Spaghetti alla Carbonara

Name: Spaghetti alla Carbonara
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 400 g Spaghetti; 150 g Pancetta, cut into short strips; 5 Eggs (large), 4 yolks and 1 whole egg; 70 g Pecorino Romano cheese, finely grated; 1½ tsp Ground black pepper, coarsely ground; 1 tbsp Kosher salt, for the pasta water

25 minServes 4$36.58

Spaghetti is tossed off the heat with crisped cured pork and its fat, then with egg yolks, a whole egg, and finely grated Pecorino Romano loosened with pasta water until creamy, and finished with plenty of black pepper. Pancetta stands in for guanciale, which is not stocked at the reference store; it is leaner and milder.

Ingredients

400 gSpaghettiBuy 1 box
150 gPancettacut into short stripsBuy 2 packages
5Eggs (large)4 yolks and 1 whole eggBuy 1 carton
70 gPecorino Romano cheesefinely gratedBuy 1 package
1½ tspGround black peppercoarsely groundBuy 1 jar
1 tbspKosher saltfor the pasta waterBuy 1 box

Substitution

Pancetta in place of “Guanciale (cured pork jowl)”. Pancetta (cured pork belly) replaces guanciale, which is not stocked at the reference store; it is leaner and milder but renders and crisps the same way.

Method

Cook the pancetta slowly in a dry skillet until the fat renders and the edges crisp; turn off the heat.
Whisk the yolks, whole egg, most of the pecorino, and the pepper into a thick paste.
Cook the spaghetti in salted water until al dente, reserving 1 cup of the cooking water.
Add the spaghetti to the skillet with a splash of pasta water and toss to coat in the fat.
Off the heat, add the egg mixture and toss quickly, adding pasta water a little at a time, until the sauce is creamy and glossy but not scrambled.
Serve at once with the remaining pecorino and more pepper.