Spaghetti with eggs and bacon

When friends introduced us to spaghetti alla carbonara in 1973 I had never eaten spaghetti without a tomato sauce. Carbonara, as we usually call it, was a revelation then, and it remains one of my favorite ways to eat spaghetti.

Waverley Root could have been describing this recipe when he wrote in Foods of Italy that the dish consists of spaghetti flavored with “bits of bacon, beaten egg yolks, and grated parmesan cheese.” He says he found it in Rome, and Romans usually claim it. Some stories say it was invented (or given its name, anyway) at the end of World War II when it was served to American GIs. It is hard to believe it could have taken Italians so long to invent such a delicious dish, but I’m no food historian.

This recipe is simple, but we have been served many more complicated versions over the years. Some recipes include whole eggs (not just the yolks), add olive oil and/or butter, deglaze the bacon pan with a glass of wine, season with minced garlic, call for lots of ground pepper, use Canadian bacon or regular ham, and some even add cream. I used to refuse to acknowledge these variations as “real” spaghetti carbonara, no matter how delicious they might be, but life is too short for arguing about authenticity in food. Let me just say that if I’m doing the cooking, I follow this recipe.

There are some legitimate debates about the ingredients, however — especially the bacon. Romans evidently do not like smoked meats, so it is logical that they use unsmoked bacon — either pancetta or guanciale (pig jowl). Marcella Hazan makes this point in More Classic Italian Cooking, commenting that she finds that “smoked bacon adds a sharpness that wearies the palate after the first bitefulls.” (She recommends that you blanch it in boiling water for three minutes to reduce the smoky flavor if you use it at all. But I find that this also dissolves some of the fat and can make the bacon dry and tough.) My palate has never complained at good smoked bacon, so I often use it, sometimes mixed 50-50 with thickly cut prosciutto.

There are also debates about the cheese. Some recipes (including the one in Silver Spoon, the so-called “Joy of Cooking” of Italy) call for a mixture of pecorino romano (made from sheeps’ milk) and parmigiana. If I have some really wonderful pecorino (not the deli-grade stuff) I might use a bit of it, but I usually use good parmigiana reggiano (which is how I first learned it) or grana. Good pecorino definitely is more assertive, and if I can get some, it does help the flavor of the dish. As for other seasonings, sometimes I add a little garlic in with the bacon, but discard it after it has contributed its flavor to the bacon fat. Some recipes call for copious amounts of coarsely ground black pepper, but I like only a little (or none, depending on the quality and flavor of the other ingredients, and my mood).

The pasta should be the best you can buy. You could use other shapes, but this dish seems best with spaghetti, which is sturdy enough to stand up to the cheese and egg mixture. I especially like hand-made dried pasta from Italy, the kind that has a slightly toothy texture.

About the eggs: In theory, the pasta is hot enough to cook the eggs. If you are concerned about salmonella, however, you can try pre-cooking the egg/cheese mixture. Add two tablespoons of water, and stir the mixture over boiling water to a temperature of 160° F. Then proceed as in the recipe. This is a tricky operation (you must avoid scrambling the eggs), and it will change the consistency and flavor. (Or look for pasteurized eggs at the market.) Most of the time, I get good-quality eggs, keep them cold, use them soon, and assume that we will not get contaminated eggs, which are, after all, relatively rare. On the other hand, this dish probably isn’t suitable for someone who might have a weak immune system — very young children, frail elderly people, or the seriously ill. Good as it is, it would be safer and more gracious simply to serve something else.

Like so many other Italian dishes, spaghetti carbonara reflects the quality of its ingredients. I usually make it when I have really good bacon, cheese, and pasta (I usually use thick bacon, but not bacon smoked with apple or other fruit woods.) It is very quick to make — you can pull it together while the spaghetti is boiling.

Spaghetti alla Carbonara

• 12 ounces guanciale, pancetta, or bacon, cut in small strips or cubes
• 4 garlic cloves, flattened but left intact (optional)
• freshly ground black pepper to taste (optional)
• 4 yolks from extra-large eggs
• 3/4 cup finely grated parmigiana Reggiano
• 1 pound good dried spaghetti
• 1/2 cup water from the boiled spaghetti

Bring a lot of water to the boil in a tall pot, add 2 tablespoons of kosher salt, and when it boils, cook spaghetti to the al dente stage.

While the pasta cooks, in a large skillet (large enough to hold a pound of cooked pasta), sauté the meat over medium heat. It should release fat and get brown but not crisp. Toward the end, reduce the heat slightly, and add the optional garlic, cooking until fragrant, then remove garlic from the pan. Grind in some pepper (optional). Keep the mixture warm over a low flame.

In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolks, then add about 1/4 cup of the grated cheese, and mix to a paste.

When the pasta is cooked, drain it, and dump it into the skillet. Turn off the flame, and toss to distribute the bits of meat and oil through the pasta (I use salad servers for this).

Daub about half of the egg/cheese mixture here and there on the pasta, and again toss to distribute. Repeat with the rest of the egg mixture. If it is hard to mix, pour in some of the hot pasta water (start with a quarter of a cup).

Transfer the pasta to a large, preferably warmed, pasta bowl, and serve. Bring the remainder of the grated cheese to the table. If your guests are serious hedonists, they may want even more — I just put out a hunk of good parmesan and a grater!