Spaghetti alla Carbonara

Ingredients

• 400g spaghetti or rigatoni
• 180g guanciale, in one thick piece
• 5 large egg yolks
• 1 whole large egg
• 90g Pecorino Romano, finely grated
• 2 tsp black peppercorns, coarsely cracked
• 1 tbsp coarse salt, for the pasta water

Before you cook

• Trim the leathery rind off the guanciale and keep it for flavouring soup another day
• Cut the guanciale into strips about 1cm wide and 5mm thick
• Grate the Pecorino Romano on the finest holes so it melts instantly
• Separate five yolks into a large mixing bowl and add the whole egg
• Crack the peppercorns coarsely under the base of a heavy pan

Steps

1. Fill a large pot with 4 litres of water, add the coarse salt and bring it to a rolling boil.
2. Put the guanciale into a cold, wide frying pan and set it over medium-low heat.
3. Cook the guanciale for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring now and then, until the fat has run clear and the strips are golden and crisp at the edges.
4. Lift the guanciale out with a slotted spoon onto a plate and leave the rendered fat in the pan off the heat.
5. Drop the spaghetti into the boiling water and stir it once to separate the strands.
6. Add all but a tablespoon of the grated pecorino to the bowl of eggs, along with most of the cracked pepper.
7. Beat the eggs and cheese to a thick, sandy paste, then loosen it with two tablespoons of the warm guanciale fat.
8. Cook the pasta until it still has a firm core, usually one minute less than the packet says.
9. Scoop out a large mugful of the cloudy cooking water and set it beside you.
10. Whisk four tablespoons of that hot water into the egg mixture, a little at a time, until it flows like single cream.
11. Drain the pasta and tip it straight into the frying pan with the remaining fat.
12. Toss the pasta in the fat off the heat for about 20 seconds so the pan cools slightly.
13. Pour the egg mixture over the pasta and stir hard and continuously for about a minute.
14. Add splashes of the reserved water until the sauce coats every strand and slides rather than clumps.
15. Stir most of the crisp guanciale back through the pasta.
16. Serve into warm bowls and finish each with the last guanciale, the reserved pecorino and the remaining pepper.