Carbonara is another Roman dish and it’s one of my favorites. It’s traditionally made with spaghetti, but I switched it up with thicker rigatoni below. You can also use guanciale instead of pancetta. Pancetta is from the belly, guanciale is from the jowl – but they are both unsmoked Italian cured products. I’ve tried just using egg yolks, to adding egg yolks with 1 whole egg. You can’t go wrong with either – it creates such a creamy sauce. I overdue it with the black pepper, but that’s how I like it!
Ingredients:
- 1 Pound Dry Pasta
- 4 Ounces Pancetta
- 4 Egg Yolks
- 1 Whole Egg
- 1 Cup Pecorino Romano Cheese
- 1 TBS Fresh Cracked Black Pepper
Directions:
- In a nonstick skillet, cook pancetta for approximately 8-10 minutes on medium heat until the fat is rendered – Set aside when complete.
- Boil water in a large sauce pot and add 1 TBS salt when water is at a rolling boil (You only need enough water to cover the pasta by half an inch)
- Cook pasta until al dente (approx 13 minutes) and reserve 1 cup of the pasta water
- In a large bowl, whisk egg yolks and egg with the pecorino romano cheese until it forms a paste
- Add the pasta, 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water, and cooked pancetta to the bowl with the eggs/cheese and mix until creamy (add more water if needed)
- Top with fresh black pepper and serve
