Spaghetti alla Carbonara

Ingredients (for 4 people):

• 350g Spaghetti
• 150g Pancetta
• 50g Pecorino romano
• 20g Grated parmesan or grated cheese (optional)
• 3/4 Egg yolks
• Salt to taste
• Black pepper to taste
• Oil

Preparation:

Note: Prepare the sauce while the pasta is cooking to ensure that the spaghetti will be hot and ready when the sauce is finished; it is very important that the pasta is hot when adding the egg mixture, so that the heat of the pasta cooks the raw eggs in the sauce.

1. Put a pot of water on the heat and bring it to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until ‘al dente’ (about 8-10 minutes). Drain the pasta well and save about ½ cup of the starchy cooking water to use in the sauce.
2. Meanwhile, cook the pancetta in a pan with oil over medium heat. Cook it until it becomes brown and crispy (about 7-8 minutes).
3. Add the hot, drained spaghetti to the pan and toss for 2 minutes to coat the strands in the pancetta fat.
4. Beat the eggs with pecorino and parmesan (optional) together in a mixing bowl, stirring well to prevent lumps. Add salt and pepper.
5. Remove the pan from the heat and pour the egg/cheese mixture into the pasta, whisking quickly until the eggs thicken. Do this away from the heat to ensure eggs do not scramble.
6. Thin out the sauce with a bit of the saved starchy cooking water, until it reaches desired consistency.
7. Serve immediately, adding more pecorino to taste and freshly ground pepper.

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