ROMAN CARBONARA

Roman Carbonara image

Number Of Ingredients 8

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3 ounces Pancetta or Iberico Ham (chopped)
1 3/4 cups Cold Water
6 Egg Yolks
2 teaspoons Constarch
1 1/4 cups Pecorino Romano Cheese
12 ounces Pasta
2 tablespoons Salt
2 teaspoons Pepper

Steps:

In a 10" skillet over medium heat, cook the pancetta, stirring, until crisp, about 5 minutes. Transfer pancetta to paper lined plate and reserve 3T of rendered fat (if needed, supplement with olive oil). Set aside.
In a large pot, bring 4 qts of water to a boil. Meanwhile in a large saucepan, whisk the cold water with egg yolks and cornstarch until smooth. Add the cheese and stir until evenly moistened. Set the pa over medium low and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture comes to a gentle simmer and is airy and thickened, 5-7 minutes; use a silicone spatula occasionally to get into the corners of the pan. Off heat, whisk in the reserved pancetta fat. Remove from heat and set aside.
Stir the pasta and salt into the boiling water and cook until al dente. Reserve about 1/2C of the cooking water, then drain the pasta very well. Return the pasta to the pot and let cook for about 1 minute.
Pour the egg-pecorino mixture over the pasta and toss until well combined. Toss in pepper and let stand until the liquid is absorbed, about 2 minutes. Crumble in the pancetta and toss again. The pasta should be creamy, not loose or runny. If needed, toss in up to 2T of the reserved cooking water. Transfer to warm serving plates and serve.