Fettuccine Carbonara

Did you ever eat noodles with butter as a kid? I adored noodles with butter, and will still occasionally make it to this day. Well, guess what? Italy (the home of noodles as America knows them) has a grown-up version that is just as satisfying.


Bon Appetit magazine published this recipe for fettuccine carbonara that the kid in me demanded to try. It is all very delicious and simple as a whole, but each ingredient in this recipe adds a layer of complexity that makes it altogether satisfying. Egg fettuccine are covered in a sauce of pancetta (fancy Italian bacon), eggs for body, two kinds of cheeses, garlic, salt, pepper, and a little broccoli rabe for a hint of healthiness. To add extra "unctuousness" (I looked it up in Wiktionary to find it means fatty, but in a good way), an egg fried in the pancetta grease is added on top of each serving.

There are times when a canned tomato sauce will not do and you don't want to go all the way for one of those ridiculously creamy sauces. That's where carbonara comes in. At it's heart, it is noodles with butter, except now it has been upgraded noodles with cheese and bacon. What inner child could say no?