Spaghetti Carbonara
A traditional Roman Carbonara recipe!
This carbonara recipe is inspired by my recent trip to Italy, specifically to my last night in Rome where I lined up for hours at a little restaurant called Da Enzo Al 29 in the Trastevere neighbourhood. They are known for their carbonara, and as soon as I tasted it I knew I had to re-create it for you all!
Funnily enough, a lot of people think that carbonara has cream in it, however a traditional carbonara has very few ingredients - egg yolks, pecorino, guanciale and lots of pepper. It is simple, but so rich and delicious!
If you cannot find guanciale, you are able to use pancetta or bacon however try to find the guanciale or at least pancetta - it will make all the difference! Your local Italian deli should stock it.
I serve mine with spaghetti, however you could use a short pasta like rigatoni also.
If you try it - please let me know in the comments!
Prep Time: 5 min
Cooking Time: 20 min
Serves: 2-4
Ingredients:
5 egg yolks
100g finely grated pecorino
200g guanciale - rind removed and cut into 1cm wide strips
Lots of pepper
Spaghetti - 3/4 of a packet
Method:
Bring a pot of water to a boil and add a good amount of salt - needs to be salty like the sea!
Remove the rind from your guanciale and cut into 1cm wide strips from top to bottom - this is because you want an even amount of fat and meat.
Add your guanciale to a cold pan and then heat to a medium-high heat. Let it cook until it becomes crispy and the fat is rendered - this takes about 10 minutes. Remove the guanciale from the pan and set aside leaving the oil in the pan and turn off the heat
Meanwhile, seperate your egg yolks into a bowl
Add the pecorino and pepper and whisk until it comes together - it will be thick and hard to whisk.
Add some of the pasta water slowly to thin it out, whisking as you pour it in to not scramble the eggs.
Add 1-2 TBS of the rendered fat from the pan into the eggs, whisking quickly to combine.
Once it is of a custard like consistency, it is ready. You may need to continue to add some pasta water.
Once the pasta is cooked, transfer straight into the pan with the remaining fat in it and mix until combined. The pan should not be on heat at this stage!
Pour in with about 1/2-1 cup of pasta water
Slowly pour in your egg mixture, quickly stirring to ensure the egg doesn’t scramble and it will become a beautiful silky sauce! Add additional pasta water if it needs thinning out.
Add your guanciale back into the pan and mix until combined
Add in more pepper, and top with fresh parmesan and enjoy!
