Tuesday, March 10, 2015
Deconstructing Carbonara
2:23 AM | 
Posted by
STAR Fine Foods |
Did you
know that carbonara is not only a simple sauce but can actually be used as a
condiment too? Ada Boni reveals all in her book Il talismano della felicità (Colombo)—the mother of all
encyclopaedias of Italian cooking. Made with eggs, Parmesan, butter, bacon,
onion, dry white wine and salt, carbonara is a vital part of certain dishes. In
fact, the author suggests that all cooks planning on making any dish alla carbonara should always start with
the carbonara if they want things to go well.
You
probably noticed that Boni doesn’t use cream. Well, everyone has their own way
of doing things and certain ingredients are added or left out in different
regions of Italy. Carbonara is ideal for serving with egg pasta or spaghetti.
 |
| Carbonara Ingredients |
Originally
from Rome, the first recipe for carbonara as a condiment didn’t include cream
or bacon—a striking omission for those of us who automatically think of these
two ingredients when making carbonara. Every household and every region of
Italy has their own way of making it and there’s no right or wrong way. Therein
lies part of the joy of cooking.
Some
people include bacon; others add garlic; some leave out the wine; and others
happily throw in butter, cream and the olive oil used to fry the bacon, which
in turn could be chopped up.
Carbonara is a key recipe
but it’s origin is shrouded in mystery: some say it was used to feed guerrillas
hiding in coal mines (hence the name); others claim it was a typical miners’
meal; and there’s even a suggestion it was invented in a mining town.
There are almost as many
versions of the legend as there are of the condiment itself. And don’t forget
that whenever you don’t feel like slaving over a hot stove or can’t decide
whether to add garlic or wine, you can always use one of the many Borges
products that bring any dish to life.
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