Pasta Carbonara

• Salt
• Boiling water
• ~80g Pasta

Heavily salt your water and bring it to a strong boil. Add your pasta and begin to cook al dente.

• Cubes of Guanciale (or substitute)

Fry the Guanciale or substitute (i.e. Pancetta, Bacon, Halloumi), in a pan while the pasta is cooking, until brown, and a little crispy, to your liking.

Halloumi works well as a substitute for pork, in a vegetarian version. Dice into fine (~8mm ) cubes and fry in oil until the Halloumi releases its water, absorbs the oil, and becomes crispy.

• 2 Eggs or 4 Egg yolks
• Pecorino (or substitute)
• Ground Black Pepper

Put your eggs in a bowl and whisk in the cheese, grated finely, and the pepper. Using just the egg yolks makes for a richer and nicer sauce, but it is wasteful unless you have something to do with the rest of the eggs, so do it if you have an egg plan.

Once the pasta is cooked, drain it, and put it back in the saucepan without water. Add the cooked pork to the saucepan and mix it around, and then add the egg and cheese mixture. Gently place the saucepan back on the heat if necessary, stirring constantly, to slowly increase the temperature of the eggs until they begin to thicken but not cook. Once the eggs have thickened into a sauce that looks appealing to you, throw it in a bowl, optionally add some more cheese or other garnish, and eat. If the eggs are heated too quickly, they will turn into something more akin to scrambled egg. This is still tasty though!

I sometimes add some 'nduja to the pan while the egg is being thickened. It works well with the egg and adds some spice.