Pasta Carbonara: Simply Irresistible

I can’t imagine anyone that can help themselves when it comes down to Pasta Carbonara! It’s simply irresistible: spaghetti with crispy, sweet and smoky combination of guanciale and pancetta, coated by the most outrageous silky sauce, a mix of free range egg yolks, parmesan, pecorino and freshly ground pepper. 

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This Pasta Carbonara it’s simply irresistible and that is why it’s ON REPEAT in our kitchen. It is yet another Italian classic, that never stops to astonish us with its simplicity and remarkable taste. Talking about simplicity, as always, when cooking with just a few ingredients it is important to pay close attention to their quality.

Let’s have a look at a few tips that will really help you make the best carbonara you’ve ever tasted.

Pancetta or Guanciale?

This is an ongoing debate. There are several recipes that include one or the other.

Pancetta is an Italian type of bacon made out of the pork belly cut. The meat is cured and smoked. It is used in various soups and pasta dishes. Guanciale on the other side, represents the pork’s cheek. It is sweeter that the bacon/pancetta, but it has a more decisive flavour and it provides a decadent flavour to dishes like pasta carbonara or spaghetti all ‘amatriciana. 

Living in Rome for five years allowed me to try several variations of this dish, from high-end restaurants and trattorias to homemade versions (those were the best in my opinion).

I soon arrived at one conclusion: Why not include both? The unique, sweet and bold flavour of the guanciale will combine nicely with the crispy, smoky pancetta that will please your palate. 

What type of Pasta should you use?

It’s hard to imagine a carbonara without spaghetti. There is just something mouth-watering when you look at that spaghetti beautifully coated with the creamy cheese sauce that absorbs all the flavours. I am a big fan of Barilla No. 5 Spaghetti when it comes down to a lot of pasta dishes such as carbonara, seafood pasta dishes, tuna pasta, puttanesca, and many others. 

How to make the sauce

It’s sooooo easy! Honestly. For a portion of 2, you will need 3 free-range egg yolks, add in the parmesan and pecorino cheese, a touch of salt and freshly ground pepper, mix everything well and that’s it. 

Final touches

1. This first mistake is very simple to make – overcooking pasta. The pasta needs to be al dente – follow the packaging instructions and make sure that you boil them in salted water. 
2.  After the pancetta is crispy, turn off the heat and add the spaghetti and a touch of olive oil. Mix well, then add the egg and cheese mix tossing everything together. Add some more water from the pasta until a creamy sauce will form. Season with freshly ground pepper and extra parmesan.

Pasta Carbonara

Yield: 2 Servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

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Ingredients

• 3 free-range egg yolks
• 300g dried spaghetti
• 30g guanciale, chopped
• 70g pancetta, chopped
• 30g pecorino cheese
• 30g parmesan cheese + extra to serve
• salt
• pepper

Instructions

1. In a bowl mix the egg yolks with the finely grated Parmesan and Pecorino, season with pepper and set aside.
2. In a pot with salted boiling water cook the dried pasta until al dente.
3. Meanwhile, in a pan over medium-high heat cook the guanciale and pancetta until it becomes crispy, then take it off the heat.
4. Take some of that water and set aside into a mug.
5. Once the pasta is al dente, drain it and add it over the guanciale and pancetta and combine. Add a splash of the water you put aside earlier and place the pan over medium-high heat for another 1-2 minutes so that the spaghetti will absorb that yummy flavour of the meat.
6. Remove the pan from the heat and another splash of water then add the egg mixture and toss well. Continue adding some of that cooking water until the pasta is covered in a glossy sauce.
7. Add some extra Parmesan and freshly grinded pepper and serve.