Here's an awesome recipe from our friends over at Firehouse BBQ that's simple to make and jammed packed full of flavours! Originating in Rome, Italy, Carbonara has seen many variations over the years and our take pays tribute to the traditional ingredients that make it stand out from the crowd!
Ingredients
- Your favourite good quality pasta — we used Fettuccine
- 50g Pecorino Romano (a hard, salty cheese made from sheep's milk)
- 120g Guanciale (cured pork cheek) — if you get stuck, use prosciutto or bacon
- 1 tsp coarse ground black pepper
- 2 tsp salt
- 3 egg yolks (best quality eggs you can buy)
If you're wondering where the cream is… you ain't gunna find it here — forget about it! The fat renders from the Guanciale, mixed with the egg yolks and cheese make the perfect creamy sauce. You're going to love it!
Method
- Finely dice the Guanciale (or bacon/prosciutto) and cook in a pan over medium heat until the fat has rendered and the meat is golden and crispy. Set aside with the rendered fat.
- Cook your pasta in well-salted boiling water until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of pasta cooking water before draining.
- In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, grated Pecorino Romano, and plenty of coarse black pepper until combined.
- Add the hot drained pasta to the pan with the Guanciale and fat. Remove from heat — this is important to avoid scrambling the eggs.
- Quickly pour the egg and cheese mixture over the pasta, tossing constantly. Add pasta water a little at a time to loosen the sauce into a silky, creamy consistency.
- Serve immediately with extra Pecorino and black pepper.
Tip: The secret to authentic Carbonara is working fast off the heat when adding the eggs. The residual heat from the pasta cooks the eggs gently into a sauce — too much heat and you'll get scrambled eggs!
