metal pan. Then serve immediately - it will keep cooking for a bit.
I personally use a mix of eggs, pecorino and parsley and switch out the lardons for Italian sausage meat 😍

Don’t let the egg get too hot. Turn the heat off underneath, and let the warmth of the pasta cook the egg. Once you get the knack of doing it you won’t look back.

1. Use Nigella's recipe.

1. Don't use cream. Or Cheddar.

Don't use cream, the creaminess comes from the eggs.

Fry your guanciale (best), pancetta (good) or bacon lardons (perfectly serviceable) till a bit crisp.

Mix 1 egg per person plus 1 or 2 yolks in a bowl and beat with a fork. Mix in a good handful of grated pecorino, parmesan or mixture of both (my preference).

Add your hot spaghetti to the meat pan, slopping in some water. Toss all to coat with the fat. Then take off the heat (or if brave, leave on low heat) and add the contents of the egg bowl. Beat into the spaghetti with tongs furiously , adding a bit more starchy water if needs be. Add plenty of cracked black pepper. There is a knack to the mixing in that you can also use for cacio e pepe.

The one on the BBC Good Food website is very good.

I do it as per Obviouspretzel except I fry onion, garlic and the meat together, sometimes i add a bit of white wine to this and cook it off. Remove from pan, add the pasta to the meat pan with abit of cooking water, add meat back, add egg mixture.

I must admit sometimes it goes wrong and I do get a bit of the scrambled egg look but it's always lush.

Inspired by this thread I made carbonara this evening and I swear I've cracked it, it was my best one ever.

It's the same method as the BBC Good Food one (and @Obviouspretzel's) For two people I used one egg plus two egg yolks, fresh spaghetti which I had in the fridge, and a tiny bit of garlic paste. And a mix of parmesan and pecorino. The pasta water is essential to make the sauce, it's really important.

Gosh, it was lush