Nobody can resist this delicious, creamy pasta full of taste and umami. Although Carbonara is one of the most famous dishes from Italy, there is a lot of confusion about this pasta. The original and classic Carbonara just consists of a few simple ingredients and the whole dish is quick and straightforward.
Cut the guanciale or pancetta in cubes or stripes, but not too small.
Put the cut guanciale/pancetta in a cold pan and turn to medium heat, so the fat renders out slowly. It is really important that this process is not made on high heat, to get the guanciale/pancetta nice and crispy.
Grate de 120g of Cheese (60g pecorino/60g parmesan) and mix with 3 eggs and 1 egg yolk. Add some fresh ground black pepper and beat together with a whisk or a fork until homogenous.
Add salt to the water (more or less 10g/liter) for the spaghetti and bring to a boil with a lid on. Cook until al dente. When you strain the noodles, keep 1/2 liter of the cooking water.
When the noodles are cooked turn off the heat of the frying pan with the guanciale/pancetta and add the noodles. Toss the noodles to coat them in the fat of the guanciale/pancetta.
Verify again that the heat is turned off before you go to the next step and let cool slightly.
Add the egg and cheese mixture to the pan and mix vigorously until incorporated. The egg and cheese mixture together with the starch of the noodles and the fat of the guanciale will form a creamy sauce and emulsify everything. If you want the sauce a little more smooth or liquid you just add some of the pasta cooking water until the consistency is to your liking.