Jay and O’Ryan’s Cooking Column: Carbonara Edition

We enjoyed making this twist of a basic, yet delicious Italian pasta dish. The Bucatini was great because it had a butterfly kind of taste, which brought out the flavour of the guanciale when the noodles were coated in its fat. The creaminess from the eggs also added an extra layer to the pasta, and since it had the cheeses mixed inside, it gave it that great taste. The parmesan was kind of sweet and tangy, while the pecorino had a salty taste to balance everything out. And finally, the cheeses helped the guanciale blend with the taste of the pasta. This pasta didn’t take long, even with the side quest of having to get my sister, Tori, to leave the kitchen we were trying to cook in, and the stress of trying not to scramble the eggs by accident. Even with all these distractions, making the dish was very fun and made a delicious product in the end.

Ingredients

Carbonara:

• Make sure you have a Pan Big enough to Toss Pasta

• 7 Eggs 1½ Cup  Parmigiano Reggiano  

• 1½ Cup Pecorino Romano 

• 8 oz Guanciale or Pancetta

• 2 Teaspoons Black Pepper

• One pack Bucatini Pasta Noodles

• Three tablespoons Kosher Salt

• One Tablespoon Unsalted Butter 

• One Tablespoon Olive Oil

Garlic Bread:

• Whole Bread Loaf of Choice

• 12 Garlic Cloves (We used extra large cloves)

• 1 Cup Unsalted Butter 

• 2 Teaspoons Chili Powder

• Zest Of 1 Lemon

• 1 Cup Parmesan Cheese

• 1 Teaspoons Kosher Salt 

• 1 Teaspoon Black Pepper

Spinach:

• 3 Cups Spinach 

• 2 Green Onions

• 1 Tablespoon Seasoning Salt

• 3 Cloves of Garlic

• 2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil

Instructions:

Carbonara:

Get your seven eggs and crack them into a measuring cup (4 eggs and 3 egg yolks for added texture), and add your cheeses, and pepper. Start whisking until everything becomes homogeneous (Combined), then set your egg mixture aside.

Grab you 8 ounces of Guanciale (Substitute with pancetta or thick cut bacon) and your chef’s knife, then dice your Guanciale into about evenly sized pieces of your choice, but keep in mind that they will reduce significantly as it’s being seared. Then drop it into a pan that can fit all your pasta, over a medium-high heat (No need for oil because the fat will naturally lubricate the pan) . After a nice crust develops on the pieces, melt some butter in the pan and mix around the meat. Kill the heat and set aside 

Fill a pot with water, add your salt, the oil, then drop in the pasta when the water starts boiling. Be careful when doing this step, as it’s the most important step for your pasta. As soon as the pasta is finished cooking, pour it into a strainer and save the water. 

Immediately throw it into the pan with the guanciale, then pour your eggs. This is where your pan size is important, as you need a pan large enough to vigorously mix your pasta, and toss it with the eggs. As soon as the mixture is all in the pan, keep mixing until you can no longer see the chunks of egg, make sure the pasta is the only element cooking the eggs, because if they get too hot, they might scramble. When your eggs have made a creamy layer around your pasta, taste for salt levels. If it is getting too thick, add some of your pasta water.

Once everything is at the salt level of your liking, your Carbonara is finished.

Garlic Bread: 

Put 10 cloves of garlic in a saucepan with your butter at a medium heat. Let them simmer until the garlic softens enough to poke a fork through. Pour the butter and garlic in a bowl and then fill a large bowl with iced water. Let the smaller bowl with the garlic and butter float in the larger bowl, then mix until warm. 

Remove the smaller bowl from the ice bath and then remove the garlic cloves from the butter and mince to a paste, then incorporate them into the butter. Add your chilli powder, lemon zest, salt, pepper, parmesan, and diced garlic cloves(Untoasted) then mix. 

Now cut your bread loaf in half (Left to right) and place them in the oven at 400.0F for 5 minutes, allowing them to toast. Take your bread out and spread your mixture on the toasted loaf, then place them back in the oven on broil, at 400 again for 8 minutes. After you remove the bread you are finished 

Spinach: Get your spinach, chop your onions, dice your garlic, and  throw your spinach into a pan with some oil. Once it’s warm, add your onions, seasoning, and the garlic. Then continue to mix until you can no longer see the large chunks of vegetables . Now your garlic spinach is done.