Recipes
SPAGHETTI ALLA CARBONARA
HOW TO MAKE SPAGHETTI ALLA CARBONARA AT HOME
This classic Roman dish has divided the culinary world: most Italians say it shouldn’t include cream, while others (usually outside Italy) like it better with cream. Theo Randall simply calls it egg and bacon pasta and rustle it up for his family’s brunch on Sundays – without the added cream (If you want cream, we’ll tell you when to add it). The secret to cooking the eggs enough is to have eggs at room temperature and to heat the mixing and serving bowls. If you prefer bacon to pancetta, use unsmoked bacon. Have all your ingredients are ready before you cook the pasta.
INGREDIENTS AND METHOD
INGREDIENTS
Sauce:
- 250 g pancetta or guanciale, cubed
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- 500g Italian spaghetti
- 6 egg yolks, at room temperature
- 100 g Parmesan or Grana Padano, finely grated
- 100 g Pecorino Romano cheese, finely grated
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped flat leaf parsley
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 50 ml single cream, at room temperature (optional)
Pasta:
- 500g Italian spaghetti
METHOD
Serves 6
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
- Bring a large pan of salted water to the rolling boil for the pasta.
- Sauté the pancetta slowly in a small frying pan with a teaspoon of oil until the pork has rendered its fat and is becoming golden and crispy.
- Turn off the heat but leave the pancetta in the pan.
- Drop the spaghetti into the boiling water and cook according to package instructions. When the pasta is almost cooked, place the egg yolks in a warm large serving bowl and stir in three-quarters of the cheeses and the parsley. Grind in some black pepper.
- Turn the heat on under the guanciale pan to keep it hot.
- Just before draining the pasta, use a mug to scoop out some of the hot pasta cooking water. Set it aside.
- Tip the steaming, drained pasta immediately into the bowl with the eggs and stir to coat the pasta and cook the eggs. Add in half a mugful of the hot pasta cooking water. Top with the guanciale and its hot oil and stir again. (If you want to add cream, do it now).
- Serve the carbonara immediately, garnished with parsley and black pepper, and pass the rest of the grated cheese on the side.
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