Pasta Carbonara

Main Serves Two people Italy Signature dish

Originating from Rome, pasta carbonara combines egg, hard cheese and cured meat to make a deliciously simple yet fulfilling dish. 

Ingredients:

500g Spaghetti
4 egg yolks
1 egg
150g Pecorino Romano
50g Parmigiano Reggiano
250g Guanciale
Black pepper 



Step 1

Separate egg whites from yolks and place egg white in the bowl of an electric mixer (make sure the bowl is super clean and dry) and whisk on medium speed until soft peaks form.

Step 2

Chop the guanciale in cubes, approximately 5 mm x 10 mm

Step 3

Fry the guanciale with low to medium flame in a big pan for about 15-20 minutes until the guanciale is nicely roasted and has released all the fat.

Step 4

 In the meantime, finely grate the pecorino and the parmigiano, then set aside.

Step 5

Beat the eggs in a bowl

Step 6

Then, add the cheese and a generous amount of freshly grated black pepper. The egg sauce should be pretty thick. 

Step 7

Once the guanciale is ready, separate it from the fat. Keep the fat in the pan to finish cooking the pasta, and set aside the guanciale. 

Step 8

When the water is boiling, add the pasta and cook it. Important: cook it 2 minutes less than necessary, as you will finish it in the pan. 1.  When the pasta is ready, move it to the pan with the guanciale fat. Important: keep the cooking water of the pasta!

Step 9

Cook the spaghetti for another 2 - 3 minutes on high fire in the pan, and add some cooking water as needed, but not too much (usually a couple of ladles max). You should see a little bit of “starchy” sauce forming on the bottom of the pan. 

Step 10

When the pasta is ready, take a big bowl at room temperature and place the pasta inside. Add the egg sauce and mix rapidly.  Add some of the cooking water of the pasta – usually half/one ladle – to give it a nice creamy consistency, then add the guanciale. 

Step 11

Serve onto plates and add some grated pecorino and pepper to garnish.