Carbonara Pasta
This carbonara coats hot pasta in raw egg yolks and crisp pancetta, with no cream and very little work. The contributor adds lemon zest and fresh thyme, which cut the richness of the yolks and give the dish a lift most versions lack. Fresh Italian pancetta, not pre-cubed packs, makes a real difference. Note that the eggs stay raw, so skip it if anyone at the table is pregnant.
Instructions
Put the pasta on to cook in boiling water while you prepare the rest.
Separate the eggs, keeping the yolks in a large bowl and saving the whites for another use. One way is to pass each egg through the loosely closed fingers of an upturned palm so the white runs away and the yolk stays in your hand. Pick off any bit of white clinging to the yolk.
Fry the pancetta in a dry frying pan over a lowish heat until it is crisp. Drain it and let it cool for a few minutes, so it does not cook the eggs when it goes into the bowl.
Add the cooled pancetta to the yolks. Season with a pinch of rock salt and a very generous amount of ground pepper.
Stir in the lemon zest, the chopped thyme and a small amount of the parmigiano.
Drain the pasta in a colander and count to 10 so it cools slightly. Tip it into the bowl with the yolk mixture.
Toss everything together with a wooden spoon until the pasta is coated. Serve at once, sprinkling the remaining parmigiano over the top.
Make it personal.
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