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Three Step Pasta alla Carbonara with Parmigiano Reggiano® cheese
One of Italy’s most beloved dishes, Pasta alla Carbonara is a rich and decadent dish made with egg yolks, hard seasoned cheese, guanciale (gwaan·chaa·lei) and black pepper. Guanciale is an Italian cured meat product prepared from pork jowl or cheeks – whose name is derived from ‘guancia’, the Italian word for ‘cheek’.
Many traditional carbonara recipes call for Pecorino Romano cheese, but Parmigiano Reggiano is also often used, as well as a combination of the two.
The origin of the dish is a source of much debate, and you can read a little about the various origin stories in an article our blog.
Here we present Chef Michele Casadei Massari’s special version, which can be made quickly in three simple steps, and uses only Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, because according to Chef Michele, “it’s the most soluble hard cheese ever; hence an amazing fit for this recipe”. He also prefers to make it with duck eggs because they add a bit of extra flavor and color to the dish.
Ingredients:
6 egg yolks
5 oz guanciale, cut into ½ inch pieces (bacon can work as well if you can’t find guanciale)
1lb spaghetti
½ cup Parmigiano Reggiano cheese (see HINT )
Fresh ground black pepper
Hint:
Chef Michele’s suggests using duck eggs for a bit more flavor and color.
We suggest Parmigiano Reggiano cheese aged 24 months. Cheese that has been aged longer won’t melt as nicely.
