Spaghetti Carbonara
| Servings | 2 |
|---|---|
| Prep time | 5 minutes |
| Cooking time | 10 minutes |
It doesn't get much simpler than this. A go-to meal for me if I don't have much time. It's made most traditionally with pancetta, but regular bacon, ham, or even chorizo are pretty good too.
You can skip the meat for a veggie option, and a couple of pinches of smoked paprika still captures the flavour of cooked bacon.
Ingredients
- 100g pancetta
- 3 egg yolks
- 50g parmesan
- 1 clove garlic
- 200g spaghetti
- black pepper
Directions
- Start cooking the pasta, according to the instructions, until al dente. This takes around 10 minutes. Don't drain it when done – we want to keep the cooking water.
- Dice the pancetta if required and add to a largish cold frying pan or cast iron. Turn the heat on to medium low and allow the fat to render out.
- Peel and lightly crush the clove of garlic with your hand, then drop it whole into the pan with the pancetta.
- Finely grate the parmesan and combine with the egg yolks in a small bowl. Beat until combined, and season with a little pepper.
- When the pasta is ready, remove the garlic from the pancetta and discard. Use a pair of tongs to grab the spaghetti and drop it into the pan with the pancetta – you should end up with a good amount of pasta water in there too.Mix it around to coat it with the fat.
- Remove the pan from the heat and pour in the eggs and cheese. Stir gently until a smooth, glossy sauce develops, adding a couple of spoonfuls of pasta water as you go.
- Serve with some extra black pepper and parmesan.