Bacon (or guanciale) fried until crisp, the hot pasta tossed in its fat, and off the heat beaten egg yolks with grated cheese and a little cooking water, for a creamy sauce (no cream in the classic version).
Cook the pasta in plenty of boiling salted water (4¼ cups of water and a heaping teaspoon of salt for every 4 oz of pasta), following the package directions (taste about 2 minutes early), until al dente.
⚙ Cooking in salted waterStovePot
💡The water should taste like a seasoned soup, not like sea water: a heaping teaspoon of salt per liter. Add the salt once the water is boiling.
2
Reserve cup of the cooking water before draining.
⚙ Saving the cooking waterLadleorMeasuring cup
💡The cooking water is starchy: a spoonful or two binds the sauce to the pasta or the gnocchi and makes it glossy.
3
Drain.
Colander
To assemble
4
Heat the wide pan over medium heat and fry the bacon, stirring, until the bacon is crisp.
⚙ Pan-fryingStoveFrying pan
💡What you brown (meat, patties, schnitzel) goes into hot oil: in lukewarm oil it soaks it up and comes out greasy. For onion and garlic that you soften, oil heated over medium or low heat is enough; do not wait for it to smoke.
5
In a bowl, whisk the yolks, cheese and black pepper.
BowlWhisk
6
Turn off the heat under the pan, immediately add the hot drained pasta and toss it in the fat.
7
Add the yolk mixture and toss quickly with a little of the cooking water, until a creamy sauce coats the pasta.
💡The eggs go in only off the heat: the heat of the pasta and the cooking water thickens them into a sauce, while a lit flame turns them into scrambled eggs.
8
Serve immediately with freshly ground black pepper on top.
789calories
42 gprotein
73 gcarbs
34 gfat
● protein 22%● carbs 38%● fat 40%
Per serving (192 g), of 4 servings
For the Cooked pasta · To assemble ·
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Black pepper: measured in tsp in this recipe: 1 tsp = 2.4 g · 251 kcal per 100 g · More about Black pepper →
🔧 Tools needed (7) · 🍳 2 cooking vessels
Stove· 💡 Workaround, changes the dish: Portable hot plate (one weaker burner) · Camping gas stove (One burner, outdoors) · Electric pressure cooker (multicooker) (One pot, no real shallow frying)
Frying pan· Also works: Wok (None)· 💡 Workaround, changes the dish: Pot (High sides, slow evaporation and weak browning)
Pot· Also works: Deep skillet (sauté pan) (less liquid, faster evaporation)· 💡 Workaround, changes the dish: Wok (For quick cooking)
Bowl· Also works: Pot (None)
Colander· Also works: Lid (a lid held slightly open over the sink, you lose a little) · Slotted spoon (for small amounts)
Whisk· Also works: Hand mixer (None)· 💡 Workaround, changes the dish: Fork (Beat with a fork, less air)
Ladle or Measuring cup· one of them
By the steps, as the recipe is built now: another version or addition can change the list.
Possible additions: Bacon · Bacon frying time (minutes) (8) · Garlic fried in the bacon fat · How much of the cheese goes into the egg mixture (the rest on top) (two-thirds) · olive oil · Whole garlic cloves (removed) · Fried onion (no bacon) · Fried sliced garlic (no bacon) · Yolks · Whole eggs · Cream in the egg mixture · Salt in the egg mixture · Second grated cheese · Parsley on top
