Roscioli Carbonara

Fri, 12 January 2018

 

Ingredients

·       360g fresh spaghetti

·       240g cured pork cheek

·       1 whole egg + 3 egg yolks (organic /free range)

·       210g Pecorino Romano

·       40g Parmigiano Reggiano

·       Coarse salt

·       20g freshly ground black pepper (use a pestle and mortar)

·       Carefully

 

Method

 

·       Carefully trim the pork cheek ,removing the rind . Cut into strips about1 cm wide and then into 1cm cubes. Brown them in a frying-pan on a high heat. Do not stir.

 

·       Wait until the fat has begun to melt and one side is golden and crisp. Now stir and wait for all the fat to dissolve.

 

·       Reduce the heat and allow the cubes to caramelize for at least 20 mins, then keep them in a pan or over the oven to keep them crispy.

 

·       Cook the spaghetti in salted water. Finely grate the two cheeses and mix them together.

 

·       Whisk the eggs in a bowl. (Plastic is better as it doesn’t heat easily)

 

·       Add a handful of grated cheese and the freshly ground black pepper and mix.

 

·       When the pasta is almost done drain it making sure to keep a few ladles of the water.

 

·        Put the pasta directly into the bowl with the eggs,cheese and pepper . Let it sit in a warm area for at least a minute then add the crispy pork cheek and a spoonful of its fat.

 

·       Without using a tongs move the bowl in circles and up and down to emulsify the eggs, cheese and pasta. If necessary help it along with a little of the pasta water

 

·       Put a portion of this pasta mix in the middle of a plate and sprinkle with extra cheese and pepper.