Pasta alla Carbonara (usually spaghetti, but occasionally linguine or bucatini) is a family of Italian pasta dishes based on eggs, parmesan, pancetta or guanciale and black pepper. Carbonaro means charcoal-burner in Italian, but the connection is unclear.
This creamy pasta dish is an Italian favourite and with the right technique, you can make it perfect every time
Instructions
Put the egg yolks into a bowl, finely grate in the Parmesan, season with pepper, then mix well with a fork and put to one side.
Cook the spaghetti in a large pan of boiling salted water until al dente.
Peel the garlic, then crush with the palm of your hand, add it to the pan with a little olive oil and leave it to flavour for 1 minute. Stir in the lardons, then cook for 4 minutes, or until it starts to crisp up. Add the frozen peas and cook until defrosted.
Pick out and discard the garlic from the pan, then, reserving some of the cooking water, drain and add the spaghetti. Toss well over the heat so it really soaks up all that lovely flavour, then remove the pan from the heat.
Add a splash of the cooking water and toss well, season with pepper, then pour in the egg mixture – the pan will help to cook the egg gently, rather than scrambling it. Toss well, adding more cooking water until it’s lovely and glossy.
Serve with a grating of Parmesan and an extra twist of pepper.
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