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Adapted from the Wikibooks Cookbook: Spaghetti alla Carbonara
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Details
- Description
- The Roman classic with no cream: crisp guanciale, egg yolks, pecorino and plenty of black pepper, turned silky by the heat of the pasta. Adapted from “Spaghetti alla Carbonara” in the Wikibooks Cookbook (CC BY-SA 4.0). Pork, cheese and oil set to single amounts; steps reordered to run in parallel. Photo:
TamorlanLuca Nebuloni, CC BY-SA 32.0, via Wikimedia Commons (“Spaghetti alla carbonara (32998643591)”). - Photo
Ingredients
- Unchanged: 450 g spaghetti
- Unchanged: 200 g guanciale or pancetta, diced into 1 cm pieces
- Unchanged: 5 egg yolks
- Unchanged: 60 g Pecorino Romano, finely grated
- Unchanged: 60 g Parmigiano-Reggiano, finely grated
- Unchanged: 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- Unchanged: 1½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- Unchanged: Salt, for the pasta water
Method
Unchanged step 1:
Bring a big pot of water to a boil and salt it once it starts to simmer.
Unchanged step 2:
Dice the guanciale or pancetta, if you haven't yet.
Unchanged step 3:
Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan, add the guanciale and cook gently over low heat until it has given up most of its fat but is still chewy and barely browned.
Unchanged step 4:
Cook the spaghetti until al dente.
Unchanged step 5:
While the pasta cooks, scoop about 120 ml (½ cup) of its cooking water and slowly whisk it into the egg yolks. Mix in both cheeses with a fork.
Unchanged step 6:
Scoop out another cup of pasta water, then drain the spaghetti and tip it straight into the pan with the guanciale. Toss and turn off the heat.
Unchanged step 7:
Off the heat, pour in the egg and cheese mixture, stirring constantly and adding splashes of the pasta water until the sauce is creamy. The pan must not be on the heat or the eggs will scramble.
Unchanged step 8:
Add the black pepper, toss to coat and serve straight away.