Pasta Carbonara

 

Sometimes what we perceive to be simple can be the most difficult to create. Take this carbonara for example, there is technique involved, but don't let that deter you – it will all be worth it in the end.

I’d be lying if I said I didn’t attempt a carbonara many times and failed before I really understood how to put this dish together successfully without scrambling those eggs. Don’t be disheartened if it takes you many attempts also too. I urge you to persevere because once you get it, then this dish will be on high rotation – I promise you that.

 

Serves 4-6  |  Preparation 10 minutes  | Cooking time 20 minutes

 

Ingredients

For the pasta

1 x Rich Egg Dough, shaped into tonnarelli, or spaghetti
Semolina, extra to dust

 

For the dish

200g guanciale, cut into even
sized batons
2 whole eggs
4 egg yolks
200g Parmesan or pecorino cheese, finely grated
Freshly ground black pepper

 

Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Add the tonnarelli and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Sauté the guanciale batons in a large shallow sauté pan set to a medium-high heat. There is no need to add oil here as the guanciale holds enough fat in it. Once the batons start to sizzle, cook for approximately 3-4 minutes, watching closely as the fat renders – they will start to first turn opaque and then crisp. Remove from the pan, keeping the rendered fat, and transfer to a bowl lined with paper toweling. Set aside.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk the eggs together with the yolks. Add in a generous amount of black pepper to the eggs, and then mix through the cheese. Ensure the cheese is grated very fine as this will avoid it clumping and solidifying when it hits the heat.

Remove the pasta when al dente and transfer it directly into the pan
of rendered guanciale fat, along with a ladleful of the cooking water. Allow the pasta to finish cooking in the flavours of the pan then turn off the heat.

Working quickly, add a ladleful of the cooking water into the cheese and egg mixture. Whisk again until the mixture becomes quite smooth and creamy. It will be watery and this is okay. This is a crucial step to the process because we are allowing the temperature of the eggs and water to adjust without enduring a big shock factor from the heat of the pan. This is where the scrambling error almost always occurs, and so this step is important to avoid that happening. Pour the egg mixture into the pan of tonnarelli and, working quickly, stir to combine until it becomes glossy. Use your discretion here as you may need to turn the pan back onto a very low heat if it seems to watery at this stage. Watch it closely and work quickly. Keep on stirring, but don’t reduce the sauce too much. Remember a carbonara thickens very quickly when turned off the heat,
so finish it off much looser than you would expect it to be.

When the sauce has been achieved, turn off the heat and add the guanciale giving it one final toss through. Serve immediately with extra grated cheese and freshly ground black pepper.