Carbonara

Spaghetti carbonara is one of the great classics of Italian cuisine which no-one could live without. A nice plate of spaghetti carbonara is always satisfying and puts you in a good mood! Carbonara was invented as a dish for the charcoal burners who used to bring to work with them, in their knapsacks, simple ingredients with which to make their lunch; the recipe would be an evolution of a Lazio dish involving cheese and pepper, which later became cheese and eggs. According to another version, the recipe was born during the Liberation in WWII, when American soldiers stationed in Italy had with them supplies of bacon and eggs and would ask the innkeepers of the lodgings were they stayed to cook them some pasta with these ingredients. Whatever the true story, it is clear that carbonara is all-Italian and very tasty! Let's try it in this version from our chef: it’s not the original but is just as lovely!

For this tasty recipe you should use pork jowl - ‘guanciale’ - but since it is rather difficult to find you can replace it with pancetta. Cut the pancetta into strips and sauté them over low heat to melt the fat. Separately, add 2 egg yolks plus two whole eggs to a bowl and beat lightly before adding the grated pecorino cheese. Continue to beat with a fork to mix the ingredients well. This type of sauce is particularly well-suited to spaghetti: after it is cooked al dente, drain and, while still hot, transfer to the pan where you browned the bacon, then pour over the eggs and cheese mixture, stir quickly, keeping the pan on the flame so that it remains hot. Before serving, grind over plenty of black pepper. This recipe has several variations; we propose two. If you enjoy stronger flavours you can fry a clove of garlic with a tablespoon of oil before adding the bacon; if you prefer a milder sauce, add 2 tablespoons of cream to the eggs and you'll get a much creamier sauce.