Carbonara never really “clicked” until I started reading Kenji/Gritzer’s material. Details in comments!
Carbonara never really “clicked” until I started reading Kenji/Gritzer’s material. Details in comments!
by ExpensiveTreacle1189
7 Comments
ExpensiveTreacle1189
I’ve been working this recipe for a while now and I think It gets a little better every time.
I more or less eyeball the amount of pecorino. I need to actually weigh it out at some point but it’s always fallowed up by 1 egg and one egg yolk and enough black pepper to kill a small elephant.
One thing that don’t think is mentioned in Gritzers recipe is starting from a cold pan. If you do this and then set the stove to medium it takes roughly 10 minutes for the guancielle to get nice and browned/crispy. With pasta taking 11-12 minutes you can more or less start the pasta and the guanciale at the same time. Because timing seems to be everything with carbonara this makes it very convenient. Of course, once the pasta is done, toss it the guanciale and egg mixture, all the extra rendered fat is plenty to get a good silky sauce, no need for pasta water.
Lastly I ALWAYS have too much guanciale and sauce for the pasta. My solution for this is to have it on a piece of toast for breakfast the next morning. I view this as a feature, not a bug.
Criticism welcome! I think this one could have used a finer grate of pecorino maybe? I found that the emulsion was rapidly separating by the time I got to the last couple of bite.
RichardBonham
I thought it looks like a bit too much guanciale, but now I think you’re right about the amount being a feature and not a bug!
This recipe really “clicked” carbonara for me, too. It’s so much creamier and velvety. Admittedly, it took me a few attempts to use my collection of pots and pans to find a sort of double boiler set up that worked without making a mess.
choloranchero
Looks perfect to me.
Metroid413
I can never find Guanciale. Where do you get it?
vanchica
I grew up with that Wedgewood pattern of ironstone! In brown! Nice to see it again
hurtfulproduct
BuT wHErE iS tHE CreAm!! /s
Seriously, I’m trying this next time! Agreed that leftover guanciale and egg is not a bad thing, lol
skisagooner
How you cut the guanciale should depend on the pasta shape. But this is generally too big. Render it and fry it in its own fat till it’s crisp outside and soft inside.
7 Comments
I’ve been working this recipe for a while now and I think It gets a little better every time.
I more or less eyeball the amount of pecorino. I need to actually weigh it out at some point but it’s always fallowed up by 1 egg and one egg yolk and enough black pepper to kill a small elephant.
One thing that don’t think is mentioned in Gritzers recipe is starting from a cold pan. If you do this and then set the stove to medium it takes roughly 10 minutes for the guancielle to get nice and browned/crispy. With pasta taking 11-12 minutes you can more or less start the pasta and the guanciale at the same time. Because timing seems to be everything with carbonara this makes it very convenient. Of course, once the pasta is done, toss it the guanciale and egg mixture, all the extra rendered fat is plenty to get a good silky sauce, no need for pasta water.
Lastly I ALWAYS have too much guanciale and sauce for the pasta. My solution for this is to have it on a piece of toast for breakfast the next morning. I view this as a feature, not a bug.
Criticism welcome! I think this one could have used a finer grate of pecorino maybe? I found that the emulsion was rapidly separating by the time I got to the last couple of bite.
I thought it looks like a bit too much guanciale, but now I think you’re right about the amount being a feature and not a bug!
This recipe really “clicked” carbonara for me, too. It’s so much creamier and velvety. Admittedly, it took me a few attempts to use my collection of pots and pans to find a sort of double boiler set up that worked without making a mess.
Looks perfect to me.
I can never find Guanciale. Where do you get it?
I grew up with that Wedgewood pattern of ironstone! In brown! Nice to see it again
BuT wHErE iS tHE CreAm!! /s
Seriously, I’m trying this next time! Agreed that leftover guanciale and egg is not a bad thing, lol
How you cut the guanciale should depend on the pasta shape. But this is generally too big. Render it and fry it in its own fat till it’s crisp outside and soft inside.