A good pasta dish will never fail you, and spaghetti carbonara is always a safe bet. The quick pasta dish is an absolute classic, and it helps that you can make it from a few kitchen staples. If you want to master an authentic carbonara, there are a few tricks that you should learn, but there is also one ingredient that is an absolute must to take your dish to the “next level.”
Traditionally, spaghetti carbonara is made with guanciale, an Italian cured pork jowl, also known as cheek bacon. The cured meat is what gives the dish its rich taste as a result of the high fat-to-meat ratio. While guanciale might not be as common in the UK, you can still buy it at butchers or shops specialising in Italian or continental meats or even some supermarkets, including Waitrose. If you can get your hands on some guanciale, be sure to include it the next time you make the dish.
As well as the most important ingredient, using egg yolks for the sauce without adding any cream is essential when it comes to a traditional carbonara, yet it takes real skill to pull it off. Thankfully, this BBC Good Food, Next Level Spaghetti Carbonara recipe will teach you everything you need to know.
Ingredients:
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 150g guanciale, finely chopped or rindless unsmoked fatty pancetta
- 1 garlic glove, bashed
- 200g spaghetti or fettuccine
- 4 good quality egg yolks (two are optional)
- 50g parmesan, finely grated
- A few drops of truffle oil (optional)