Italy / Main
Spaghetti carbonara
Pasta from four ingredients: guanciale, eggs, pecorino and pepper. There is no cream in it and never was.
Ingredients
- Spaghetti200 g
- Guanciale, cut into short strips; pancetta works100 g
- Egg yolks3
- Whole egg1
- Pecorino romano, finely grated60 g
- Black pepper, coarsely ground1 tsp
- Salt for the waterto taste
Quantities are auto-calculated from the original recipe as a guide. Items without numbers (e.g. “to taste”) are not changed.
Method 6 steps
Bring a large pot of water to the boil and salt it properly — this is the only salt in the dish, since the cheese and the guanciale bring their own.
Put the guanciale into a cold pan and turn the heat to medium. The fat should render gradually and the pieces turn golden and crisp at the edges, about 6 to 8 minutes.
While the fat renders, beat the yolks, the whole egg, the grated pecorino and the pepper into a thick paste. Let it sit at room temperature so it does not seize when it meets hot pasta.
Cook the spaghetti a minute short of the packet time. Before draining, save a cup of the cooking water — the sauce will not come together without it.
Take the pan off the heat, add the pasta and toss it through the fat. Let the pan cool for twenty seconds — it should be warm, not hot.
Pour in the egg mixture and stir hard, adding pasta water a spoonful at a time until the sauce turns glossy and coats every strand. Serve immediately.
