Bucatini all Carbonara has been my jam for some time now. It is a dish that comes together quickly, easily, but yields such an incredible creaminess and flavor. I’d say the closest my family and I had ever had to this is the Bucatini alla Carbonara from Grato, an Italian restaurant here in West Palm Beach. We frequent Grato for celebrations of nights where we just want to get out and this is always our go to dish. The guanciale can be found at Doris’s Italian Market in Palm Beach Gardens. I know a lot of basic recipes call for bacon, please don’t do that. You will thank me later. I add 1 tbsp of my favorite Pinot Grigio wine to this dish, which is not traditional, but it does give this dish a delicious bit of depth. Feel free to pair the Pinot with this dish, it is perfection! Master the part of temping the hot and starchy pasta water with the eggs and the hardest part of the dish is out of the way. I hope you enjoy this dish as much as my family enjoys devouring it.
Bucatini alla Carbonara
INGREDIENTS
- 16 oz. Bucatini Pasta, Pastai Gragnanesi
- 6 oz. Parmesan cheese, shaved
- 3 eggs
- 8 oz. guanciale, cut into strips, Maestri Charcuterie Masters
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 8 oz, peas
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp Vino Dell Amicizia Pinot Grigio, plus more for pairing
- Salt, to taste
- Pepper, to taste
PREPARE
- First, cut the guanciale into strips and cook on medium high in a pan for 7 minutes, until just toasted on all sides and it has released oil. Set to the side.
- Bring water in a pot to boil and the bucatini for about 10-12 minutes minutes. Add 1 tbsp of Pinot Grigio wine halfway through cooking the pasta. Move to the side with its pasta water still at the bottom. The pasta will continue to absorb some of the water.
- Whisk the eggs and about 1/4 cup of the Parmesan cheese.
- Next, mix the guanciale and all of its oil, into the pasta and mix thoroughly.
- In a small pan, heat 1 tbsp olive oil, add garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the peas and cook for 8 minutes, stirring, allowing for the peas to slightly char and absorb the garlic flavor and goodness.
- Mix in 1 tbsp of pasta water into the egg mixture vigorously and repeat four more times. Then you will mix the egg mixture into the pasta, vigorously. This entire process is called temping. It is an essential step in mixing so that you do not cook the egg as you mix in the warm pasta water.
- Finally, stir in 1/4 more cup of the Parmesan cheese, guanciale, salt, and pepper and reserve the rest of the cheese for serving. Serve immediately and enjoy!
