Spaghetti alla Carbonara

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To quote Steve Albini, “In heaven, after antipasti, the first course will be pasta.” Amen to that, brother! There is nothing like a mouth-watering stack of pasta cooked al dente and using fresh, solid ingredients—the way any self-respecting Italian grandma cooks. With our spaghetti alla carbonara recipe, we really want to detach ourselves from the conventional ones sloshed with cream and eat as the Italians do, which is much healthier and tastier. Aprons on, pastafarians!

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  • 2

Ingredients

  • 200 g of Spaghetti (we use no. 3 for this recipe)
  • 1 tbsp of Olive Oil
  • 1 Clove of Garlic (smashed)
  • 100 g of Pancetta/Bacon (cut into 1cm strips)
  • 30 g of Parmesan Cheese
  • 30 g of Pecorino
  • 3 Egg Yolks
  • Salt
  • Black Pepper

Preparation

Step 1

1. Put a large pot of water to boil. Season the water with salt, using 1 teaspoon of salt per litre of water. In the meantime, cut pancetta into 1cm strips and smash a whole garlic with the blade of a knife. Heat olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add in pancetta strips and smashed garlic and fry until the pancetta is crispy. Discard garlic and set pan aside for later use.
2. Cook spaghetti till al dente, saving some pasta water for the sauce.
3. Grate parmesan and pecorino cheese into a large mixing bowl. Separate egg yolks from whites and add them into the bowl as well. Season with black pepper and a little salt to taste. Stir in 1 to 2 tablespoons of pasta water bit by bit to smooth out the mixture. Stirring will also prevent the mixture from curdling.
4. When the pasta is ready, drain and transfer into the frying pan. Toss slightly to combine the pasta with the pancetta and oil in the pan. At this point, you can choose to pour the sauce into the frying pan over the pasta or tip the pasta into the large mixture bowl. Using tongs, toss till the pasta is evenly coated with the carbonara sauce, adding more pasta water if it’s too dry.
5. Transfer the spaghetti onto warm plates and serve with a sprinkle of grated cheese and black pepper. Buon appetito!

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