Spaghetti Carbonara

Again with the bacon.

My summer reading has included two food books, the widely recommended Heat, which is an account by a former New Yorker fiction editor of his internship in Mario Batalli's restaurant kitchen, and Garlic and Saphires, Ruth Reichl's memoir of her time as The New York Time's restaurant critic.

Heat seemed to be everywhere this summer. I first read about it at The Wednesday Chef, then I noticed blurbs in magazines, heard about it on NPR, saw it on Amazon's editor's picks for Favorite Books of the Year, and read reviews on other blogs.  When I read Heat it was almost like being part of a giant book club.

It was not one of those books that I stayed up late into the night to finish, but for a while I read it steadily, chapter by chapter each night, and I enjoyed it. Mario Batali has always interested me because in our era, where good looks so often seem necessary to equal success, Mario Batali is not held back by his Baby Huey-esque build, and his non-movie star looks. Instead they seem to be part of the charm along with the exuberant almost adolescent enthusiasm ("dude!"), and what appears to be an almost encyclopedic knowledge of Italy and Italian cooking. (This based mainly on my watching of Molto Mario.)

In the first chapter there's an account of Bill Buford inviting Mario Batali to a dinner party where Mario ends up cooking the dinner, drinking all the guests under the table, then at 3 a.m. doing the dishes, sweeping the floor, and leaving to continue drinking at an after-hours place. There is also a description of Mario playing air guitar at 3 am at this same dinner party, with eyes closed, an unlit cigarette in his mouth, and "his red Converse high-tops pounding the floor." It's a picture that seems to completely sum up Mario Batali for me.

Bill Buford begins working at the kitchen in Babbo for a piece he's doing in The New Yorker and the conditions he describes in a high-powered restaurant kitchen makes me wonder why anyone would ever want to work in one: big egos, bizarre feuds, fellow cooks purposely injuring each other, huge stress, long hours, and low pay with what seems like not much of a chance for most of the cooks to break out of this kitchen into their own restaurant. Bill Buford had never cooked professionally before and to be willingly plunked down in the midst of this kitchen often seemed unimaginably masochistic to me as I read the book. But at the same time the interweaving of the stories of the main characters in the Babbo kitchen, plus Mario's story, past and current, and Bill Buford's cooking revelations (doing the same thing hundreds of times, night after night can teach you a thing or two about cooking) were fascinating.

As I said, for awhile I read this book, chapter by chapter, night after night. And then at the point Bill Buford leaves the Babbo kitchen to go to Italy to continue his cooking adventures I put the book down one night and somehow never got around to picking it up again.  It has sat on my nightstand as more and more books piled on top of it, and somehow it still hasn't worked its way back to the top.

Also this summer I read Garlic and Saphires which is Ruth Reichl's account of her time spent as the restaurant critic for The New York Times before she became the editor of Gourmet Magazine. Unlike Heat, I went through Garlic and Sapphires in two nights of reading. It is full of great, vivividly told stories most of which revolve around her life as a restaurant critic and the different disguises she used so she could eat at these restaurants unrecognized.

One of the things that I found I focused on while reading this book was the language she used to describe food and tastes since I find that being able to break down and analyze, then describe a taste I like is often beyond my grasp. Ruth Reichl's descriptions are poetic. For instance, she describes bison meat as having "heft and chew. It tasted like grass and sky and the Wild West. Something strong and powerful in my mouth." While it doesn't really give me an idea of what bison meat tastes like, it makes me want to eat it.

This book, like Reichl's other two memoirs, Tender at the Bone and Comfort Me With Apples, are interspersed with recipes. One of the recipes is for Spaghetti Carbonara which she makes on a night when she is happily staying home and cooking dinner instead of going out to another fabulous restaurant to eat dinner. Apparently all that eating out at fabulous restaurants can get old.

