Spaghetti Carbonara - Original Italian with confit egg yolk & guanciale

Ingredients for 2 people

For the carbonara:

• 200 g spaghetti

• 80 g guanciale (air-dried pork cheek)

• 2 egg yolks

• 50 g pecorino (grated)

• 1 tbsp oil (to confit the egg yolks)

• Black pepper from the grinder

• Salt for the pasta water

Preparation - step by step

1. Confit the egg yolk

   Place the egg yolks in a small heatproof container and cover with oil. Cook in the oven at 60 °C for about 10 minutes. The egg yolks will become creamy and glossy - ideal as a finish.

2. Fry the guanciale

   Cut the guanciale into small cubes and fry slowly in a pan until crispy. Set aside a few cubes for garnish.

3. Pre-cooking spaghetti

   Cook the spaghetti in plenty of salted water for only about two thirds of the specified cooking time. Skim off some of the pasta water - you will need this later for the sauce.

4. Stir the sauce

   Mix the pecorino with an egg yolk. Stir in a little warm pasta water until smooth and you have a creamy sauce.

5. Finish cooking & emulsifying pasta

   Add the spaghetti to the guanciale in the pan and finish cooking with a little pasta water. Reduce the heat, stir in the sauce and mix everything well. Gradually add more pasta water until the sauce thickens to a creamy consistency.

6. Sideboards

   Arrange the pasta on plates. Finish with the confit egg yolk, the reserved guanciale cubes and freshly ground pepper.

Why you'll love this recipe

Patience is key when stirring the sauce - the slower you stir in and emulsify the egg yolk, the silkier the result will be. Having a small bowl of hot pasta water to hand makes it easier.

Fancy more Italian classics?

Then browse through my YouTube channel HausmannKocht - there you will find more simple and sophisticated recipes from Austria, Italy and the world of honest home cooking.