WARNING - This is REAL Pasta Carbonara, the way Grandmothers would make it in Italy. No Cream, No Wine – just flavour. Nothing like you get out of a jar or even at most restaurants.
Serves 2 in about 30 minutes.
- 2 tablespoons of Olive Oil
- 1 clove of Garlic, peeled and gently crushed (Optional)
- 200g Pancetta (in one piece then diced)
- 2 tablespoons of Butter
- 2 Eggs
- 50g of finely grated Pecorino Cheese
- 250g long Pasta (Spaghetti, Fettuccine or etc.)
- Salt & Pepper to taste
- Some chopped flat leaf Parsley to serve
Step by Step.
Put a large pot of salted water on to boil. For 250g of Pasta you want at least 2½ litres or water – more is better.
While water is boiling, heat oil in a large frying or sauté pan over a medium-high heat. Add the garlic clove to the pan and stir it to flavour the oil for a minute. Add the Pancetta and cook for about 8 minutes or until it starts to crisp up. Remove garlic clove before it burns. When Pancetta is browned and crispy, turn the heat down to low and stir the butter through.
While Pancetta is cooking, add the Pasta to the boiling salted water and cook until al dente. Check pack instructions. If it says cooking time 7 to 9 minutes, cook for 7 and check – that's usually enough.
Crack eggs into a bowl, add half the cheese and some freshly ground black pepper and whisk with a fork. Put to one side.
When pasta is cooked, turn off the heat and remove pasta from pot with tongs and put it straight into the pan with the Pancetta. Some of the cooking water will join it but that's what you want – it helps create the sauce. Turn heat under frying pan up slightly and toss the pasta well with the Pancetta and oil so it is really well coated with all the flavour of the oil, then remove the pan from the heat. Add a little more of the cooking water (a couple of tablespoons) and stir well.
Pour the egg mixture onto the Pasta and stir through quickly – the residual heat in the pan and Pasta will help to cook the egg mixture but you DO NOT want it to scramble the eggs. Toss well and add some more cooking water if required until you have a nice glossy coating all over the pasta.
Taste a bit for seasoning and add salt if required (Remember the Pancetta can be salty as well so only add salt at this point). Serve with a sprinkle of chopped Parsley, some of the remaining Cheese, an extra twist of black Pepper to taste.
Variations.
- Instead of 2 eggs, use 4 egg yolks for an even more decadent sauce.
- Use Smoked Scottish Bacon instead of Pancetta – thick cut and sliced into very thick 'matchsticks'.
- Use Parmesan or Gran Padano instead of Pecorino – all 3 are easy to find in supermarkets. Use more than 50g if you like it extra Cheesy. Use a mixture of them as well.
- Garnish with chopped green bits of Spring Onion instead of Parsley.
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