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Food

Spaghetti Carbonara Recipe

Rich egg yolk; umami-laden cheese; salty, porky fattiness; the cutting heat of freshly cracked pepper; and perfectly al dente pasta. Why upset that balance? It’s fucking magic.
Spaghetti Carbonara Recipe

"You cannot call a creamy pile of pasta carbonara, and I reserve the right to think you are damn fools if you do."

Total time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

.17 pounds spaghetti
2 large egg yolks
1/2 cup guanciale
1/3 cup pecorino
freshly cracked black pepper

Directions

1. Place the guanciale in a heavy-bottomed pan with a little olive oil over low heat. Allow it to render slowly in its own fat until nice and crispy.

2. Place the egg yolks, pecorino, and pepper in a mixing bowl.

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3. Cook the spaghetti until al dente in plenty of salted boiling water.

4. Add cooked spaghetti to the egg yolks and mix straight away. The heat from the pasta will melt the pecorino and cook the egg yolks, forming the sauce. Add the warm guanciale and some of the rendered fat and keep stirring.

5. Adjust the consistency of the sauce with some of the pasta water. Check seasoning.

6. Serve immediately with more pecorino.

From Stop Putting Cream in Your Carbonara