Momo’s Carbo

They say that Carbonara was designed to feed Italian coal miners… “The black faces”. I don’t know if it’s true, but if I was a coal miner, I am sure I would wolf it down after a day down below. So yes, like a lot of legendary dishes, there are a lot of speculations about one of the most cooked pasta recipes in the world. All I know is that it is the first dish I cooked, it has evolved since and sometimes I add extra bits, it has also saved my life a few times, a dish that should be at the final exam of any leaving Certificates… Here is my father’s recipe, one I tend to follow…

You’ll Need:

• 200g of good spaghetti
• 200g of Bacon or lardons chopped
• 1 clove of garlic
• 20cl of Creme Fraiche
• 1 tsp of Dijon mustard
• 1 egg yolk
• a splash of balsamic vinegar
• 150g of Parmigiano Reggiano or Irish Gabriel

How to:

First, you need to start slicing the bacon, not too thin, not too thick; start frying them in a bit of olive oil.

Once the rashers/ bacon are nice and golden, remove them from the pan and onto some paper towel to drain the oil. Through them back in the pan with a roughly chopped garlic clove… Add a wee splash of balsamic vinegar to deglaze the bottom of the pan of all its flavours…

Then, add the tsp of mustard and your creme fraiche; turn off the heat until the pasta are cooked…

Bring a pot of salted water to the boil, and throw in your spaghetti. Boil until cooked, in general 9 to 10 minutes…

Start reheating the pan with the cream and bacon, and throw in a bit of Gabriel or Parmigiano Reggiano. Drain the pasta but not fully and in the pan they go. Throw in the egg yolk and sometimes I use a bit of green for contrast, like thinly sliced spinach leaves or sage, sometimes a bit of parsley…

Anyway, all you need to do now is toss the pasta and the egg yolk together until smooth… Before serving, sprinkle a bit more cheese, et voilá. Momo’s Carbonara revisited…