There are certain dishes that quietly become part of the rhythm of a home. Linguine carbonara is one of those for us.
Elegant linguine coated in a creamy sauce. A quick and easy supper, yet deeply satisfying. A guaranteed crowd pleaser.
In fact, our sons’ girlfriends often mysteriously decide to stay for supper when they hear it is on the menu.
We always use linguine. It simply feels more generous than spaghetti. The strands are broader, silkier, somehow more luxurious when coated in sauce.
Crisp smoked bacon lardons provide the fireworks. They bring the salt, the smoke and the bite.
And while it may not be traditional, we always add mushrooms. Their earthy, umami depth brings something wonderful to the dish. It grounds the richness and gives the sauce a deeper flavour.
In our house there are two types of carbonara.
The midweek version.
And the weekend comfort version.
Midweek calls for the good, lighter version made with low fat crème fraîche. It still delivers the comfort, but with a little restraint.
The weekend version, however, has no such ambitions. That is the ultimate comfort edition. The double cream version. The one that wraps around you like a warm blanket after a long week.
Cooking it begins simply.
Put a large pan of water on to boil and season it generously with wonderful Cornish sea salt. Pasta water should taste like the sea.
Immediately next, add the bacon lardons to a large pan and allow them to start cooking slowly on a low heat. No oil is needed. The fat will render out beautifully on its own.
Once the water reaches a rolling boil, add the linguine. At the same moment, add the mushrooms to the bacon pan and allow them to soak up all those wonderful smoky fats.
Meanwhile, prepare the sauce.
Into a bowl add, per person, one whole egg, 30ml of crème fraîche or double cream, and around 10 grams of freshly grated parmesan.
Once the linguine reaches al dente perfection, transfer it directly into the bacon pan along with a little pasta water.
Slightly more water is better than too little. It can always cook away.
Now comes the crucial moment.
Remove the pan from the heat before adding the egg mixture. This is essential. If the pan is too hot the egg will scramble and the sauce will split.
Pour in the bowl of egg, cream or crème fraîche and parmesan. Break the yolks with a spoon and stir everything together gently but thoroughly until the pasta is beautifully coated.
Return the pan briefly to the heat and continue stirring so the sauce thickens and clings to every strand.
You know it is ready when you pull a spatula through the centre of the pan and the pasta slowly slides back together to close the gap.
At that moment, take it off the heat and finish with freshly cracked black pepper.
Serve.
Then sit. Breathe. Watch.
There is a quiet pleasure in seeing the people you love enjoying something you have cooked.
One of life’s simplest and most satisfying moments.
And if the moment allows, and if we are being honest, we can always find a perfectly reasonable excuse, pour a glass of your favourite wine.
Then simply savour it all.
The food.
The company.
And the small, perfect joy of supper done well.