Giro d’Italia - Stage 21: Rome
If you’ve been following the blog regularly, you know it’s been a while since I posted…2 weeks to be exact. I ended up losing my phone at Sick New World in Vegas and it never turned up in Lost & Found. Among other cherished photos, it had all of the second and some of the third week of the Giro. I got a bit depressed, and was also extremely busy at work. I didn't have the time, or the heart, to remake the meals. I had to abandon the race, as they say. But, unlike what you can do in actual competition, I’ve decided to come back for the finale of my culinary ridealong!
Today, the Giro ended in picturesque Rome. Mark Cavendish took home his final Giro sprint finish with the carnage of a last second crash, as well as the ruins of the Colosseum, behind him, and was soon followed by the winner of the Maglia Rosa: Primož Roglič. I decided to make a Roman classic: carbonara. This is the classic version: bucatini, guanciale, and pecorino Romano, all lightly coated in an egg sauce. If you’ve never made this before, I have a fool-proof method to ensure your eggs don’t scramble. If you want my also beloved family recipe, you can get that here.
Carbonara Romana
¾ lb bucatini
1 garlic clove, peeled and smashed
~ 4 oz guanciale, cut into ¼ inch batons, then diced
~½ cup finely grated Pecorino-Romano cheese
2 eggs + 1 egg yolk
Black pepper
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, prepare all of your other ingredients.
When the water comes to a boil, place the noodles into the pot and allow them to gently wilt. Once the noodles are fully submerged, toss the pasta for about a minute, using tongs.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet, combine 1 tbsp of olive oil, the garlic clove, and the guanciale over medium heat. Render the guanciale until browned, but not crisped. Remove the rendered guanciale with a slotted spoon, reserving the pieces in a bowl. Keep the skillet on the burner, but turn off the flame and discard the garlic clove.
While the pasta and guanciale cook, whisk the eggs, adding in two heavy handfuls of the cheese and some freshly cracked black pepper. Reserve
Once the pasta has lost its raw flavor, but is still al dente, reserve 2 oz of the pasta water. Drain the pasta, then transfer to the warm skillet full of guanciale fat and toss to coat.
Return to the reserved egg mixture, whisk again while pouring in half of the reserved pasta water, tempering the sauce. Then, pour the egg mixture over the noodles in the skillet and continue to toss until fully coated, adding in some more cheese and pepper. You can use some of the remaining pasta water if the sauce is too tight; I only used the 1 oz.
To serve, toss once more and twirl onto a plate. Sprinkle on some rendered guanciale, more cheese and some pepper.
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