Pasta Alla Carbonara

With just a handful of ingredients, spaghetti alla carbonara lets quality shine, from silky egg yolks to sharp Pecorino Romano and crisp guanciale. Pork is rendered to golden perfection before everything is brought together for a sauce that’s rich and glossy. Finished with plenty of freshly toasted black pepper, it’s a deeply satisfying dish that proves simplicity, when done well, is anything but ordinary.

Recipe provided by Eli Saiach

1 pound spaghetti

3 ½ oz. guanciale or pancetta, cut into small pieces

4 large egg yolks

1 cup finely grated Pecorino Romano, plus more for serving

Freshly ground black pepper, toasted

Salt, to taste

Preheat your sauté pan over medium heat. Add oil and heat until shimmering but not smoking. Add the guanciale to the pan and cook over medium heat until golden and crispy. Remove from the pan and set aside, leaving the rendered fat.

Lightly crush the black pepper and set aside.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the spaghetti until al dente. Reserve about 1 cup of pasta water, then drain.

In a bowl, mix the egg yolks, grated pecorino and crushed black pepper until smooth. If the mixture feels too thick, add a splash of reserved pasta water to loosen.

Add the pasta to the pan along with the cooked guanciale and toss with the guanciale fat. Remove from heat and mix in the egg and pecorino mixture, loosening with pasta water as needed. Finish with more black pepper, extra guanciale and plenty of pecorino on top.