Carbonara | Sybaritica

Spaghetti Carbonara is a pasta classic and one of my favorites. After having one of the worst examples of it ever served to me at the Medusa Restaurant in Montreal recently, I decided that I would have a go at making it again.

A Carbonara is basically pasta with sautéed bacon to which eggs and cheese are added to make a rich sauce. This alone makes this dish something of a ‘heart attack special’ but heavy cream is also frequently added for a truly decadent deliciousness. Traditionally, either Italian pancetta or guanciale are used as the pork component but in American versions, regular bacon is often substituted. I have made it many times with regular smoked bacon and I actually prefer it to pancetta, but guanciale (or cured hog-jowls) is truly excellent. I have no chance of finding that locally at present but it struck me that uncured pork belly might go very well instead …  Read more