Carbonara
So I attempted carbonara for the first time this weekend, with mixed results, and I want some advice. I got guanciale that looked fattier than it does in pictures, but I figured it would be okay, and followed Batali's recipe. For some reason, it was just overwhelmingly porky, to the point where I didn't want to eat the pieces of meat. Does anyone have any idea what the problem might be? Am I just not used to the intensity of this type of pork, or is there a possibility the piece I had was way too fatty?
Add a comment:
Previewing your comment:
HTML Hints
Some HTML is OK: <a href="URL">link</a>, <strong>strong</strong>, <em>em</em>
Comment Guidelines
Post whatever you want, just keep it seriously about eats, seriously. We reserve the right to delete off-topic or inflammatory comments. Learn more at our Comment Policy page.
If you see something not so nice, please, report an inappropriate comment.
Start Talking!
Need a question answered? Have advice to share? Start a Talk topic now!
Sign up to get your questions answered and share advice.
11 Comments:
We did a dish with guanciale we got from La Quercia and got similar results to yours. Great pork flavor but too fatty to eat. We picked out the pork and ate the rest though.
Caught an episode of Lidia the other day and she made a dish with guanciale and it didn't even look like the same product we had. Hers looked like really meaty pancetta about half meat half fat. Ours looked like 95 % fat with a few streaks of meat in it.
So I guess in our case we will want to see our guanciale before we buy it next time.
chazmo at 12:50PM on 03/30/09
Guanciale or other pork items simply can not get too fatty. However, guanciale does have a very intense porky taste. Try making the recipe with pancetta or even a top quality bacon. Carbonara is my go to dish when I am eating alone or don't have time to plan. I've use all sorts of bacons and pork products with varying results - most delicious.
My challenge with the recipe is getting a creamy "sauce." I've learned that adding the pasta to the pan in which the bacon was cooked with a fair amount of pasta water (1/4 - 1/2 cup) helps to melt the cheese and emulsify the cheese - egg white mixture).
derosa at 12:52PM on 03/30/09
derosa if you are not using the egg yolks you're not going to get the correct consistency.
chazmo at 1:05PM on 03/30/09
@chazmo - I don't think derosa isn't using egg yolks. The egg whites and yolk don't go in at the same time. The whites cook in the pan and the yolks get stirred in just before serving.
SqueezeBottle at 1:13PM on 03/30/09
yeah that is what i did, i put the pasta and water in with the guanciale for a second or two before i stirred in the eggs. the sauce was delicious, really creamy but pretty light. i think the quality of the guanciale i got was not that great, i looked at the recipe for pasta alla gricia here, and hers looks totally different as well, much meatier.
allot at 1:45PM on 03/30/09
Chazmo is correct. The correct consistency is achieved by using a smaller amount of pasta in a larger than might seem necessary saute pan. The pasta, pasta water, and cheese-egg mixture are added to the pork, then tossed together to mix and emulsify. The egg yolk goes on top of the finished dish, whole and raw, to be mixed in just before devouring.
...getting hungry!
derosa at 1:59PM on 03/30/09
Sorry....SqueezeBottle was correct about the yolk!
derosa at 2:01PM on 03/30/09
I'm certainly not telling anyone how to cook. I have always mixed the whole eggs like for scrambled eggs in a lage bowl then add the cooked and drained pasta directly to the eggs while its still very hot. Start mixing together add the bacon or whatever pork you use and parmesan cheese fresh ground black pepper. The hot pasta cooks the eggs and creates the sauce at the same time.
Whatever works for you. That's why I enjoy cooking at home.
chazmo at 2:36PM on 03/30/09
Sounds good Chazmo...and I was simply referring to the Batali version noted by the original poster (which happens to also be the version I use).
derosa at 2:51PM on 03/30/09
I do the chazmo version...and it's perfect...at least for me!
jcrisco at 4:04PM on 03/30/09
Thanks derosa.. I was not familiar with Mr. Batalis version i'll give it a try.
chazmo at 4:20PM on 03/30/09