Pasta: Italy vs Italian-American
Rome made carbonara with egg, guanciale and pecorino, and swears there's no cream in it. Italian-American kitchens added cream and peas, invented penne alla vodka and put chicken parm on top of spaghetti. Here is every pasta, the Italian original and the American one, step by step.
Roman Spaghetti alla Carbonara (Guanciale, Egg Yolks, Pecorino, No Cream)
Spaghetti tossed with crisp guanciale and its fat, then stirred over a pot of boiling pasta water with egg yolks, Pecorino Romano, Parmigiano-Reggiano and coarse black pepper until the eggs thicken into a glossy sauce, with no cream at all.
Spaghetti all'Amatriciana, the Amatrice Way (No Onion, No Garlic)
The recipe the town of Amatrice publishes: guanciale browned in an iron pan with a piece of chile and a splash of white wine, peeled tomatoes simmered briefly, and spaghetti tossed first with a heap of grated pecorino, then with the sauce.
Cacio e Pepe (Pecorino and Black Pepper, the Never-Clumps Method)
Spaghetti in a smooth, sharp sauce of nothing but Pecorino Romano, toasted black pepper and pasta water, held together by a teaspoon of cooked cornstarch so it cannot seize into clumps.
Spaghetti alla Puttanesca
A 20-minute pantry sauce: garlic and anchovies sizzled slowly in plenty of olive oil, then capers, black olives and hand-crushed San Marzano tomatoes, with the spaghetti finished in the pan.
Spaghetti alle Vongole in Bianco (Spaghetti with Fresh Clams)
Live clams steamed open in olive oil, garlic, chile and white wine, the meat pulled from most of the shells, and spaghetti finished in the briny juices with parsley and a fresh drizzle of oil.
Trenette al Pesto with Potatoes and Green Beans (Genoa)
Genoese basil pesto pounded in a mortar from garlic, pine nuts, basil, Parmigiano, sheep's cheese and mild olive oil, tossed with trenette boiled in the same pot as cubes of potato and short lengths of green bean.
American Fettuccine Carbonara with Bacon, Cream and Peas
Fettuccine in a creamy sauce of half-and-half and tempered eggs cooked to 160°F, with crisp bacon, onion, garlic, Romano and sweet green peas: the carbonara most Americans grew up with, made on purpose.
Penne alla Vodka
A smooth, blush-orange sauce of slowly softened onion, a whole tube of tomato paste, canned tomatoes and heavy cream, blended silky, spiked with a quarter cup of vodka and finished with Parmigiano on penne or rigatoni.
Baked Ziti (No-Boil, with Ricotta and Mozzarella)
Ziti soaked in hot salted water instead of boiled, stirred into red sauce with ricotta, Parmigiano, eggs, cream, herbs and cubes of mozzarella, then baked covered and uncovered at 400°F until bubbling and browned.
Shrimp Scampi with Linguine
Shrimp quickly brined and seared, then tossed back into linguine with a silky sauce of olive oil, a lot of garlic, chile, dry vermouth, butter and lemon, finished with parsley.
Chicken Parmesan over Spaghetti
Thin chicken cutlets soaked in garlicky buttermilk, coated in crumbs of dried Italian bread and Parmesan, shallow-fried crisp, then baked at 425°F under red sauce and fresh mozzarella and served on a bed of spaghetti.
Linguine with White Clam Sauce (Canned Clams)
The pantry clam sauce: canned clams and bottled clam juice simmered with butter, celery, shallots, garlic, parsley and a splash of soy sauce, with linguine finished in the broth and lemon wedges on the side.
Pasta Primavera (Spring Vegetables, Pine Nuts and Creme Fraiche)
Fresh egg pasta with blanched fava beans, peas, asparagus, snap peas and broccolini, tossed with butter, garlic-scented pine nuts, creme fraiche, lemon, basil, parsley and Parmigiano: a lighter, greener take on Le Cirque's famous 1970s dish.
Weeknight Blistered Cherry Tomato Pasta
Two pints of cherry tomatoes cooked in garlicky olive oil until they burst into a sweet, creamy sauce, tossed with pasta, fresh basil and Parmesan while the pasta boils in a skillet: about 25 minutes, start to finish.
Copycat Chicken and Shrimp Carbonara, Inspired by Olive Garden
Inspired by, not official: crispy Parmesan-panko chicken and shrimp tossed with spaghetti or bucatini in a reduced cream, bacon and Parmesan sauce with roasted red peppers, a "carbonara" made with no eggs at all.