Pasta Carbonara

Place the guanciale in a cold, dry, heavy skillet and set over medium-low heat. Cook slowly, stirring occasionally, for 8–10 minutes until the fat renders out completely and the pieces are golden and crisp but still slightly supple at the centre — not brittle and hard. Remove the guanciale with a slotted spoon, leaving all the rendered fat in the pan. Turn the heat off and allow the fat to cool slightly. It should be a clear, pale amber liquid in the pan.

Cook the pasta in a large pot of generously salted water — it should taste of the sea. Cook 1–2 minutes less than the package directions: you want the pasta just shy of al dente, since it will continue cooking in the pan. One minute before draining, ladle at least 200 ml of the cloudy, starchy cooking water into a heatproof cup and reserve. Drain the pasta but do not rinse.

Add the drained pasta directly to the pan with the guanciale fat over medium-low heat. Add the guanciale back in. Toss vigorously for 1–2 minutes, adding splashes of reserved pasta water as needed to build an emulsion — the starchy water and fat will combine into a glossy coating. Toast the cracked black pepper in the fat for 30 seconds until fragrant. The pasta should be glistening, glossy, and fully coated in the emulsified fat-and-water sauce. Remove the pan from all heat.

In a bowl, whisk the 4 egg yolks and 1 whole egg together with the very finely grated Pecorino and Parmesan until combined into a thick, pale yellow paste. With the pan completely off all heat, pour the egg-and-cheese mixture over the pasta. Toss continuously and vigorously — the residual heat of the pasta will gently cook and thicken the eggs without scrambling them. Add pasta water a tablespoon at a time as needed: the final sauce should be fluid, glossy, and cream-like in consistency. Taste and adjust black pepper. Serve immediately in warmed bowls.