Description
Carbonara sauce is possibly one of the most recognised and loved Italian recipes, both abroad and in Italy itself. There are many variations, but the original Roman recipe only uses eggs, pecorino, and guanciale. Try this for a luscious Sunday lunch: I’m sure that it’ll become soon your favourite!
Ingredients
360 grams spaghetti
120 grams guanciale
4 egg yolks
1 whole egg
120 grams grated Pecorino Romano
Salt & pepper (to taste)
Instructions
- In a non-stick pan, fry the guanciale in its own fat until slightly crispy, taking care not to brown it too much.
- In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks and the whole egg with salt and pepper. Stir in the grated cheese until a thick cream is obtained. Add the cooked guanciale and reserve.
- Cook the spaghetti al dente. Reserve about 100 ml of the cooking water. Drain the pasta well, and immediately pour the pasta into the bowl with the eggs. The heat of the pasta will cook the egg.
- Add a little bit of the reserved cooking water, and mix well so as to coat all the pasta. If the sauce is still too dense, add some more cooking water. If too runny, stir in more cheese.
- If necessary, season with more salt and pepper. Serve immediately sprinkled with extra grated Pecorino cheese.
Notes
Never use Parmesan cheese for this recipe. However, if you’re having difficulties finding guanciale, pancetta can be used instead.
Never add cream to the recipe: the creaminess is given by the sheer amount of grated Pecorino – so don’t skimp on it!
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 10
- Category: Pasta
- Cuisine: Italian
Keywords: bacon, carbonara, carbonara sauce, eggs, guanciale, pancetta, pasta, pecorino romano, spaghetti carbonara