I love Carbonara and I made a few recipes over the years. This is probably my favourite. I know guanciale is the preferred pork product, but pancetta works great too. The balance between the egg yolks and the whole egg is optimal for the silky sauce texture. I love to serve it with fresh and zesty gremolata. Hope you will love it too!
Portions : 2 or 4 small ones
Preparation time : 15 minutes
Cooking time : 20 minutes
Ingredients :
- 300g fusilli or any short pasta you like
- 4 egg yolks
- 1 whole egg
- ⅔ cup grated pecorino
- 100g pancetta or guanciale
- 1 tbsp kosher salt
- Optional : Grated parmigiano reggiano, for serving
Gremolata :
- 3 tbsp finely chopped parsley
- Zest of 1 lemon
- ½ tsp flaky salt
Steps :
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and season with 1 tbsp of kosher salt.
- Cook pasta until al dente and set aside 1 cup of pasta water.
- Mix together the eggs and pecorino in a large bowl. Set aside.
- Cut the pancetta in 1 cm cubes and fry in a small pan over medium heat, about 3 to 4 minutes, until most of the fat is rendered and meat is crispy. Set aside.
- Add 2 tbsp of pork fat into the egg mixture.
- Drain pasta and add directly in the bowl. Mix vigorously and add ½ cup of pasta water. Add ½ of the pancetta and season with ½ tsp of pepper and a pinch of salt. Taste and serve into large bowls. Top with parmesan or pecorino and fresh gremolata.