Author Notes
And it's not a spaghetti.
Sometimes something magical happens.
Like when you've been looking for a place to eat, can't find anything with a menu that takes your full liking. Have inspected 6 places, and return to the one you passed by first.. all that on the verge of getting hangry.
When i was in Sorrento, Sant'Agnello last week i just sat down at a small terrace around 21:30 and fancied the Carborara.. which when served turned out to be quite spectacular. On telling the chef and asking about the preparation we were invited in the kitchen the following day to come and see how to make this carbonara that has been a Campania-family recipe since they can't remember!
Here’s the recipe to create the true Campania Carbonara - Rigatoni.
—Karen Bergs
Ingredients
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150 grams
Guanciale
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100 grams
Pecorino
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3
Egg yolkes
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Black pepper
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200 grams
Mezzi Rigatoni pasta (Pastificio di Martino)
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2 tablespoons
sea salt
Directions
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Cut the Guanciale in small chunks. Add to non-stick pan (no oil), turn fire on high and crispen up. When done, transfer the chunks to a bowl and keep the fat in the pan. Grind some fresh black pepper above the fat in the pan so that it fries. Turn off the heat and leave the pan on the stove. (this provides so much flavour, who knew!)
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Get a pot of water boiling, add seasalt and cook the pasta al-dente in 9 minutes.
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In the meantime separate the 3 yolks (don't use the whites in this recipe) in a bowl, add grated pecorino cheese (don't substitute with parmegiano, the result will not be the same :)) . Also add 1 or 2 tablespoons of the pasta-water, and whisk till it's smooth. Set aside.
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Back to the pan with fat, still off the heat. Add some pasta-water to it and mix, then add the drained pasta. Grind some fresh black pepper on it. Taste if your pasta is al-dente enough, otherwise add some more fluid to the current pan so that the pasta can cook a little more. (if you think the pasta needs a bit more boiling, never put it back in the boiling pot, simply add a little more water to the current pan so it can simmer a bit more)
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Next add the guanciale back in, mix well.
After that, turn the heat on high and add the yolks mixture while continuously tossing the pan. It is very important to keep tossing the pasta so that the egg doesn't set/scramble. The tossing will make sure that the egg and fat mixture will become super creamy. The creaming-up might take a few minutes.. keep tossing till the mixture looks cream coloured.
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Serve in a deep bowl, enjoy!
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