This is a favorite late-night dinner for my husband and I. John's favorite meal is carbonara; he always asks for it on his birthday. We also make it when he plays with his rock band. John doesn’t like to eat dinner before a show so this has become our favorite midnight supper after a gig. It’s really like an early breakfast, with pasta rather than potatoes or bread. It is, after all, bacon and eggs.
The only trick to Carbonara is tempering the egg yolks to ensure you do not end up with scrambled eggs. For the brightest color, I use Araucana eggs, which are widely available at Whole Foods and farmer markets. The eggs have a greenish-blue tint to the shell and the hens that lay them are often fed marigolds which make the egg yolks intensely bright yellow-orange. Many recipes for carbonara include cream—I never add cream. The creamy quality of the sauce should come from the tempered eggs emulsifying with the cheeses and pasta.
- About 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/3 pound pancetta or guanciale, small dice
- 5 to 6 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 3 large egg yolks
- Salt and pepper
- 1 pound pasta such as linguine, spaghetti or egg tagliatelle
- Grated Pecorino Romano and Parmigiano-Reggiano
- 1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
