- 5 litres water
- 4 tablespoons salt
- 60 ml olive oil
- 150 g pancetta diced
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
- 1/2 cup cup freshly grated pecorino romano
- 2 tablespoons cream optional
- sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 500 g good-quality spaghetti
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Bring water and salt to a boil.
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Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a saucepan, add pancetta and garlic and fry slowly over medium heat to remove fat from pancetta. Remove garlic from pan when browned.
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While pancetta is rendering, combine eggs, half the cheese, cream, sea salt and pepper in a bowl.
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Cook spaghetti until al dente. Drain well but do not rinse.
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Transfer spaghetti to a serving bowl and add pancetta, with its oil, and egg-cheese mixture. Toss with remaining cheese and adjust seasoning 6. Finish with a generous amount of freshly ground pepper.
This is a quintessential Roman pasta dish that has gained popularity all over the world due to the friendliness' of its ingredients – pasta, eggs and bacon. However, don't be tempted to substitute smoked bacon for the pancetta; the result will be inferior. (Donovan, G, Donovan, K, Griffiths, S. (2000) Salute! Food, Wine & Travel in Southern Italy, Penguin Books Australia, p 9.)
Each person's serving should be liberally garnished with freshly ground black pepper in order to resemble the 'dust' of the coalmine. Donovan, G, Donovan, K, Griffiths, S. (2000) Salute! Food, Wine & Travel in Southern Italy, Penguin Books Australia, p 9.
I've used homemade stinging nettle tagliatelle in the images shown, and while they warn against using smoked bacon, I couldn't resist and used my home-cured bacon - it was yum!