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Karen Martini's spaghetti carbonara

A guaranteed home run. - by Karen Martini
  • 19 Feb 2021
Prep: 10 Minutes - Cook: 10 Minutes - Serves 2
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Any dish that counts bacon and eggs among its key ingredients is bound to be a winner…but when you add cheese and pasta to the mix, you’ve got a guaranteed home run. Karen’s showing you how to make a truly authentic spaghetti carbonara and, although the list of ingredients may be small, there are a few tricks to making this dish taste amazing. Karen’s here to show you how.

Ingredients

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

150g piece pancetta, guanciale or speck, diced (see Cook's tip)

2 cloves garlic, finely sliced

300g fresh or dried spaghetti (or tagliatelle or fettuccine)

2 free-range eggs, plus 2 egg yolks

100g parmesan or pecorino, finely grated, plus extra, to serve

Lots of freshly ground black pepper, roughly 20 grinds (about 1/2 tsp)

Finely chopped flat-leaf parsley, to serve

Method

  1. Heat a large frying pan over medium heat. Add oil and pancetta and fry until golden and crisp, about 5 minutes. Lower the heat and add garlic. Cook until fragrant and lightly golden. Remove from heat.

  2. Meanwhile, cook pasta in boiling salted water until al dente. Don't drain.

  3. Lightly whisk whole eggs in a large bowl. Add yolks, parmesan and pepper without stirring. Pour into pan with pancetta mixture but don't stir.

  4. Using tongs, transfer cooked pasta from water directly into pan, and ladle in 100ml of the cooking water. Using tongs, twirl pasta through egg mixture to coat all pasta strands with sauce. The heat from the pancetta, pasta and water will cook the egg and melt the cheese. Don't be tempted to return to stove or there's a danger of scrambling the eggs. Sprinkle with extra parmesan and parsley. Serve.

Cook's tip

  • Guanciale is cured pork cheek. Buy it at delis and from online supporters.
  • By leaving cream out of the carbonara, you create a lighter but equally tasty dish that puts the spotlight on the other ingredients. 
Spaghetti Carbonara
Rob Palmer

For more recipes, pick up a copy of the latest issue of Better Homes and Gardens magazine in selected newsagents and supermarkets or buy online today!

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Karen Martini
Karen Martini
Melbourne chef, restaurateur and food writer Karen Martini has been cooking professionally for more than 20 years. A passionate ambassador for Ovarian Cancer Research, Karen aims to build the awareness of the silent killer that is often misdiagnosed.

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