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Colin Fassnidge's ultimate carbonara

Name: Colin Fassnidge's ultimate carbonara recipe
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 40.00 ml extra virgin olive oil; 200g guanciale, sliced; 500g spaghetti; 4 large egg yolks, at room temperature; 40g parmesan; 40g pecorino

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by Colin Fassnidge

Chef and My Kitchen Rules judge

May 01, 2023

Put that bacon away – if you want to make an authentic carbonara, you need guanciale. Colin Fassnidge gets cheeky with the classic Italian pasta dish.

2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
200g guanciale, sliced
500g spaghetti
4 large egg yolks, at room temperature
1/2 cup (40g) very finely grated parmesan (we used a microplane), plus extra to serve
1/2 cup (40g) very finely grated pecorino (we used a microplane)

Method

1.

Heat oil in a large, deep frypan over medium heat. Add guanciale and cook, stirring occasionally, for 6-8 minutes until fat renders and guanciale is crisp. Remove pan from heat.
2.

At the same time, cook the spaghetti in a large saucepan of boiling, salted water for 6-8 minutes until al dente.
3.

Meanwhile, whisk yolks, cheeses and 2 tbs cold tap water in a jug. Season well with salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper.
4.

This is where you need everything ready to go, so that you can work quickly. Use tongs to transfer pasta to the warm frypan with the guanciale. Toss well to combine. Temper the egg yolk mixture with 1/4 cup (60ml) leftover pasta cooking water, whisking with a fork to combine, then pour over pasta in frypan. Toss quickly to coat, then stir to melt the cheese and work the starch in the pasta (which will help thicken the sauce).
5.

If the carbonara looks a little dry, add a little more more leftover pasta cooking water to loosen. Serve immediately, seasoned with freshly ground black pepper and sprinkled with extra parmesan.

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Recipe Notes

“Carbonara waits for no one. Have your ingredients ready to go and everyone sitting down at the table ready to receive.”

What is guanciale? Guanciale gets its name from the Italian word for cheek or jowl, ‘guancia’. It’s pork jowl cured in a mixture of salt, black pepper, herbs and spices, then dried in controlled conditions. Its delicate, creamy texture is due to the high fat-to-meat ratio, and it’s the perfect ingredient for a traditional spaghetti alla carbonara or bucatini all’amatriciana.