If you’re anything like me, you love cooking, specifically, Italian food. But if you’re also anything like me, making a carbonara is the great bane and challenge of your life.
I don’t know how I do it, but every time it ends up being a sticky eggy omelette with overly salty bacon and pasta bits baked into the clumpy mess. Well no more, fellow wannabe chefs, for I have found the most perfect carbonara recipe that gives you the perfect mix of spiced and salty, creamy and crispy pancetta!
You’ll need…
250g spaghetti (fresh preferably)
2 cloves of garlic
70g pecorino cheese, finely grated
42g parmigiano reggiano cheese, finely grated
4 eggs
170g pancetta
1tsp black pepper
In a large bowl, crack in 1 whole egg. For your three other eggs, separate the whites and the yolk and put the yolks into the bowl alongside your 1 whole egg.
Next toss in both your cheeses, pecorino and parmigiano along with your teaspoon of black pepper to create the paste base for your sauce.
Next, fry your pancetta with your halved garlic cloves for 4-5 minutes so that it’s crispy. Take the pan off the heat and use a tablespoon to remove the garlic cloves and add 1-2 spoons of the excess oil that’s come off the pancetta and mix it into your large bowl with you egg-cheese mix. Set the pancetta aside.
Boil a pot of water and salt it, popping in a little olive oil. Cook your spaghetti – fresh preferably – until it’s al dente. Don’t drain your pasta water just yet!
Put your spaghetti directly into the mixing bowl and begin stirring, as the heat from the pasta will gently cook the sauce. If the mixture is too thick add in 2 tablespoons of pasta water to thin it out a little.
Serve in a pasta bowl and sprinkle your pancetta on top and voila! The perfect carbonara with no eggy mess!
