Italian Pasta Carbonara
The real Roman version — eggs, pecorino and guanciale, no cream in sight. This is the recipe template every card on the homepage currently points to: swap in your own title, photo, times and steps for each real recipe you publish.
Method
Cook the pasta
Bring a large pot of well-salted water to the boil and cook the spaghetti until just shy of al dente. Scoop out a mugful of the starchy cooking water before draining.
Render the guanciale
While the pasta cooks, add the guanciale to a cold, dry pan and set it over medium heat. Let the fat render slowly until the pieces are crisp and golden, then take the pan off the heat and set it aside to cool slightly, keeping the guanciale and its fat together.
Whisk the egg yolks and cheese
In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the grated pecorino or parmesan and a generous amount of black pepper until you have a thick, pale paste.
Toss the pasta through the sauce
Tip the drained pasta into a large mixing bowl. Add a splash of the reserved starchy pasta water to the egg and cheese mixture to loosen it into a glossy sauce, then pour it over the pasta and mix well, adding more pasta water as needed until everything is well coated.
Fold in the guanciale
Once the guanciale has cooled slightly, fold it through the pasta along with its rendered fat. Give everything one final toss and serve straightaway.