Food by Drygast

A classic carbonara does not contain a drop of cream but is made creamy with eggs, cheese and pasta water. This original version does not contain many ingredients so it is important to try to get high-quality ingredients.

Guanciale is air-dried pork cheek seasoned with herbs, salt and pepper and produced all over Italy. This is the traditional ingredient for carbonara and gives it a special taste. Unlike pancetta and bacon, guanciale is not smoked.

A thing to keep in mind is that this pasta dish is absolutely not suitable for saving and then reheating, but should be eaten immediately after cooking. "La pasta non aspetta!" Pasta does not wait and that is certainly the case here. This dish tastes best the second it is ready. This is also why I am writing this recipe adapted for 1 serving - cook only the amount needed and no more.

To prepare a perfect carbonara, it may take some practice. Getting the timing and temperature right is not difficult, but you may need to do the steps a few times to feel confident that you can control the outcome.

Modifications that I think most people can accept even if it is no longer a classic Roman carbonara:

Replace guanciale with pancetta
Use a different pasta than spaghetti
Replace half of the pecorino with parmesan

When I cook pasta, I usually use the simple rule of thumb: 10-100-1000 which says that one serving should use 10g of salt for 100g of pasta and boil it in 1000g of water. For this particular dish, I halve the amount of salt to 5g/liter because there will be a lot of salt from the guanciale and cheese. If more salt is needed, it can be added just before serving. I usually use the simple rule that you can always add more salt and that it is much harder to remove.

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Ingredients

Directions

Pasta

Cut off the rind and cut the guanciale into smaller pieces. Place the pieces in a cold frying pan and fry over medium heat until the fat melts and the meat is crispy in its own fat.
Bring 1 litre of water to the boil (with 5g salt) and cook the pasta until al dente.
While the pasta is cooking, mix the finely grated pecorino with the egg yolk and black pepper.
When the pasta is cooked, save some of the pasta water and then add the pasta directly to the frying pan with the guanciale.
Remove the pan from the heat and add the cheese mixture. Add some of the pasta water and stir/stir until everything is well mixed. Thin with more pasta water if the consistency is too thick.
Serve immediately with more grated pecorino and freshly ground black pepper.

Nutrition Facts*

	Total	Serving	100 g
Energy	822.12 kcal	822.12 kcal	408 kcal
Carbohydrates	71.79 g	71.79 g	35.63 g
Fat	46.71 g	46.71 g	23.18 g
Protein	27.93 g	27.93 g	13.86 g
Sugar	3.87 g	3.87 g	1.92 g
Salt	3.75 g	3.75 g	1.86 g

* The nutritional information provided is approximated and calculated using the ingredients available in the database. Info will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.