I'll start the first recipe with a pasta dish, because why not. Carbonara. Hands down one of the most comforting dishes ever. It's so simple to make, yet never done correctly. Unless you're reading this close to Rome right now, chances are you've eaten the dish in a restaurant made with heavy cream and a bunch of other stuff that doesn't belong in it. Stop. It's cheaper, easier, and better this way. Trust me.
Cacio E Pepe. Gricia. Amatriciana. Carbonara. Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. Then everything changed when Americans made spaghetti and meatballs. (BTW that show is on Netflix now for the ones that know) Anyways, the four base Roman pasta dishes are a must know (I'll get to the others soon). The ingredient list is short, but get the good stuff. I'm a bit extra and always make pasta from scratch and cure my own guanciale, more on that later.
Total time: 15 minutes, Makes 2, plus some for seconds ;)
Ingredients:
-250g Spaghetti
-113g Guanciale*
-85g Pecorino Romano*
-3 Egg Yolks
*Guanciale is cured pork jowl (cheek), it's kinda like bacon. If you can't find it, sub with pancetta. DON'T trim off the fat. I will find you.
*Can sub some of the Pecorino with Parmigiano Reggiano for better balance
Directions:
1. Get that water boiling. Normally you want it to salt it to taste like the sea, but I add a bit less then I normally do because there's enough salt in these ingredients already.
2. Dice the guanciale into small cubes and add to a cold pan. Then turn the heat to a medium high. By doing this, you render the fat.
3. Grate the cheese on the smallest side of a box grater. You're going to basically want powder.
4. In a small bowl add the egg yolks, grated cheese, and as much fresh cracked pepper as you can handle.
5. Add the pasta to the boiling water, duh. DO NOT add oil. And don't pour out all of the pasta water.
6. Take a bit of the pasta water and add it to your yolk mixture. Whisk. You don't want to scramble the eggs, so start with a small amount of water and constantly whisk. This should melt the cheese and start the emulsion.
7. When the pasta is al dente ("to the tooth," basically when it is just tender, but still firm when you bite it. Don't throw it at the wall), take it out with a pair of tongs and place it directly into the pan, turned off, with the guanciale.
8. Add the yolk mixture and start mixing. Add some pasta water as needed, do some fancy flips with the pan, and watch the magic happen. The starchy pasta water, yolks, and rendered fat should emulsify into a super rich and creamy sauce. No cream needed.
9. That's it. Plate up with some extra grated cheese. Forkin' Delicious.
