The must-have dish of Roman cuisine, spaghetti alla carbonara was born thanks to the encounter between the ingredients available to the American troops and the imagination of a Roman cook. The result was precisely the carbonara prototype: eggs, cheese and, subsequently replaced by bacon, guanciale; in the years to come, this first course has undergone changes up to spaghetti carbonara that we all know and can taste in restaurants and trattorias all over the world.
INGREDIENTS:
- Spaghetti: 320 g
- Guanciale: 150 g
- Medium egg yolks: 6
- Roman pecorino: 50 g
- Black pepper: to taste
- To prepare spaghetti carbonara start by putting a pot of salted water on the burner to cook the pasta. In the meantime, remove the pork rind from the guanciale 1 and cut it first into slices and then into strips about 1/2" (1cm) 2 thick. The removed rind can be reused to flavor other things. Put the pieces into a non-stick pan 3 and brown for about 15 minutes over medium heat, being careful not to burn it or it will smell too strong.
- Meanwhile, put spaghetti in boiling water 4 and cook for the time indicated on the package. In the meantime, pour the yolks into a bowl 5, add most of the Pecorino cheese needed for the recipe and the remaining part will be used just before serving.
- Season with black pepper 7 and whip by hand 8. Add a tablespoon of cooking water to dilute the mixture and stir 9.
- In the meantime the guanciale will be cooked, turn off the burner and set it aside 10. Drain the pasta al dente directly into the pan with the guanciale 11 and stir it briefly to season it. Remove from heat and pour the mixture of eggs and pecorino cheese 12 into the pan. Mix quickly to combine.
- To make it very creamy, if necessary, you can add a little cooking water to your pasta 13. Serve spaghetti carbonara immediately with the remaining pecorino cheese 14 and ground black pepper 15 on top.
