This article appeared in the June/July issue of SLM under the title, “Proper Pasta.”
Pasta carbonara is a dish that has been changed so many times that “no one knows what it actually is anymore,” according to Max Crask, executive chef at Madrina (101 W. Lockwood) in Webster Groves. “Many people think it contains heavy cream and peas. Classic carbonara does not.” Crask begins the process with scratch-made noodles that he runs through an Italian-made sheeter and then cuts into spaghetti-like strings using a customized chitarra (Italian for “guitar”). Crask makes guanciale (salt-cured pork jowl) in house from Duroc pork during a four-week process. Cut into lardons, the guanciale is sautéed until “crunchy on the outside and pillowy on the inside,” Crask says. After some of the rendered fat is poured off, the guanciale is set aside, and pre-blanched noodles are added, along with Pecorino Romano cheese and a few turns of pepper, egg yolks, and pasta water until the sauce thickens. (“Too much heat, and you end up with scrambled eggs,” Crask notes.) The pasta is dished into a colorful bowl, along with a shower of Pecorino, some cured egg yolks, and a ring of the guanciale lardons. “Other people add them to the pasta, which takes away the crunchiness we worked so hard to get,” Crask explains. “A lot of investment, time, and expertise goes into this dish, which has become one of our top three sellers. It was a point of pride for us to get it exactly right.”
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