Spaghetti alla Carbonara

From the kitchen of Carly

Roman pasta at its purest: spaghetti, crisp pork, egg yolks, sharp pecorino, and a snowstorm of black pepper. No cream. The yolks and pasta water do all the saucing, which means it lives or dies on timing. If your sauce scrambles, your pan was too hot. Pull it off the heat next time before the eggs go in.

Spaghetti alla Carbonara
Prep
5 min
Cook
15 min
Total
20 min
Servings
4
Difficulty
medium

Ingredients

4 servings

  • 320 gspaghetti
  • 6egg yolks
  • 1 to tastekosher salt
  • 150 gguanciale or thick-cut bacon, diced
  • 50 gpecorino romano, finely grated
  • 1 to tasteblack pepper, freshly ground

Instructions

  1. Bring a large pot of water to a strong boil. Salt it generously, like a mild broth.

  2. While it heats, cut the guanciale or bacon into small lardons. In a wide skillet over medium heat, cook them slowly until the fat renders out and the meat is deep gold and crisp at the edges, 6 to 8 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave the pork in the rendered fat.

  3. In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the grated pecorino and a heavy crank of black pepper. The mix should look like wet sand.

  4. Add the spaghetti to the boiling water and cook one minute shy of al dente.

  5. Just before draining, scoop out a full mug of pasta water. Drain the pasta, then transfer it directly into the skillet with the pork. Toss in the residual fat for a few seconds.

  6. Off the heat, pour the egg-and-cheese mixture over the pasta and toss continuously, adding splashes of hot pasta water until the sauce is silky and clings to every strand. The eggs should thicken into a glossy coat, never scramble.

  7. Plate immediately with extra pecorino and another grind of pepper on top.

Substitutions
  • guanciale to thick-cut bacon or pancetta. Guanciale (cured pork jowl) is traditional but bacon is what most US grocery stores have. Pancetta is the in-between.
  • pecorino romano to parmesan or a 50/50 mix of both. Pecorino is sharper and saltier; parmesan is mellower. Either works, the mix is best.
  • egg yolks to 3 whole eggs + 2 yolks. Looser sauce but easier on the egg-waste guilt.

Pairs well with: Crisp green salad with lemon vinaigrette to cut the richness, A glass of cold Frascati or any dry white, Garlic-rubbed grilled bread on the side

Adapted from TheMealDB.