Gino D'Acampo's 'fool-proof' carbonara only needs four ingredients
Carbonara is a national favourite when it comes to pasta dishes, so there's no one better to look to for a masterclass in how to cook the Italian classic than TV chef Gino D'Acampo.
He's shared his definitive recipe for one of his best-loved dishes in his Gino's Italian Kitchen series and incredibly it only needs four ingredients.
The Italian native wants you to throw all your conventional ideas about whipping up the tasty dish out of the window and follow his simple and quick method for the perfect carbonara.
In his Youtube video, he says: "To Italians nothing is more important than family and food. In this series I want you to see Italian food through my eyes for its simple ingredients, impressive results and fantastic flavours."
He recommends (very strongly) that instead of buying your ingredients at the supermarket, you visit an Italian delicatessen, which he does in the video because he wants "to get inspired". At Egro deli in London, Gino requests a piece of Guanciale, which is an Italian cured meat from pork cheeks.
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He also buys some pecorino cheese, which marries perfectly with Guanciale, and some Bucatini pasta, which is like a thick spaghetti. Showing all the numerous types of pasta in the deli he explains why there are so many: "In Italy we have over 800 shapes of pasta. People still say to me, 'why do you need so many shapes?' I tell you why because for every sauce we create we also create a shape to go with it."
Gino then reveals the only other ingredient needed for the perfect Bucatini a la Carbonara, is eggs. Back at home in his kitchen, Gino says to "please forget everything you know about how to make a carbonara" and shows ingredients such as cream, onion and ham that many would usually turn to to make the dish as he puts them aside.
He calls those ingredients "absolutely useless" as he shows his fool-proof method. He says: "It's very important whenever you cook pasta that you have a large pot because the pasta needs to be able to move around."
He then adds salt, which he says is imperative if you want tasty pasta: "That's the rule," he decrees. "That is my rule, that's the rule of Italian people for the last 2000 years that they've been doing this dish, so we're just gonna have to follow it." You then add your Bucatini to the pan of boiling, salted water.
Next, he dices the Guanciale, which he says can be replaced with pancetta if you can't get hold of it, and adds it to a frying pan. You don't need oil or butter because the meat cooks in its own fat. Fry until crispy while you prepare the eggs.
You don't need the whites either, so he shows how to separate them by cracking them into a bowl and gently picking up the yolks with your fingertips. Run the egg through your fingers so the white of the egg falls away into the bowl and you are left with the yolk.
Then, grate the pecorino Romano into the egg yolks and mix together to create a paste. He then gets a little of the salted water from the pasta and adds a ladle-full into the mix.
Once the pasta is cooked, pick it out of the pan with tongs and drop it straight into the pan with the Guanciale or pancetta so the pasta absorbs the flavour from the meat and fat. Then add the egg and pecorino mixture straight on top of the pasta and meat and add another ladle of water from the pasta. Shake and mix.
The last step is to serve with pepper to season and add some more pecorino cheese grated over the top. "There is the classic Bucatini a la Carbonara," announces Gino. "If it was up to me I would have a Carbonara every other day."
The This Morning chef's fans were quick to comment on his tutorial and share their love of his recipe: One said: "Yeap! Absolutely beautiful! When it's about making carbonara, I only learn from Italian chefs. Don't care about what any non Italian chef has to say about it."
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Another added: "Wellllll, thissss isssss the best, simplest, most perfect recipe for this dish that I have ever seen. I am soooo thankful I accidentally came across it!! Awesome!!! Bucatini ? Who knew? Many thanks to Chef DeCampo for thisssss!!!" A third simply added: "Great video Gino! 2000 years? lets go with that!" And another wrote: "Theres only ONE right way. And this is it. YES Gino! Ciao Bello!"
What do you think of Gino’s recipe? Let us know in the comments below.
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