The origins of the simple dish are unclear, but what is straight forward is the name which is derived from the Italian word for charcoal burners, and is a common believe that the recipe was first made as an hearty meal for these workers. The #Carbonara is prepared with “#guanciale” (cured hog jowls), and absolutely no added cream: the secret to achieve a nice creamy consistency is to add some pasta cooking water (rich in starch) to the sauce made with eggs and #cheese.
INGREDIENTS
for 4 servings
340 g spaghetti 120 g cured hog jowl 3 tablespoons grated pecorino romano 3 tablespoons grated parmesan 2 large egg yolks 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil salt and pepper to taste
PREPARATION
First cut the jowl in sticks and mix with the egg yolks and the two grated cheeses. Stretch them with 4 tablespoons of cooking water and whisk so that the mix become creamy. Salt and pepper. Bring a pot of water to a boil and meanwhile, brown to crispy the chopped jowl in a pan with the olive oil, over low heat. Drain pasta when firm to the bite and put it in the pan where the crispy jowl is. Mix well, pour the mixture of egg yolks and cheeses on the spaghetti and stir. Serve immediately.