Spaghetti Carbonara

Guanciale • Egg Yolk • Pecorino — Rome, Italy

Rome's great no-cream carbonara: crisp guanciale, egg yolks and Pecorino whisked into a glossy sauce — off the heat, or you get scrambled eggs. Technique is everything here.

Ingredients

• 400 g — Spaghetti
• 200 g — Guanciale or pancetta, in lardons
• 4 pc — Egg yolks
• 1 pc — Whole egg
• 80 g — Pecorino Romano, finely grated (1 cup)
• 6 g — Black pepper, coarsely cracked (2 tsp)
• 10 g — Fine sea salt, for the pasta water

Step-by-Step Method

1. Render the guanciale. Guanciale in a cold pan, medium heat, 8–10 minutes until crisp and golden and its fat has melted out. Keep every drop of that fat — it is the sauce base.
2. Whisk the yolk mix. Yolks, whole egg, Pecorino and lots of black pepper whisked to a thick paste. It should look like wet sand, not a sauce yet.
3. Pasta, very al dente. Spaghetti in well-salted water, pulled 2 minutes early. Save a mug of pasta water before draining.
4. Sauce OFF the heat. Pan off the heat. Pasta into the guanciale fat, yolk mix on top, toss hard with splashes of pasta water until it turns glossy and clings. The residual heat cooks the yolk — direct heat scrambles it. Serve at once with extra Pecorino and pepper.

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