Pasta alla Carbonara
The word carbonara comes from 'carbone' which in Italian means coal. This variation with chorizo happened when I came home late one night with an appetite for carbonara but no guanciale in the fridge. I did have good Spanish chorizo, and it worked beautifully.
Ingredients
- Best quality Spanish chorizo (½ to ¾ cup, cut into small pieces)
- Best quality spaghetti or other favorite pasta
- 2 farm eggs
- Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino Romano
- Black pepper
- Pasta cooking water
Instructions
- Cut chorizo into small pieces. Place in a sauté pan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 2 minutes until lightly colored.
- In a bowl, combine eggs with generous Parmigiano Reggiano and aggressive coarsely ground black pepper. Whisk well and set aside.
- Drop pasta into salted water. Cook until al dente.
- Place chorizo pan over medium heat. Using tongs, transfer pasta directly to the pan with chorizo.
- Add a little pasta cooking water to coat. Toss gently for 20-30 seconds.
- Turn off the heat. Wait 20-30 seconds. Add the egg/cheese mixture and toss carefully — don't overcook the egg.
- Add more pasta water if needed. Plate and finish with more grated cheese.
💡 James' Tip
The key to perfect carbonara is timing: the pan must be off the heat when you add the eggs. The residual heat and hot pasta cook the eggs into a silky sauce without scrambling them.
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