After the recipe for crepes for Chandeleur and the galette des rois, here’s another of Cyrl Lignac’s easy-to-make recipes to impress your guests. pasta alla Carbonara is a traditional Italian specialty that everyone can agree on. But Italians hate pasta Carbonara “à la Française”. The reason? Fresh cream! Mamma mia! Enough to make our Italian friends bristle… So, would you like to get in the kitchen and cook some “real” Carbo’ pasta? Chef Cyril Lignac gives you his crunchy and tasty recipe for Pasta Carbonara, cooked just like in Rome. Basta the cream and buongiorno the eggs, cheese and guanciale! Buon appetito!
Cyril Lignac’s recipe for “real” Pasta Carbonara
Ingredients for 4 people:
- 400 g spaghetti
- 2 whole eggs
- 4 egg yolks
- 120 g pecorino cheese
- 120 g guanciale
- 10 whole black peppercorns
- 80 g Parmesan cheese
How to make Cyril Lignac’s Pasta à la Carbonara :
- Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Then cook the spaghetti for 6 minutes. Drain the spaghetti, reserving two ladles of cooking water.
- Crush the whole black peppercorns.
- Slice the guanciale thinly, like bacon. Fry in a hot pan with a little of your own ground pepper, until crisp.
- Set aside 3/4 of the guanciale on a plate, on absorbent paper. Keep 1/4 of the guanciale in the pan, with the cooking fat.
- Grate the Pecorino and Parmesan cheeses and blend together.
- In a large bowl or salad bowl, mix the eggs, 3/4 of the grated cheese and two pinches of crushed pepper. Set aside.
- Pour 2 ladles of pasta cooking water into the pan, add the spaghetti and guanciale and stir. Cook over low heat, stirring, for about 6 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and set aside for a few minutes.
- Once the pasta has cooled down a little, add your egg mixture, grated cheese and crushed pepper, until you obtain a creamy texture.
Cyril Lignac’s tip for making Carbonara pasta:
The secret of a good Carbonara lies in the “liaison”. This is what creates the perfect creamy sauce to envelop your spaghetti. To avoid an “omelette” effect that would spoil the whole recipe, remember to season your spaghetti off the heat, by adding a little pasta cooking water.