There is no cream in Hairy Bikers spaghetti carbonara, so the sauce is just eggs and cheese. The recipe is in Meat Feasts and uses 400g of spaghetti, 200g of pancetta, two eggs and two kinds of cheese, which feeds four in 25 minutes.
They call it one of the best quick suppers going, and say it is basically bacon and eggs with pasta, so what’s not to like. The sauce takes exactly as long as the spaghetti, which is the whole point of it.
Beat the eggs in a bowl big enough to hold all the pasta, because the pasta goes to the eggs rather than the eggs going in the pan. That one choice is why it works, since the eggs never touch direct heat.
Hairy Bikers Spaghetti Carbonara
Description
The pancetta crisps in a pan while the spaghetti boils, then vermouth or white wine bubbles away in the same pan. The eggs and cheese sit waiting in a bowl off the heat. Hot pasta goes straight in, and that heat alone turns it into a sauce.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Start the spaghetti: Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil and add salt. Add the spaghetti and cook for 10 to 12 minutes, until al dente.
- Crisp the pancetta: Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large frying pan. Add the pancetta and cook over a medium heat until nicely crisped, then add the garlic and fry gently for a couple more minutes.
- Add the vermouth: Pour in the vermouth or white wine and let it bubble for a couple of minutes until well reduced. Take the pan off the heat.
- Mix the eggs and cheese: Crack the eggs into a bowl large enough to hold the pasta and beat them well, then stir in both cheeses. Season with a little salt and lots of black pepper.
- Drain loosely: Strain the pasta in a colander, but not too thoroughly, because you want a little cooking water clinging to it.
- Combine: Add the pasta to the egg and cheese mixture and mix thoroughly, making sure it is all coated. Add the pancetta and garlic and mix again.
- Serve: Serve at once, sprinkled with parsley.
FAQs
Why is there no cream?
Because a proper carbonara does not need it. Eggs, cheese and a splash of pasta water make their own creamy sauce when you mix them together.
Cream just makes it heavier, and it hides the taste of the Pecorino. So this recipe leaves it out, which is how they make it in Rome.
How do I stop the eggs scrambling?
Keep them off the heat, which is what the whole method is built around. The pancetta pan comes off the hob before the pasta turns up, and the eggs never go near a flame.
The hot spaghetti cooks them gently as you stir, so you get a smooth sauce. Put eggs in a hot pan instead and you get scrambled egg with spaghetti in it, which is how this dish usually goes wrong.
Why not drain the pasta properly?
Because that cloudy water is part of the sauce, and the book makes a point of it. Italian recipes often say not to drain too well, since the water helps everything slide together.
A bit of water loosens the egg and cheese so it coats every strand. Drain it bone dry and the sauce turns thick and clumpy.
What is the vermouth for?
To cut through the fat, since 200g of pancetta and 100g of cheese is a lot of richness. The 50ml bubbles down to almost nothing but leaves a sharp edge behind it.
White wine does the same job, and the recipe says you can use either. Their spaghetti bolognese uses red wine the same way, though that one simmers for an hour instead of two minutes.
Can I use bacon instead of pancetta?
Yes, and streaky bacon is closest. Cut it thick and dice it like the pancetta, so you get proper crisp bits rather than thin shreds.
Pancetta is fattier and saltier, so add a little more salt if you swap. Their chilli prawn pasta is the lighter quick pasta on the site at 302 calories, if this feels too rich for a weeknight.