Spaghetti Carbonara is one of those things which everyone seems to make differently. This is a minimalist version -- the only more minimalist version I've seen is Maria Batali's which includes only eggs and cheese, but no bacon. But I'm all about the mimimalist version of anything most days and this is a fast and satisfying meal. Ruth Reichl says she is able to prepare and cook the bacon in the time the spaghetti is cooking. Myself, I needed part of the time while the water was coming to a boil also but I'm sure Ruth Reichl is far faster in the kitchen than I am.

This is a meal that your cardiologist would probably advise against. Reichl claims that the secret to this dish is to not cook the bacon until it is crisp because it melds better with the pasta when it is not crisp (which means, yes, the bacon is pretty fatty). She also tells you to pour any rendered fat over the pasta. I've made this twice and I don't think the fat makes a big difference in the finished dish although keeping the pieces of bacon succulent rather than crisp does. I was a little horrified at the idea of pouring the fat over the pasta and did not use all of it. Next time I don't think I'll use any.  I also think that her egg to pasta ratio is low. I made this with less than a pound of pasta the first time and I thought that made it saucier. I also found I needed a pretty decent amount of the pasta water to loosen the sauce up. I just splashed it in and tossed the pasta at the end until I was happy with the texture.

Spaghetti Carbonara

1 pound spaghetti

1/4 to 1/2 pound thickly sliced bacon

2 cloves garlic, peeled

2 large eggs

Black pepper

1/2 cup grated Parmigiano cheese, plus extra for the table

1. Cut the bacon crosswise into pieces 1/2 inch wide. Put them in the skillet and cook for about 2 minutes until the fat begins to render.  Add the whole cloves of garlic and cook about another 5 minutes, until the edges of the bacon just begin to get crisp.  Do not get too crisp, otherwise they will not meld with the pasta.

2. Beat the eggs in the serving bowl, and add pepper.

3. Remove the garlic from the pan. If it looks like too much fat to you, discard some, but you're going to toss the bacon with most of its fat into the the pasta. (I am only telling you what Ruth says. I myself would dispense with the bacon fat.)

4. When it is cooked, drain the pasta and immediately throw it into the beaten eggs. Mix thoroughly. The heat of the spaghetti cooks the eggs and turns them into a sauce. Add the bacon with its fat and toss again. Add cheese and serve.

Serves 3

Comments

[Mrs. S]

I can't imagine pouring bacon fat over food, either... it just seems wrong, somehow. Very, very wrong. On many levels.

[Luisa]

I'm so glad you liked Heat. What a fun romp! And your pasta looks fantastic, especially the tight bacon shot.

[Tanna]

I understand exactly what you mean about really enjoying a book and being happy with it, getting to a break in the focus, putting it down and just never getting back to it. Regardless, you made me interested to read both of these.
The spaghetti looks divine.
The bacon fat - I think it's really a beautiful taste, done right to be enjoyed in moderation. Moderation, maybe a huge dose once in a blue moon. Not something to be endulged in everyday and probably not even every week.
I also am impressed with Mario.

[Nicola]

I just read your post, walked over to my desk and pulled out the photocopied recipes I grabbed from Garlic and Sapphires a few weeks ago. Sure enough, there was the carbonara recipe, right under the risotto primavera from p.53 and a whole bunch more...I reluctantly returned it to the library. I burned through that and ordered Comfort me with Apples and Tender at the Bone - all three books in five days. We seem to be living food on the same wavelength...and love the dog shots...I think I'll be trying Nicky's Vanilla Cake p.291 soon, just 'cuz...

Best, Nicky (Nicola)

[the bee]

This looks great and will be dinner this Sunday. Yummmmmmm...
I want to fix some meals for Miz S during the time of her surgery.
Can we all get together so she does not have to cook at all ?
The bee

[rachel]

"And then at the point Bill Buford leaves the Babbo kitchen to go to Italy to continue his cooking adventures I put the book down one night and somehow never got around to picking it up again. It has sat on my nightstand as more and more books piled on top of it, and somehow it still hasn't worked its way back to the top. "

ME TOO! I thought I was the only one. I thought it really de-evolved after he went to Italy. I enjoyed the first half and then it was just "eh".

