Battle of The Carbonara

To celebrate National Carbonara Day, Raff has shared his ideal Carbonara recipe. But would you be willing to willing to switch Guanciale for Smoked Salmon for a spin on the classic?

INGREDIENTS for 4 portions

Spaghetti 320 g

Guanciale (Italian cured meat similar to Pancetta) 200 g

Egg yolks 6 - average size

Pecorino Romano cheese 90 g (Parmesan cheese is also fine if Pecorino is not available)

Black pepper to taste

PREPARATION

Bring a pot of salted water to the boil, in the meantime, remove the pork rind from the guanciale and cut it into strips approximately 2 x 0.5 cm thick... Start cooking the guanciale in a non-stick pan and brown for about 15 minutes over medium heat until crisp and not burnt...

As soon as the water boils add the spaghetti and cook accordingly to the timing indicated on the package. In the meantime, pour the yolks into a bowl, add most of the Pecorino cheese, season with black pepper and whip by hand, add a 3-4 tablespoons of cooking water to dilute the mixture and stir.

Once the pasta is cooked “al dente”, drain it and add it directly to the pan with the guanciale and stir it briefly. Remove from heat and pour the mixture of eggs and pecorino cheese into the pan. Mix quickly to combine.

If necessary, add more cooking water to your pasta in order to reach a creamier consistency. Serve spaghetti Carbonara immediately with the remaining pecorino cheese and a generous sprinkle of freshly ground black pepper.

TIPS

Never add cream to Carbonara or random ingredients such as mushrooms or Smoked Salmon... that would be a whole different pasta altogether (in Raffs opinion!)