The kitchn Pasta Carbonara Recipe
Saturday night we had our friends and their two adorable children (brothers almost 2 and 4) over for dinner. We served pasta carbonara, two gorgeous salads, and garlic bread. A simple yet satisfying meal. It was the first time I made pasta carbonara and I was surprised at how easy it was. Although the online recipes kept warning me not to let the signature egg and cheese sauce turn into scrambled eggs when it hit the hot pasta. That part was easy. The hard part was deciding to have everyone over for dinner in the first place.
We had just been out of town for a few weeks and felt like we were still recovering from giant piles of laundry and a cluttered house. As a consummate homebody, I look forward to the weekends we get to spend at home. But one of the things that makes our house feel like a home is having friends over for dinner. And before our trip, that had not happened for a long time.
I couldnt help but wonder what had been holding me back all this time. The only thing I could think of were a handful of excuses like: were too busy, the house is a mess, I dont know what to make, what if its not good enough? Cooking for others is something I really enjoy. Thought Im still a novice, its a skill I want to improve.
In the end, I decided that there will always be a list of excuses. It doesnt have to be perfect to be memorable and meaningful. And, if your friends are truly great people (like ours), they will help make sure everything else goes smoothly. Even if that means bringing over a space heater when your heat suddenly stops working the night of your dinner party. The only things that truly matters are the memories you create around the table and the time you spend together because these moments seem more infrequent as you get older.
So, after a good pep talk with myself, I decided to make pasta carbonara. Its something we had and loved while in Rome and I was intent on recreating it. I followed this recipe from the kitchn. I love the recipe because it includes a lot of tips from famous chefs. And its incredibly simple, focusing on a few high-quality ingredients as the stars. It proves that a dish doesnt have to be complex to be impressive.
I thought the recipe turned out great, but there were a few things I could have done to improve it:
- Add more pasta water
After stirring in the egg and cheese mixture, the recipe recommends adding some reserved pasta water. I should have added more because the cheese started to get a little sticky and the pasta ended up resembling a mac and cheese more than a pasta dish.
- Serve right away
Between all of the stirring that must happen after the pot of pasta comes off the burner and getting everyone set up at the dinner table, its easy for the past to lose some of its heat. It tastes best when served hot, so I would recommend calling everyone to the table before taking the pasta off the burner.
- Get the bacon a little crispier
The bacon was good but I should have gotten it a little crispier, using a pan that gets hot quickly like a non-stick or my All-Clad. A crispier piece of bacon will stand out in the pasta better, both in taste and appearance.