Spaghetti Carbonara

 

Dinner / Main / Pasta
Servings 2
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
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Ingredients

  • 225 g Spaghetti
  • 100 g Guancale
  • 2 Egg yolks
  • 1 Whole Egg
  • 75 g Pecorino Romano
  • 75 g Parmesan
  • Fresh black pepper

Method

  • Get a big pot of water on the boil. Chuck in a good handful of salt - it should taste like the sea.
  • While that's heating up, dice your guanciale into small cubes. Pop them in a cold pan and slowly warm them up over a gentle heat. You want the fat to melt out and the meat to get crispy - about 7-8 minutes should do it.
  • Fish out the crispy bits with a slotted spoon and set aside, also reserve all that lovely fat for later in a small bowl. Leave a small amount of fat in the pan.
  • In a bowl, mix up your eggs and both cheeses. Grind in plenty of black pepper. And add a ladel of the guanciale fat.
  • When your water's boiling, drop in the pasta. Cook it until it still has a bit of bite - usually a minute less than what the packet says. Before you drain it, scoop out about half a cup of the cooking water.
Now comes the fun part - and you'll need to move quickly:
  • Using tongs, remove your hot pasta into the pan with the guanciale fat
  • Get everything mixed well
  • Kill the heat
  • Pour in your egg mixture
  • Keep stirring! Don't stop!
  • Splash in some of that pasta water if it's looking too thick
  • Serve it straight away while it's hot, with extra cheese and pepper on top.

Notes

The sauce should be silky and glossy - if it's too thick, loosen it with a splash more pasta water. Too thin? Put in a bit more cheese.
 
Remember, keeping everything moving, and no heat in the pan, is key to stopping the eggs from scrambling.
 

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