We saw this video of "The King of Carbonara" in Rome and new we had to try it: the technique of using the fat from the Guanciale and gently cooking the sauce in a bain-marie appealed to us. Even with his technique, this dish can be put together in about 15 minutes.
We first had Bucatini alla Carbonara at A. V. Restaurante Italiano (RIP) in Washington DC years ago; it is one of our "go to" dishes at home when we want some easy comfort food. Irene and I have slightly different approaches: she adds the hot pasta to the sauce and relies on the retained heat to cook the sauce, while I find that a bit too raw and add a bit of heat when combining in a pan. Either way, it's fast and satisfying: you can prep the sauce in the time it takes the pasta to cook.
Even with Chef Monosilio's more careful technique, the sauce can be made while the pasta cooks, then they come together over gentle heat. In the video, he cuts a large slab of Guanciale into cubes, fries them to render the fat and crisp the meat, and uses some of that fat in the sauce -- that's what hooked us. We can readily find 100 g packages of sliced Guanciale here in Barcelona: it's not cubed, but sliced like thick American bacon; it does have a good piggy funk to it. He uses a mix of Pecorino and Grana Padano because he said that folks now don't like the high salt level of Pecorino; the version of that cheese we get here isn't as dry and salty as what we found in the States, but we'll use his mix. The proportions below are for two, and it's quite rich.
133 g Long Pasta: Bucatini, Spaghetti, etc
100 g Guanciale, sliced 1-2 mm x 2 cm (or 1 cm cubes)
25 g Grana Padano (a good aged Parmesan should work)
25 g Pecorino Romana
2 Egg Yolks
Black Pepper
Get your ingredients organized in a mise en place, since this comes together quickly.
Sauté
the Guanciale with fairly high heat: you want to render fat and crisp
the pork. When the meat's crispy and just browned, reserve it and let
the fat cool down (separately or in the pan) so you don't end up cooking the Eggs too much.
While that's rendering, get a pot of salted water boiling and find a pan that can sit on top to create a
bain-marie later.
Cook the pasta until its fully done (not al dente), probably 10-12 minutes.
While the pasta cooks, prepare the sauce.
Add the Fat from the Guanciale to the pan; I used all of it (maybe 30 ml / 2 Tbs) but you might not be so gluttonous.
Finely grate the Cheeses and add most of it to the pan; reserve some for the garnish.
Add plenty of coarse freshly ground Black Pepper.
Separate the Eggs and add the Yolks to the pan (save the whites to make
Chocolate Angel Food cake or for
Pisco Sour cocktails).
Whisk to combine, and add a little of the Pasta Water so it's a thick liquid rather than a paste.
When the Pasta is done, transfer it with tongs to the sauce pan; it's OK if some water clings to it.
Put the Pan on the water Pot to create a bain-marie, and stir the sauce over the gentle heat; after a while, it should start to thicken a bit as the Yolks cook. Add more Water to thin the sauce so it coats well.
Continue stirring until the sauce is creamy and everything is well coated. (Take a
look at the video to see the texture you're looking for.)
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Don't add the Guanciale early like this or it will lose its crunch!
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Plate the Pasta and garnish with the crispy Guanciale, reserved grated Cheese, and a healthy grind of Pepper.
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