Spaghetti Carbonara

By Chezlamere

courtesy
This recipe from Jennifer McLagan's cookbook, Fat
If you think spaghetti carbonara is ridiculously rich pasta laden with cream, you haven't tried the real thing. This recipe from Jennifer McLagan's cookbook, Fat, is an authentic combination of pancetta, eggs and Parmesan. It's incredibly easy and delicious. Buon gusto!

Ingredients

• 7 ounces spaghetti
• 3-1/2 ounces pancetta
• 2 eggs
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

Preparation

Step 1

Bring a large saucepan of salted water to boil over high heat. Add the spaghetti, stir, and return to boil. Lower the heat so that the water boils gently, and cook until the spaghetti is al dente, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain well.

While the water is coming to a boil, cut the pancetta into matchstick-sized pieces. Place a large frying pan over very low heat, and add the pancetta. Cook gently so that the pancetta renders its fat and becomes crisp, about 10 minutes.

In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs and yolk, season well with freshly ground pepper, and whisk in half of the cheese.

When the pancetta is cooked, pour the wine into the frying pan, and stir to deglaze the pan, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom with a wooden spoon. Remove the pan from the heat.

Add the drained spaghetti to the pan. Toss the spaghetti to coat it with pancetta and fat. Pour in the egg mixture, and continue to toss until the spaghetti is coated. The heat of the spaghetti and the pan will cook the eggs.

Sprinkle with parsley, and serve with the remaining cheese on the side.
Note: If your spaghetti is not ready when the pancetta is finished, deglaze the pan anyway, and remove it from the heat. Reheat the pancetta and wine before adding the cooked spaghetti.