Coal-miners pasta

Last week we had poor man's potatoes and "angry pasta", this week I thought we'd continue our trend of anthropomorphic dishes with "coal-miners pasta" - or as we know it more readily "pasta alla carbonara".

Tripoline alla carbonara

I am always on the lookout for new types of pasta to buy - one I am finding hard to source is bucatini (that's the one that is like spaghetti but has a hole (buca) running through it).  During our recent sojourn to a rather well-known supermarket I noticed "tripoline" on the shelf - a pasta I had neither heard of, or seen before.  Tripoline is a long, ribbon-like pasta, where one edge is straight and the other is ruffled.  It looked like an ideal type of pasta to try a carbonara with.

Tripoline pasta

As you may have ascertained, the word carbonara is said to have originated from the word "carbonaro", which is the Italian word for a charcoal burner.  This hearty dish of pasta, eggs, bacon and cheese was incepted to fill the depleted stomach's of the men who made the charcoal.

Carbonara was always a style of cooking that I viewed with circumspect.  The concept of cooking with raw eggs filled me with dread for many years (thank you Edwina Currie).  I have managed to conquer my fear of raw eggs in recent years and am confident I can now cook a rather delectable dish. 


In fact, carbonara is ridiculously easy to concoct - you do, however, need to keep one or two facets in check.  Your "sauce" should be silky and glistening - coating the pasta, not drowning it in raw egg.  The egg should never cook - scrambling is definitely to be avoided.  Be careful with your seasoning, as it is very easy to over-salt this dish - considering the addition of pancetta and pecorino/parmegiano.  


Here's how I make mine:

Tripoline alla Carbonara

•   Cook 5 or 6 thin slices of pancetta in a heavy base pan.  When they are beginning to crisp, remove them and shake the juices off, into the pan.
•    For two people, use 2 eggs.  Break one egg directly into a cup.  The other egg needs to have its yolk removed.  Add the yolk to the cup.  Beat the eggs together.
•   Finely grate some pecorino or parmegiano.  I guess I used about 30-40g.  
•   Salt a large pan of water, and heat it until it is rolling to a boil.
•   Add your pasta and cook until its just before al dente stage (i.e you think to yourself, "it's almost ready").
•   Drain the pasta, reserve some of the water just in case.
•   Add the drained pasta to the pan which you cooked the pancetta in.  Toss it in the bacon fat.
•   Add the beaten eggs and again, toss into the pasta.
•   Cut the pancetta into small pieces, add to the pasta and toss.
•   Add 2/3 of the cheese.  Toss in. 
•   If the pasta looks a little dry you can add a little bit of the pasta water, of if you like, you can add a further egg yolk.  The dish should not be swimming in juices!
•   Season with lots of black pepper. 
•   Serve with the remaining cheese on top.