Ease of Preparation: Medium
Yield: 2 servings
Ingredients:
- Salt, for pasta water
- ½ pound (227 g) dried spaghetti
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup (240 ml) grated pecorino Romano cheese
- 1 cup (240 ml) diced guanciale
- Black pepper
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) grated pecorino Romano cheese, to garnish
Method:
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil.
Add spaghetti and cook as per package instructions or for 8 minutes, or until ‘al dente’.
While the spaghetti is cooking, cook the guanciale in a small pan until the fat has rendered and the guanciale is slightly crispy.
Crack eggs into a large mixing bowl.
Remove yolks and set aside.
Whisk cheese into the egg whites to form a paste.
Season with black pepper.
When the spaghetti is ready, use tongs to remove the cooked pasta from the boiling water and transfer into the bowl with the paste. Make sure that a bit of the pasta cooking water is transferred to the bowl with the pasta to help form the sauce.
Add cooked guanciale along with the rendered fat to the bowl.
Toss the pasta, sauce, guanciale, and rendered fat together in the bowl, working quickly while hot; continue tossing until the cheese melts slightly and forms a creamy sauce with the egg whites.
Transfer the pasta and sauce to serving dishes and garnish with the reserved raw egg yolk.
Garnish with additional cheese and black pepper.