Recipe > Mains
Pasta Carbonara
There are, like so many other dishes, dozens of ways to prepare a carbonara. From sneaky, cowboy slap-dash renditions with pre-prepared white sauce to decadent, luscious versions with white wine I've tried them all.
This however is my favourite recipe; rich and velvety with deep, smoky flavours and brought together with a thick, smooth sauce

I like to add fresh basil and sometimes oregano to this dish, this is for my own palate and isn't necessarily a traditional ingredient. Add or remove fresh herbs to your requirements

I also have a small jug of stock at the ready while I cook this dish. Should I decide the sauce is too thick or needs extra flavour I will thin it down with a bit of the stock.

Serves 4

Ingredients
450g / 1lb pasta (tagliatelle, spaghetti or penne)
1 Tblsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic
1/2 onion
85g / 3oz mushrooms
110g / 4oz bacon
85g / 3oz pancetta or smoked ham
1 whole egg plus 3 egg yolks
140ml / 5fl oz cream
Sea salt and cracked black pepper
Parmesan to season / garnish

Mise-en-Place:
Prepare a large saucepan with boiling, lightly salted and oiled water
Chop the garlic, slice the onion, mushrooms, bacon and ham
Prepare the eggs, mix with the cream

Method:
Cook the pasta:
Drop the pasta into the boiling water. Cook until 'al dente' (soft but with a slight bite - not baby food!) about 4 - 6 minutes. Stir from time to time to stop the pasta sticking to the pan
Remove from the heat and drain the pasta
'Refresh' under cold water to remove any excess starch from the pasta and to prevent them from overcooking in their own heat
Set aside

In a wide saucepan over a medium heat:
Heat the oil
Add the garlic and cook until lightly browned
Add the onion before the garlic colours too much and 'brown off'
Add the mushrooms, cook until soft and lightly coloured. About 2-3 minutes
Remove all the ingredients from the saucepan
Return the pan to the heat
Add the ham and bacon (no extra oil is needed, there is plenty of fat in the bacon to lubricate the pan)
Stir the meat until cooked and lightly coloured. About 2-3 minutes
Return the mushrooms, garlic and onions along with any juices to the pan
Add the egg and cream mix (along with herbs if you are using them) to the saucepan.
Do not allow the sauce to boil as it will curdle (the eggs will scramble)
Simply stir the sauce and the ingredients together and allow to gently simmer for 1-2 minutes
Season with salt and pepper
Return the pasta to the saucepan. Cook for 30 - 60 seconds (Be sure to thoroughly mix the pasta into the sauce)
Serve

Adjust: The sauce should be reasonably thick (it should be able to lightly coat the back of a spoon) and packed with warm, smoky flavours
Too bland: Add more salt, pepper, fresh herbs (or stock if available)
Too thick: Add more cream, full-fat milk (or stock if available)

Presentation:
Serve in a wide pasta bowl
If you used herbs in the dish garnish with a little chopped herbs or herb tips otherwise keep the plate simple
Serve with grated or thinly sliced parmesan on the side

Cowboy Trick: Scrambled the sauce? Too late to fix but you can hide the worst of the effect by adding more cream to the sauce.

Chef Insight: Tagliatelle is a specialty pasta from the Emilia-romagna region in northern Italy. Two conflicting legends say the pasta was created in the 15th Century in honour of Lucrezia Borgia's hair. The first legend dictates that the pasta was created due to a noble man's love for the lady's hair while the other that a famous chef created the pasta to honour the lady's wedding day (and quite possibly her hair which caused quite a stir amongst the Italian courtesans).