10min Tagliatelle Carbonara.
This is a super quick and delicious recipe from my ‘10min Pasta’ series. The idea of this series is to share pasta recipes that can be whipped up in the time it takes to cook some dried pasta!
Carbonara is an absolute classic and, in my opinion, one of the best pasta dishes out there. When done correctly (as below) it’s a thing of pure simplicity and joy.
Recipe serves 2.
Ingredients.
200g tagliatelle, or another long pasta of choice
A few tbsp salt, for the pasta water
A drizzle of oil, any variety
50g pancetta, or guanciale
1 garlic clove, peeled
1 large egg
Knob of butter
20g grated parmesan
20g grated pecorino, the firm variety
Freshly ground black pepper
Equipment.
Medium sauté/frying pan
Medium/large saucepan
Wooden spoon
Small measuring jug
Sieve/colander
Small whisk/fork
Fine grater/zester
Tongs - optional but handy for long pasta varieties
Method.
Firstly, put your pasta on to cook in a large saucepan of generously-salted, boiling water. Bring it back to the boil and set a timer for the lower end of the packet instructions e.g. If the packet says ‘7-9mins’ - set a timer for 7mins
Add the pancetta, oil & garlic clove to a frying/sauté pan on a low-medium heat, and stir constantly to gently crisp them up
Meanwhile, beat the egg in a small jug/bowl
Once the pasta has cooked, remove the garlic from the pan and add about 100ml of pasta cooking water to the pancetta pan
Drain the pasta and add it to the pan too. Stir everything well
Remove the pan from the heat and add both cheeses, creating a layer over the pasta on which you can pour the beaten egg. Reserve a little cheese for the top
Stir everything together quickly to stop the eggs from scrambling on the bottom of the hot pan
Finally, add freshly ground black pepper to taste, and serve with a little extra cheese on top
