Spaghetti Carbonara

Rome's classic: eggs, cured pork, pecorino and black pepper. No cream, just a silky sauce made with pasta water.

Ingredients

• 200 g spaghetti
• 100 g guanciale or pancetta, diced
• 2 whole eggs
• 2 egg yolks
• 50 g pecorino romano, finely grated
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Cook the spaghetti in well-salted water. Save a mug of the cooking water before draining.
2. Fry the guanciale in a dry pan over medium heat for 6 to 8 minutes until crisp. Turn off the heat.
3. Beat the eggs, yolks, pecorino and pepper in a bowl to a thick paste.
4. Add the hot pasta to the guanciale pan, off the heat. Pour in the egg mixture with a splash of pasta water and toss fast.
5. Keep adding pasta water a spoonful at a time until the sauce is glossy and creamy. Serve at once.