The Silkiest Carbonara
A luxurious classic Italian pasta dish made with crispy guanciale, eggs, and a blend of three peppercorns, creating a silky smooth sauce that coats perfectly cooked rigatoni. Finished with pecorino cheese, this carbonara offers a sophisticated twist on the traditional recipe.
Ingredients
- •¼ pound guanciale (salt-cured pork jowl) or pancetta, cut into 1/3" cubes
- •7 whole large egg yolks
- •1 whole large egg
- •1 pound rigatoni
- •to taste Kosher salt
- •½ cup finely grated Pecorino or Parmesan plus more for garnish
- •¾ teaspoon freshly ground green peppercorns
- •¾ teaspoon freshly ground pink pepper
- •½ teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
- •to taste Freshly ground black pepper
- •Ingredient info: Guanciale is available at specialty foods stores
- •Italian markets
- •and zingermans.com.
Cooking Instructions
- 1.
Put guanciale in a large skillet and place over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until fat renders but guanciale is not browned, about 5 minutes. Pour into a fine-mesh sieve set over a small bowl; reserve drippings. Transfer guanciale to a large bowl and let cool slightly. Add egg yolks and egg to bowl; whisk to blend.
10 min
- 2.
Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup pasta cooking liquid.
12 min
- 3.
To egg mixture, immediately add rigatoni, 2 tablespoons pasta cooking liquid, and 1 teaspoon guanciale drippings; toss to coat. Working in 3 batches, gradually add Pecorino, stirring and tossing to melt between batches. Add green, pink, and white pepper (or 1 1/2-2 teaspoons black pepper); toss until sauce thickens, adding more pasta water by tablespoonfuls if needed. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
5 min
- 4.
Divide among bowls. Garnish with Pecorino.
2 min
