Spaghetti Carbonara | The Wizard of Whatever

Rome’s iconic dish, Spaghetti Carbonara tangles up toothsome spaghetti with a luxurious, creamy sauce made of egg, parmesan, sharp pecorino cheese and crunchy bits of pancetta. A Roman favourite, and now yours!

Ingredients:

• 1 pound (454 g) dry spaghetti
• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) extra virgin olive oil
• 4 ounces (114 g) pancetta, cubed 1-inch (2.5 cm)
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) minced garlic
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• ½ cup (125 ml) freshly grated pecorino cheese
• ½ cup (125 ml) freshly grated parmesan cheese (plus more for serving)
• Freshly ground black pepper
• ¼ cup (60 ml) freshly chopped parsley
• Pecorino shavings (for garnish)

Method:

Note: Prepare the sauce while the pasta is cooking to ensure that the spaghetti will be hot and ready when the sauce is finished; it is very important that the pasta is hot when adding the egg mixture, so the heat of the pasta will cook the raw eggs in the sauce

• Bring a large pot of water to boil over high heat. Add salt and pasta and cook for about 8 minutes or until tender yet firm (“al dente”).
• Drain the pasta well, reserving ½ cup (125 ml) of the starchy cooking water to use in the sauce.
• While pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil in a deep skillet over medium heat.
• Add the pancetta and sauté for about 4 minutes or crisp and rendered.
• Toss the garlic in the pancetta fat and sauté for less than 1 minute to soften.
• Add the hot, drained spaghetti to the pan and toss for 1 minute to coat the strands in pancetta fat.
• Place eggs in a bowl add the pecorino and parmesan. Stir well to prevent lumps.
• Remove the pan from heat and pour the egg/cheese mixture into the pasta, whisking quickly until the eggs thicken, but do not scramble (this is done off the heat to ensure that does not happen.)
• Thin out the sauce with a bit of the reserved pasta water, until it reaches desired consistency.
• Season the carbonara with several turns of fresh pepper.
• Garnish with freshly chopped parsley and pecorino.