Letters from a 300-year-old Italian farmhouse. July 14

The reason we are here.

The reason we are here…

When family comes is when I love our home in Piemonte the most, and this week we were lucky enough to have one of our sons and his partner come to visit. Because our house was once a barn, there is room— enough room, technically, for cows and chickens and goats. So guests are easy. With the three bedrooms each in different parts of the house, everyone has space to stretch out. And because the house is so rustic, there is no standing on formality. It is my kind of heaven.

The weather delivered warm sunshine and blue skies, with a few passing clouds—the perfect accompaniment to a beckoning pool and a strenuous swim work out.

We lingered over dinner at home, featuring the Bagnetto Verde recipe from last week’s column, served with grilled swordfish and gnocchi, and once again, the fresh and vibrant Bagnetto Verde came through. Offering this cook the highest possible compliment, our son’s partner asked me for the recipe.

We also had a leisurely evening out at the trattoria next door, La Torricella, beneath an impressionist sunset, drinking in the views and a bit of wine. Once again. Heaven.

And then, our son beat us at our own game, making dinner for us all one night— Spaghetti Carbonara. Using the local tajarin, a thin kind of tagliatelle, hand cut and made with the rich, eggy pasta dough they insist on in Piemonte, he deftly adapted a New York Times Cooking recipe by Ian Fisher. It emerged creamy, golden and cheesy without being heavy, which had me asking him for the recipe. It was really, truly delicious.

My son says the secret is to not to let the eggs cook too quickly, or you risk ending up with bits of scrambled eggs in the sauce. Here is his (delicious) version of Ian Fisher’s classic.

Tajarin or Spaghetti Carbonara

Salt

3 large eggs and 5 large yolks, room temperature

4 ounces grated pecorino Romano, plus additional for serving

4 ounces grated Parmesan

Coarsely ground pepper

8 ounces pancetta or bacon, sliced into pieces about 1/4 inch thick by 1/3 inch square

20 ounces fresh tajarin or tagliatelle, or 1 pound of good quality dried spaghetti

Place a large pot of lightly salted water over high heat to bring to a boil.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, yolks, pecorino and Parmesan. Season with a generous grating of black pepper and set aside.

While water is coming to a full boil, place a large skillet over medium heat, add the pork and gently saute until the edge of crispness but not hard. Remove cooked pork from skillet, leaving the rendered fat behind, then remove skillet from heat to a flat surface.

Add pasta to the water and boil until a bit firmer than al dente. Before the pasta reaches desired doneness, remove 1/4 cup of pasta water and allow it to cool a bit. (This is the water that will help temper the sauce and prevent eggs from scrambling.) When the pasta is done, reserve out 1 cup more of the pasta water and set aside, in case it is needed later on.

Drain the pasta and add it back into the skillet, along with the bits of pork.

Take the 1/4 cup of cooled pasta water and add it to the egg mixture, stirring to combine. Then add the egg mixture to the pasta in the skillet and begin stirring vigorously. Keep stirring continuously until the sauce thickens and is creamy and smooth. Add some of the hot pasta water if needed for a perfectly consistency.

Serve immediately, with a bit of additional grated pecorino and plenty of pepper. Serves four hungry people with a little bit leftover, if you are lucky.

Buon appetito!!

What do you think? Isn’t summer the best season to share with family, or friends who are family? And isn’t it nice to have some lazy afternoons on your own, too, napping or contemplating napping in a cool house? What are you doing where you live?

I hope you enjoy this gorgeous time of year, wherever you are, home or away. Let me know, too, what you are doing and eating and drinking. And thanks for continuing to be a part of my community and my letters from Italy!

Keep looking for my posts each week. I’ll be right here.

This is how I stay close to everyone far away. I will be writing letters once a week, with stories of Piemonte, recipes that I have fallen in love with, tales of people I meet, places I discover and anything else that I think you might find amusing, curious or worthwhile. It’s a way to look at the world from a different window, and hopefully let a little Italian sunshine into your day.

A presto!

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