Carbonara - The one thing Grandma got right

Spaghetti Carbonara:  A cheese sauce spaghetti dish with an optional fried meat- freakin yummy.

Ok as promised I am no going to upload the Spaghetti Carbonara recipe, The only recipe which really worked in Grandma's cook book and somewhat of a speaciality of mine in that I hardly fail at it ever. except my first go which took two hours for some reason and ended up with me accidentily draining and then spilling the spaghetti into the sink needless to say dinner was cancelled and my house mates were pissed. Since then however I;ve gottent he timing down to:

30 mins or less.

And thats including making carbonara sauce from scratch.

So first things first:

Things you need also known as Equipment:

• Colliander/seive for drainging unless you have a sauce pan with a draining cover.
•  Medium sauce pan for two people/ Big for four
•  Wooden spoon
• Cheese grater
• Plate for cheese
• Sclaes - electronic preferd (measuring cheese)
• Table spoon
• Mixing bowl
• frying pan - for frying vegetables/ chosen meat.
• Chopping board.
• Chopping knife - sharp and easy to use.

Next up, Ingridients: (these are for a four person serving, so if you have less divide by for, or more just ad 20% - any questions please dont be afraid to ask!)

• 400g of  dried spaghetti , each pack contains around 500g so shouldn't be a problem.
• 4 eggs 
• 4 table spoons of double cream
• Salt and pepper
• 1 table spoon of butter
• 150 g of pancetta (its a ham) or optional meat of choice shredded chicken for instance...

OPTIONAL:

• Button top mushrooms (yummy)
• peeled or diced corgette
• Really anything you want to add you can add, no one will stop you and if they try kick ' em out of your kitchen!

CHEESE:

Ok so its a cheese sauce dish. Whats important is choosing your cheeses. You need two and they cant be the same.
Because I could not find parmesan cheese ANYWHERE I substetuted for strong cheddar, because thats my favourite and it was all I had damnit! and I used percornio which is a nice nutty cheese. Now you can (in theory) use any two cheeses you like, mine came out quite tastey actually so why dont you try mixing it up and experimenting everytime you make it? so...

50 g one type of cheese grated. 50g the other cheese grated.

And thats all you need folks so promptly moving on to the bare bones of it...


1. GRATE YOUR CHEESES! on the smallest shred possible, will make it easier to turn into sauce.
Chop your pancetta / meat and any optional begetables you were thinking. Trust me the last thing you want to do is feel the pressure when the pot is boiled and over flowing and your desperately trying to chop a pepper who is literally laughing at your sucky dull knife! Its unplesant.

2. Fill your large saucepan with water, till about  two inches or some from the top, then bring to the boil. To speed this up try heating the saucepan before hand one  a medium heat and then pouring water from a fettle, straight from the boil. You know your water is boiling when it gets super bubbly and you have to turn down the heat to stop it from over flowing. When it is starting to bubble add a pinch of salt for flavour.

3.While the water is boiling, time for the sauce!

~Really simple add the cheeses, double cream and eggs to the mixing bowl and stir for all your worth. Untill the sauce is creamy but smooth. Add some pepper for some pep.

4. Sauce done? water boiling? good. throw the spaghetti into the boiling pot and leave for as long as the packet recomends to cook, you want the spaghetti to be limp and not chewy. occasionally stir with your wooden spoon.

5. While thats taking care of business time to fry.

After greasing a frying pan with either the oil of your choice (I prefer sunflower oil) or even a tea spoon of butter for flavour. add your extra ingridients the pancetta/meat and the vegetables. you want to fry on a medium heat for ten minutes or so untill the meat is crispy, and the vegetables are browning. If your cooking chicken make sure its not pink! that means its undercooked. once fried place on low heat and stir occasionally.

6. The spaghetti should be boiled to perfection by now so drain them into your colliander/seive and then whilst still wet pop back into the saucepan and back on the stove on a low to medium heat. Add the cheese sauce and stir. really mix it in so each thread of spaghetti is dripping with yummy cheese sauce then add your fried extras, stir for another minute while it heats up.

7. Voila! You just made spaghetti carbonara! woop woop! All you need to do is serve on a plate or in a bowl.

Once again if you have anyquestions about the recipe or method Ill be happy to awnser them just leave a comment, and I'd love to here how your dish turned out or what cheeses and extras you used. TTFN!