I, or better the NGO of which I am president, is involved in setting up a classroom with computers, printers and Internet connection in Coronel Oviedo (in the middle of nowhere, east of Asuncion, in Paraguay). The classroom will be used to train young people. One classroom is already set up in San Pedro (north east of Asuncion) and it's used all day, with 3 turns of lessons: in the morning, the afternoon, and at night. People are eager to be trained as they see the possibility to find a job if only they could develop new skills.
I’m staying at home with Zully and her son Stefano, who have lived in Italy for 10 years, and on Sunday morning I decided to cook spaghetti alla carbonara for them, a favourite with Stefano!
Here is the recipe. They are really easy to prepare... try it!
Ingredients - serving 4 persons
• 400 g spaghetti
• 4 tbsp extravirgin olive oil
• 100 g chopped pancetta (plain or smoked) or guanciale (if you can't find them, bacon will do well)
• 75 g grated pecorino cheese + 75g grated parmesan (you can use both or simply 150g of one of them. Using only pecorino will give a stronger flavour to your spaghetti)
• 3 eggs if large, 4 if small
• 4 tbsp milk (I know some people add cream - though it’s not traditional- because cream makes it easier to obtain the correct consistency. I suggest to add milk, to make the pasta lighter and creamy at the same time)
• salt and freshly grinded pepper
Preparation
• In a pan (large enough to contain the spaghetti) over medium heat, cook the pancetta, guanciale or bacon until crispy (don’t overcook it!). You will need about five minutes.
Leave it in the pan (and don’t leave the pan on the cooker if it’s electric!)
• In the meanwhile cook the pasta in a large pan with salted boiling water. Be ready to drain it 1 minute before the end of the cooking time indicated on the packet of pasta.
• While the pasta is cooking, beat the eggs in a bowl, season with salt (don’t put too much .. remember that the pancetta and the bacon are really salty!), add the milk and half the grated cheeses.
• One minute before the pasta will be ready (still al dente - see the post cooking ravioli, for an explanation of what 'al dente' means) drain it, reserving some of the cooking water.
• Pour the drained pasta into the pan with the oil and pancetta and cook for 1 minute, then take it out of the fire and add the beaten eggs (with milk and cheeses) and stir well. It’s important to add the eggs only once the pan is off the hob, to avoid cooking the eggs, otherwise you will prepare spaghetti with frittata (omelette) and not spaghetti alla carbonara…. The eggs must remain creamy and soft and get cooked only by the heat of the spaghetti.
• If you think that your pasta is not sufficiently creamy, you can add 2-3 tablespoon of the hot water in which you cooked the pasta.
• Stir well the spaghetti, add fresh ground pepper, the remaining grated cheeses and serve hot.
• To be eaten at its best, the spaghetti alla carbonara need to be very hot. It may be useful to warm the dishes before serving.
Buon appetito!
