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Italy, Europe

Carbonara

A Roman pasta made without cream, using egg yolks, cheese and cured pork cheek.

ServingsServes 2
Total cooking time20 min
DifficultyMedium

Method

  1. Mix the yolks, whole egg, cheese and pepper in a bowl to make a thick cream.

    Add in this stepEgg yolks 3Whole eggs 1Grated Pecorino Romano (or Parmesan) 50 gCoarsely ground black pepper to taste

  2. Bring salted water to a boil over high heat and cook the pasta 1 minute less than the packet time. Set aside 200 ml of the pasta water.

    Add in this stepPasta cooking water 2 LSalt for the pasta water 20 gSpaghetti 200 g

    high heat

  3. Put the guanciale in a 26 cm pan with no oil and fry over medium-low heat for until the fat renders and it turns crisp, then turn off the heat.

    Add in this stepGuanciale (or pancetta or slab bacon) 100 g

    medium-low heat

  4. Add the pasta to the pan and let it cool for 1 minute (heat off). Add the egg cream and 3 tbsp of pasta water and toss quickly until creamy.

    heat off

Cook's tip

Mix with the heat off so the eggs do not scramble. If it gets too thick, add pasta water 1 tbsp at a time.

Cooking it at camp

When water is precious, break the pasta into a small pot and cook it in less water. The starchier pasta water makes the sauce emulsify even better.