[aria]

yummy, i really need to make this. i think i'll take your sage advice and use less pasta for more saucy. more saucey am goooood!!

[Vanessa]

Thanks for the book reviews. My brother loves those types of books and I'm never sure which ones to buy for him.

Bacon and pasta are two of my favorite food groups!!

[Harlee]

Save the second half of "Heat" for good reading if you intend on visiting Italy in the near future. I bought "Heat" at the airport on my way to Tuscany. Little did I know that I was going to be in the exact area that Buford describes so well. This might put a different spin on things. I loved it and could not put it down.

[lobstersquad]

What a winner. Who doesn´t like carbonara? And who agrees on the perfect one? I´m a no-garlic, crispy bacon girl. But I´ll try it, I think

[Christine]

Yummm, one of my favorite comfort food. I like my carbonara with roasted garlic! But I try not to have it too often because it's quite sinful.

I've only read Tender at the Bone and Comfort me with Apples. I'll have to get a copy of Garlic and Sapphires too. Thank you for the wonderful book reviews. :)

[Christine]

Yummm, one of my favorite comfort food. I like my carbonara with roasted garlic! But I try not to have it too often because it's quite sinful.

I've only read Tender at the Bone and Comfort me with Apples. I'll have to get a copy of Garlic and Sapphires too. Thank you for the wonderful book reviews. :)

[lindy]

I thoroughly enjoyed all the R.R. books, too. I haven't tried Heat yet..but it sounds like I should. The recipe looks and sounds great, and I'd be tempted to try a little of the bacon fat too.

I'm curious about the use of the word "wrong", Mrs. S. I can see thinking it might taste too greasy, or be unhealthy, but "wrong"? That's an ethics/morals word to me, and I find concepts of right and wrong disconcerting used in a food context. Maybe I'm misinterpreting your comment?

[Will]

Lindy --
"Wrong" is used in a separate context these days; outside of the right/wrong reference.

If something is "just wrong" it means that it doesn't fit -- or it doesn't seem appealing.

Or if someone says something mean, yet funny about someone else -- you laugh and say "Oh that's just wrong."

haha .. :-P

Will

[Anne]

Delicious looking! I want to dive into that picture right now. I like that tip about keeping the bacon soft.

I've just gotten into food writing, and will def check out Ruth Reichl's books. It is hard to describe tastes without using the same words over and over.

I also want to read MK Fisher.

[sher]

I'm from the South, so we think bacon fat is mother's milk! :) I think RR is a wonderful writer, very poetic, as you point out. She has a strong lust for food--and life. As for your pasta--outrageously delicious looking! Too bad I'm not poetic like Ruth. All I can say is ......drool.

[Natalia]

You didn't even add any cream. This is a light version! Even without the cream and the extra bacon fat it looks delicious. I've been dieing to read Heat, I'm really behind on the food books.

[lindy]

Will-Yeah, I know the usage-which is not really that new. It was the "on many levels" which made me wonder if there was more to it than distaste or dissonance...

[deb]

I've devoured every Reichl book, but might be the last food blogger on earth to read Heat. (I'd like to, but I've been in Omnivore's Dillemna land for months now, and see no exit sign in the near future.)

This looks like exactly what my stomach is craving, unfortunate for my arteries. I think I even have the baldergash to pour the bacon fat over, at least once.

[Lisa (Homesick Texan)]

I have a brand new pack of bacon sitting in my fridge, and now I know what to do with it tonight.

I'd read Buford's piece in the New Yorker a few years ago, and I figured that was enough. Glad to hear my instincts were correct. But I really miss reading Reichl every Wednesday--her reviews were indeed poetic and like reading a good short story.

[bonnie]

Your Spaghetti Carbonara looks heavenly and definitely fits the bill, as our fall rains have begun.

