At King Umberto Restaurant, the Cesarano family satisfies their Elmont, NY, regulars with a variety of Italian specialties, from Pizza al Metro to Vitello Toscano. But at home, the family recipe that always brought restaurateur Giovanni Cesarano running to the table as a boy was his mother Maria’s Spaghetti Carbonara. Born in Napoli, Maria’s version features pancetta, in place of guanciale, and is lightly seasoned with garlic and caramelized onion. Maria says the secret to her Carbonara’s mellow sweetness is cooking the onions nice and slow.
1⁄2 pound pancetta (or guanciale) |
2 egg yolks |
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper |
1⁄2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano |
1⁄4 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano |
1 pound dry spaghetti |
1 tablespoon fresh fall harvest olive oil |
1 red onion, chopped |
1-2 garlic cloves, chopped |
1⁄4-1⁄2 cup hot pasta water |
Additional Parmigiano Reggiano and black pepper for garnish |