FOOD NEWS
Giada De Laurentiis' Secret Weapon Ingredient For Amazing Carbonara
BY STEPHANIE FRIEDMAN
When making carbonara, celebrity chef Giada De Laurentiis combines bacon and pancetta to give it a unique salty kick. She also ups the ante with a secret ingredient: cinnamon.
De Laurentiis explained to Food & Wine: "The cinnamon adds a little bit of sweetness and a lot of warmth […] as the fat renders out of it, it sort of absorbs the cinnamon.”
To follow De Laurentiis’ recipe, start by frying your bacon and pancetta together on the stove and give them a hit of cinnamon right before they get fully crisp.
To complement the slightly added sweetness from the cinnamon, De Laurentiis also veers off from the classic carbonara recipe by using whipping cream.
To experiment with this recipe, try nutmeg instead of cinnamon for a slightly nuttier, spicier taste. You can also substitute the meat for turkey bacon, or the whipping cream for half-and-half.