Hi everyone I'm looking for some advice. Today I tried to cook authentic Carbonara for the first time. I used Guanciale, pan fried it (started in a cold pan without oil), mixed two egg yolks with Pecorino and mixed my pasta with it (I also added the rendered fat from the Guanciale). Afterwards I added a little bit of pasta water to create a more creamy sauce. Topped it all with the fried guanciale, pecorino and black pepper on top. For some reason my Carbonara turned out bland. It was okay but I expected more from the favorite pasta of so many people. Is there anything I forgot to do? Here is a picture of the final dish
by nihshio
7 Comments
Do you have a photo of the pasta you’re using? (I mean the packaging) Assuming your pecorino, eggs and guanciale were all good quality, it’s possible that the pasta wasn’t particularly tasty and more importantly, too smooth to get the sauce to stick to it.
From the photo your dish looks a little dry and there seems to be more sauce on the bottom. If you’re using nylon dye pasta it’s very possibly the problem as the sauce doesn’t adhere to them as well as bronze-dyed.
It could also be something as simple as needing more egg and water (i.e. more sauce in general)
[https://static.gamberorosso.it/2020/09/gino.jpg](https://static.gamberorosso.it/2020/09/gino.jpg)
[https://www.ricettestoriche.it/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/carbonara.jpg](https://www.ricettestoriche.it/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/carbonara.jpg)
[https://blog.giallozafferano.it/giorgiocremona/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/4D57FD5A-DAE8-4F99-B73C-C30C96E9C2D6.jpeg](https://blog.giallozafferano.it/giorgiocremona/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/4D57FD5A-DAE8-4F99-B73C-C30C96E9C2D6.jpeg)
Maybe not enough pecorino.
How many eggs did you put and how much pasta if you can tell in grams?
You need to toss the pasta in the Guanciale oil first of all. That s the flavour.
Then add the egg
Did you remember to put salt in the water before cooking pasta?
Did you salt the pasta water?
Here’s a recipe I’ve been using from this sub and it’s amazing.
https://www.reddit.com/r/ItalianFood/s/dqbTiXtZvF