Pasta alla Carbonara

Bring 3 litres of water to a full boil. Add a tablespoon of coarse salt — the water should taste noticeably salty.

Slice the guanciale into 1 cm lardons or cubes. Place in a cold, dry skillet and set over medium heat. Let the fat render slowly for 8–10 min until the edges turn golden and crisp. Remove the pan from heat.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the 3 egg yolks and 1 whole egg. Add 50 g of the grated Pecorino Romano and a generous amount of cracked black pepper. Whisk until you have a thick, pale yellow paste.

Cook the pasta for 60–90 seconds less than the package's al dente time — it will finish in the pan.

Before draining, ladle out about 200 ml of pasta water and set aside. Drain the pasta.

Transfer the drained pasta directly into the guanciale skillet. Set the pan over medium heat for 30 seconds, tossing constantly, so the pasta absorbs some of the rendered fat.

Remove the pan from the heat entirely. Let it sit off the heat for 30–45 seconds — this is the most important step. The surface temperature needs to drop to around 65 °C before the egg goes in.

Pour the egg and Pecorino mixture over the pasta. Toss quickly and continuously, adding pasta water 30 ml at a time as needed. Work for 60–90 seconds until the sauce is glossy, clings to the pasta, and has no liquid pooling at the bottom.

Plate immediately. Finish each portion with the remaining Pecorino Romano and a heavy crack of black pepper. Serve at once — carbonara waits for no one.