I love to cook, but it has not always been so, and it has certainly not always come naturally. I grew up with two working parents and there were times when my mother worked two jobs, or worked all day and went to school nights. Nonetheless, she made dinner for us every night – whether it was a homemade meatloaf or frozen fish sticks, there was a hot (semi)home-made meal on the table every night. So, it may surprise you to know that as much as I love food and cooking now, I couldn’t even brown meat until I was 16 years old and my best friend (Hi, Nikki!) taught me how when we made hamburger helper one night. I couldn’t cook anything that didn’t come out of a box until I was 21 years old.

My husband and I began dating in February of 2005, I was 19 going on 20. One of the first serious conversations we had was about how we both had a desire to backpack through Europe. That summer, his “cousin” from Italy, Daniela, (technically, his grandmother’s mother’s sister’s daughter’s daughter) came to visit with her boyfriend, Lorenzo, and stayed with his grandparents for two weeks. During the course of their stay, we spent a lot of time with them. My husband explained the rules of baseball to Lorenzo and we spent many nights eating and drinking and talking. We talked of our dreams to backpack Europe and they said of course we should and when we did we would be welcome to come and stay with them. The invitation took root and the following summer we spent two months backpacking through Europe. After dipping our toes in the cultural pools of London and Paris, we took a 10 hour train from Paris to Milan to spend a week with Lorenzo and Daniela in Mercallo, Italy, a small municipality 45 minutes north of Milan, situated on the banks of Lago Maggiore.

We were greeted like long lost family. Dinners with great aunts twice removed and third cousins, once-in-a-lifetime excursions to monasteries built into a Cliffside and riding to the top of a mountain in an open bucket which you would never stumble upon without an in-the-know tour guide. There were apperetivos with sweetly dry prosecco, nutty cheeses and cured meats. Magical Quattro formaggio pizza which gave me my first taste of gorgonzola cheese and “coca” (coca-cola) with real sugar (before that was a thing here)! There was homemade chicken marsala with breaded chicken and a thick sauce unlike anything I have tasted in the states and roasted chicken that had been killed in the backyard that afternoon. In one week, we were treated to culinary experiences to last a lifetime. More than anything else, the meal that left an impression on my heart and soul was Lorenzo’s Spaghetti alla Carbonara.

Daniela would laugh and say it was the only thing Lorenzo could make, give the impression that it was nothing special, nothing to write home about. But the combination of that egg-y chees-y carb-y salty goodness, added to the reminder of Lorenzo’s huge personality which shines through despite the language barrier, made it the dish that I came home wanting to make. Essentially, it is the dish that inspired me to start cooking. We had asked him to email us the recipe, but Lorenzo’s English is not the best and our Italian is nonexistent so it was trial and error from the start, “ham, eggs, barilla spaghetti no. 6, romano cheese, pepe” – how can something so rich and creamy have so few ingredient??? So I looked up recipes and they called for cream and I thought: “Of course! He must have left out cream!” But no, this recipe needs no cream – in fact it is practically a sacrilege to add it. And of course – ham means pancetta, not prosciutto! After two more trips to Italy and a whole lot of authentic Italian cookbooks, I have FINALLY perfected the most simple, most delicious carbonara recipe. It tastes like home and sounds like Lorenzo’s laugh.

RECIPE

Classic Bucatini Carbonara

Ingredients:
12 oz package of Barilla Bucatini*
3 egg yolks + 1 whole egg
4-6 oz diced pancetta
¾ cup freshly grated pecorino romano
¾ cup freshly grated parmigiano reggiano
2 cloves of garlic, smashed
Olive oil
Pepper to taste

Directions:

• In a large bowl, whisk together the egg and egg yolks and until smooth and silky
• Whisk in grated cheese and pepper, set aside
• In a large skillet, add olive oil and smashed garlic cloves over medium heat
• Add pancetta and cook until crisp and fat is rendered
• Remove pancetta and let cool in a bowl, discard garlic, leave rendered pancetta fat in the skillet
• Once pancetta has cooled, add to the egg mixture
• While the pancetta renders, cook pasta according to package directions then drain, saving ½ cup of pasta water
• Pour drained pasta into the skillet
• Add pasta water to egg mixture slowly, whisking as you add. Start with 1/3 the reserved amount and add more if a creamier texture is needed
• Pour the egg mixture over the pasta and toss until the pasta is well coated
• Serve immediately

*Bucatini is a thick spaghetti with a hole straight down the center – you could use a full pound of spaghetti, but I love the al dente bite of the Bucatini and the way it soaks the sauce through middle. Drool.