Classic Spaghetti Carbonara

Carbonara is one of Rome's great pasta dishes. The secret is patience: the egg and cheese sauce must be emulsified off the heat so it stays glossy and creamy — never scrambled.

Ingredients

• 400g spaghetti
• 200g guanciale (or pancetta if unavailable), cut into small cubes
• 4 large eggs + 2 extra yolks
• 100g Pecorino Romano, finely grated (plus extra to serve)
• Freshly cracked black pepper
• Salt, for the pasta water

Method

1. Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Salt it generously — it should taste like the sea.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, yolks, and most of the Pecorino. Season generously with black pepper. Set aside.
3. Fry the guanciale in a cold pan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the fat has rendered and the pieces are golden and crispy. Remove from the heat.
4. Cook the spaghetti until just al dente (1 minute less than the packet says). Reserve at least a mug of pasta cooking water before draining.
5. Add the drained pasta to the pan with the guanciale. Toss to coat in the rendered fat.
6. Let the pan cool for a minute — this is critical. Then add the egg and cheese mixture, tossing rapidly and adding a splash of pasta water to loosen. The residual heat will cook the eggs to a silky sauce without scrambling them.
7. Keep tossing, adding more pasta water as needed, until the sauce is glossy and coats every strand.

Serve

Divide into warmed bowls. Finish with the remaining Pecorino and a generous grind of black pepper. Serve immediately.

Tips

• No cream. Authentic carbonara gets its creaminess from the egg yolks and cheese emulsified with starchy pasta water.
• Temperature is everything. If the pan is too hot when you add the eggs, you'll get scrambled eggs. Let it cool first.
• Guanciale vs pancetta. Guanciale (cured pig cheek) is the authentic choice and has a richer flavour. Pancetta works as a substitute.