Authentic-ish Spaghetti Carbonara
Spaghetti Carbonara, as close to authentic as possible.
Equipment
- 1 large frypan or sauté pan
- 1 large pot for boiling pasta
Ingredients
- 400 grams streaky bacon chopped into bite size pieces (note 1)
- 4 eggs large free range
- 4 egg yolks (note 2)
- 160 grams pecorino romano freshly fine grated (note 3)
- 1 tsp black pepper fresh ground
- 500 grams spaghetti (note 4)
- ⅔ cup starchy pasta water (note 5)
- 1 tsp salt
Instructions
- To a large pot filled with water, add the salt. Bring to the boil. When boiling add the spaghetti, and cook until al dente.
- While the pasta is boiling, add your bacon to a COLD large frypan or sauté pan, and put on medium heat. This will help render out all the fat we need to emulsify the sauce. Add pepper to the pan, when the bacon is halfway done.
- In a separate bowl, add eggs, egg yolks and the finely grated pecorino romano together and mix until well combined.
- Once the bacon has reached your liking of doneness, remove the pan from the heat. Once cooked to al dente, add the drained pasta (reserving some of the cooking water) to the bacon pan, and mix thoroughly so the pasta is well coated by the bacon fat. Now test the pan, and see how hot it is, you want the pan warm, but not hot, if you hear any sizzling or steam sputtering you need to wait awhile.
- Add the reserved pasta cooking water, and the egg and cheese mix to the bacon pan and immediately vigorously mix (you don't want scrambled eggs). Mix vigorously for about 1-2 mins and you should see the sauce become creamy.
- Serve in warm bowls, with a dusting more of black pepper and a good shave of the pecorino.
Notes
NOTE 1 - Guanciale is the traditional cut used in carbonara but it can be VERY tricky to find. Your second best option is pancetta, which is a little easier to find, but can still be hard. If using guanciale or pancetta, use only 200g for the 4 serves, it's very rich. Streaky bacon is a decent substitute, it has a good amount for fat and flavour.
NOTE 2 - You can save the egg whites and make a meringue or an egg white omelette. They can also be frozen for future use.
NOTE 3 - Pecorino Romano is the cheese traditionally used in Spaghetti Carbonara, but you can absolutely use Parmigiano Reggiano or parmesan.
NOTE 4 - Buy a good quality spaghetti for this one. You need the starchiness that you find on the outside of more premium pasta.
NOTE 5 - Grab the pasta water just before you drain the pasta. This starchy water helps emulsify our sauce later on. The pasta water is only slightly salted to accommodate the fact that we use so much of it in this recipe.