Description
An authentically Italian carbonara.
Ingredients
Scale
- 12 oz spaghetti
- 4–5 oz guanciale (pork jowl)
- 4 large egg yolks
- 1/3 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano
- salt
- freshly cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Finely grate Pecorino Romano with a microplane and set aside.
- Cut the guanciale about ¼” thick slices and then into 2” strips.
- Combine egg yolks with the grated cheese, salt and pepper in a small mixing bowl.
- Place guanciale in a cool pan and heat on medium to slowly render the fat. Once crisp, turn off heat and let cool.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook pasta until al dente, remove a small ladleful of the pasta water for the sauce.
- Pour the reserved ladle of water into the pan with the cooled guanciale and stir together.
- Next, add the pasta to the pan, using tongs to mix together.
- Quickly add the egg and cheese misture, continuously stirring until a creamy sauce forms. Make certain to do this off the heat as you will otherwise likely end up with scrambled eggs.
- If the sauce is too runny, bring the pasta water to a boil again and place the metal pan over the boiling water, letting the indirect heat gently thicken the sauce. Use tongs to stir until desired consistency. Remember that the sauce will thicken as it sits.
- Season with freshly grated pepper and serve on warmed plates.