Classic Carbonara with Prosciutto di San Daniele

There is something incredibly comforting about the simplicity of a classic pasta dish. In this iconic classic carbonara recipe, all you need are some fresh quality ingredients and your minutes away from a romantic meal! 

This post was sponsored by Honest Cooking. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

Classic Carbonara 

Carbonara is a timeless dish, and the simplicity of it is the key to why it’s so incredibly comforting and satisfying every time. 

Essentially, the recipe is mixing an egg yolk into hot pasta. 

The heat from the pasta ‘cooks’ the egg while the yolk, when tossed quickly, creates the velvety rich coating over the al dente pasta. 

Adding some cured meat, shaved hard cheese, and freshly ground black pepper all enhance the luxury of this recipe. 

But, with all simple things, it is the investment of ingredients that creates the stellar quality of the dish. In its pure humble nature, it’s the ingredients that shine. So, I made sure to work with nothing short of the best. 

What you need to make Carbonara 

For iconic carbonara, you only need pasta, egg yolks, cured ham, quality cheese, black pepper, and salt. Ingredients you may have on hand. 

For this recipe though, I added a bit to the dish by tossing in rinsed artichoke hearts. And then I selected Prosciutto di San Daniele and Grana Padano to be the meat and cheese. 

Not Just any Prosciutto. 

Prosciutto is simply dry-cured ham. Sliced paper-thin and usually served uncooked on charcuterie boards, occasionally wrapped for saltimbocca, or crisped as over eggs as part of my daily ritual in life (try it, I dare you).

But for this, I used Prosciutto di San Daniele, a 13-month dry-aged ham that only exists in the picturesque climate of San Daniele del Friuli from Italian breeds. The only ingredients used in their process is ham, salt, and time. 

The pigs are specific breeds, and they eat a tightly controlled diet, then salted with a specific sea salt for the cure. The entire process is highly monitored to ensure the quality and consistency of the final cured product.

And not just any cheese. 

For the freshly shaved cheese, Grana Padano was the choice. 

Grana Padano is a delicacy from northern Italy, which was originally created almost 1,000 years ago, in the historic abbey of Chiaravalle, and ages for a minimum of 9 months to over 24 months. It is recognizable by the marks of origin, small lozenges with “Grana” and “Padano” written in them. 

Perfect for shaving, Grana Padano has a mature nutty flavor that creates a creamy lavish layer into the pasta as it melts. 

For me, investing in the Prosciutto and Grana Padano make sense as they have a long shelf life, so there is no fear of wasting them as I elevate dishes with their heritage and flavors. Also, I’m a sucker for a good talking point at the table, as these certainly spark conversation.

How To Blend The Yolk Into Carbonara

Blending in the yolk is the crux of great classic carbonara. You want to create a silky creaminess, not end up with scrambled egg crumbles in your pasta.

• Take the pan off the heat to add the egg yolk. The temp comes down quickly and helps to avoid over cooking the yolk too quickly.
• Add the yolk slowly but surely and don’t stop folding it into the pasta. As long as you keep things moving not only do you get an even coat, but it also prevents over heating.
• Use eggs brought to room temperature. That helps avoid “shocking” the egg yolk and causing the cooked curdled effect.

The trick to Perfecting Carbonara

The trick to perfecting carbonara is setting up your ‘mise en place’. Yep, that means, getting all cheffy and having your ingredients lined up and ready to go.

Have all of the ingredients you are going to use waiting for the moment the hot pasta is drained. It is the heat from the pasta the creates the smooth and creamy layer from egg yolk as it is tossed to coat.

From there, you want to work fast, to fold in everything and get the pasta plated before it cools.

Girl Carnivore Pro Tip: Warm your heat-resistant plates in an oven set to 180 degrees, or as low as it will go, for a few minutes before serving to help keep the pasta warm.

Want more inspiration? Try some of my favorite recipes

• Quick Skillet Lasagna
• Smoked Ham
• Spicy Smoked Pork Ribs
• Ultimate Smoked Roast Beef
• 10 Ideas for Leftover Ham… that don’t suck.
• Savory grilled pizza with fig and pears recipe

If you’ve tried my Classic Carbonara Recipe or any other recipe on GirlCarnivore.com please don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know where you found it in the comments below. I get inspired by your feedback and comments! You can also FOLLOW ME on Instagram @girlcarnivore as well as on  Twitter and Facebook.