Mario Batali's father owns a restaurant in Seattle. I thought you might enjoy this review:
http://www.seattleweekly.com/food/9935/food-robinson.php

[Rebecca]

It's been years since I made this dish; I used to use the recipe in the old New York Times cookbook, I think, but I got a little squeamish about the raw eggs, and yes, the bacon fat, but more all the additives than the grease itself. I used to keep a jar of it in the fridge and put big gobbets of it in lots of things, like greens, corn bread, even used it for part of the cooking grease for frying chicken. No more!

But I suppose I could make this once in awhile, it is so good!

[Julie]

Mrs S, bacon fat may be wrong but it's also oh-so right. Dammit! If only it wasn't so often so oh-so right.

Luisa, Heat was a fun romp and I enjoyed the part I read. And I know at some point I'll go back and read the other part.

Tanna, the moderation thing is good advice. Achieving moderation, even defining moderation, is sometimes hard but it's a good thing to strive for.

Nicky, I enjoyed both the other Reichl books too. She's a very enjoyable read. I'm anxious to hear how the vanilla cake comes out.

Bets, I think cooking for Miz S is a fine idea. We'll confer closer to the date.

rachel, it makes me feel better to know it wasn't just me.

Harlee, I totally agree that would put a different spin on it. There's no trip to Italy in my immediate future but if I ever do go, I'll remember that.

lobstersquad, I cannot believe how many versions of spaghetti carbonara there are -- cream is a pretty common variation but I've also seen wine and stock used. Of course, garlic seems like a good idea to me. Maybe a non-crispy bacon and garlic version would be a good compromise.

Christine, roasted garlic sounds good too. And I think you'll enjoy Garlic and Saphires if you enjoyed the other two books.

Lindy, I would recommend Heat even though I didn't finish it. I actually want to go back and re-read some of the parts where he was working in the Babbo kitchen. I'll let Mrs S speak for herself on the wrong thing (I took it the way Will did) but in retrospect I don't know why I was making such a big deal about bacon fat because really I don't think it's any worse for you than butter which while I do try to be somewhat moderate about, I probably wouldn't go on and on about.

Will, ever the linguist. But I'm waiting to hear that you've taken up cooking too.

Anne, I think you'll like Ruth Reichl. I also have a M.F.K. Fisher book sitting on my 'to read' pile which I haven't got to yet.

Sher, I think I want to think of bacon fat as mother's milk -- I'm just fearful. But again, I don't think it's any worse for your health than butter, it just seems worse.

Natalia, that's a good way to think of it! No cream makes it a light version. :-) Thanks!

Deb, the Omnivore's Dilemma is a book I've avoided because I'm afraid of how depressing it will be. I'm reading the Looming Tower instead because I think that will actually be less depressing.

Lisa, nice description of the Ruth Reichl reviews. I only read the NY Times a couple of times a month, usually on the weekends, and for some reason I never look for restaurant reviews.

Bonnie, the spaghetti carbonara is good rainy weather food. Interesting review of Armandino Batali's restaurant, and may I just say, you people in Seattle have a LOT of great restaurant choices.

Rebecca, it's funny, the raw egg didn't make me squeamish at all. It actually seems to get pretty well cooked by the heat of the pasta although it probably doesn't reach the 160 degrees for five minutes or whatever the magic formula for killing salmonella bacteria is. Of course, while I rarely eat uncooked eggs I don't worry about doing so. Funny how some things just seem to be more on the personal radar than other things.

[the bee]

Ok, let's begin with the fact that your worst cooking week would be my best week ever. Do not beat yourself up. Maybe you could just rest sometimes and tell some funny family stories. (be careful to clear them w/ Ms. S 1st because I want her to still be my friend.
Perhaps you could give us some favorite recipes from childhood? These are always fun. Maybe you could have guest cooks from time to time. Myself, I am looking for a good egg roll recipe that does not include crab.Has anyone done egg rolls? And last,just post anything so we know you are ok.
Baltimore is so cool. A photo spread of that would be great .

[Cin]

phoar - wait for the heart attack! I can imagine that this would taste pretty good but...
I love Ruth Reichl and now am going to look for Heat.