1Start with the base: how much salt to pour in the water. Usually 10g of salt per liter of water, but for carbonara, 5g is enough due to salty ingredients.
2Use quality pasta, either long or short.
3Prepare the guanciale: remove the bark (save it for broth or stew), then cut it into cubes or strips of the same size for uniform cooking.
4Put the guanciale in a cold frying pan and stir constantly for uniform cooking until crispy and all the fat is rendered.
5Filter the rendered guanciale fat.
6Prepare the eggs for the cream: you can use only yolks or yolks plus a whole egg.
7Create the carbonara cream by mixing the eggs with Pecorino cheese and black pepper to obtain a solid paste.
8Emulsify the cream using part of the guanciale fat and pasta cooking water.
9Remove the pasta from cooking 5 minutes before it is fully cooked and finish cooking it in the guanciale fat with the help of pasta cooking water.
10Off the heat, add the carbocrema and part of the guanciale to the pasta.
11Perform a second mantecatura to create a creamy sauce that is neither too liquid nor too solid, and to cook the egg.
12Plate the carbonara with more cream, guanciale, and black pepper.
Ingredients
5 g salt
1 L water
pasta
30 g guanciale
2 egg yolks
1 whole egg
20 g cured cheese
black pepper
Equipment
frying pan
Tips
Use 5g of salt per liter of water for cooking pasta due to other salty ingredients.
Use quality pasta.
Cook guanciale from cold in a pan, stirring constantly until crispy and all fat is rendered.
Filter the guanciale fat.
Use eggs to create the cream, either just yolks or yolks plus a whole egg for a lighter texture.
The carbonara cream is made by mixing eggs with Pecorino cheese and black pepper.
Emulsify the cream with guanciale fat and pasta cooking water.
Remove pasta 5 minutes before it's fully cooked and finish cooking it in the guanciale fat with pasta water to create an incredible cream (mantecatura).
Add the carbocrema and part of the guanciale off the heat to create a creamy texture and cook the egg without scrambling it.
Understand the fundamental points of the recipe to adapt it to your liking.