Carbonara is a Roman pasta dish whose sauce consists only of egg yolk, Pecorino Romano, black pepper and rendered guanciale, with no cream at all.

How to

Whisk egg yolks with grated Pecorino and plenty of pepper. Add the pasta with a little cooking water to the guanciale in the pan, take it off the heat and only then stir in the egg mixture. The residual heat turns it into a creamy emulsion.

In flexitarian cooking

Instead of guanciale, seared courgette, mushrooms or smoked tofu add bite and flavour. The principle of egg and cheese stays the same.

Common mistake

If the pan is too hot, the egg scrambles. Always take it off the heat before adding the egg mixture.

Related recipes

Zucchini carbonara, Homemade linguine

The right tool

Grate Pecorino finely with our Premium Stainless Steel Zester and grind fresh pepper with the electric salt & pepper mill.

Related terms

Emulsion, Pasta fresca, Al dente, Seasoning to taste