Spaghetti Carbonara

Ingredients (Serves 2)

• 200g dried spaghetti
  
• 150g pancetta 
  
• 3 large free range egg yolks
  
• 40g Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving
  
• 1 clove garlic
  
• Extra virgin olive oil
  
• Freshly ground black pepper
  
  

Method

Put the egg yolks in a bowl, finely grate in the Parmesan, season generously with black pepper and mix well. Set aside.

Trim any hard skin from the pancetta, then chop the meat into small cubes.

Cook the spaghetti in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Reserve a little of the cooking water before draining.

Meanwhile, heat a medium frying pan. Rub the base with the pancetta skin for flavour or use 1 tbsp olive oil. Peel the garlic, crush it lightly and add it to the pan for 1 minute to infuse. Stir in the pancetta and cook for about 4 minutes until golden and starting to crisp. Discard the garlic.

Add the drained spaghetti to the pan, tossing well so it soaks up all the flavours. Remove the pan from the heat.

Add a splash of reserved cooking water, then pour in the egg and Parmesan mixture. Toss quickly, the residual heat will gently cook the eggs into a glossy sauce. Add more pasta water if needed.

Serve straight away with extra Parmesan and black pepper.