Chef shares secret to authentic carbonara using five ingredients - but no cream

17 December 2023 , 12:00

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You can make a truly authentic spaghetti carbonara with no cream at all (stock image) (Image: Getty Images)

Spaghetti carbonara is a staple dish in many homes and everyone has their own way of making it - but according to an Italian chef there are only five ingredients you need to make the dish truly authentic.

It's a failsafe classic, but do you put cream in your carbonara to make it extra tasty? Do you use bacon? According to Italian chef Massimo Bianchi, this is a no-go.

But luckily, he has shared his top tips for making traditional carbonara, stressing that the meal should be eaten immediately after cooking, while it's still hot. Explaining his method to Gourmet Traveller back in 2019, he shared that you need onlt eggs (six egg yolks and three egg whites), 50ml extra-virgin olive oil, 200g guanciale (pork cheek), cheese (25g parmesan and 25g pecorino) and of course spaghetti (500g).

But don't worry, if you struggle to find guanciale, pancetta is said to be the closest substitute, so you can use that instead. To make the famous dish, Bianchi begins by heating the olive oil in a frying pan.

Once the pan is hot, you should sauté the guanciale until it's nice and crisp. Then in a bowl, mix together the egg whites, egg yolks and cheese. Season with black pepper if you have some.

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The fourth step involves cooking the pasta, which the chef serves al dente, meaning "to the tooth", and is cooked to be firm to the bite. Next, drain the pasta, keeping back some of the water. This starchy water not only thickens the sauce, but also helps it stick to your pasta.

Now, add the spaghetti and guanciale to the egg and cheese mixture and stir quickly to combine it all. If your pasta is looking a little dry, you can always add a little of the reserved pasta water from cooking.

Season with a little more black pepper and serve. So there you go, now you know how to make pasta like a pro. That all sounds simple enough, doesn't it?!

While you're cooking, why not give the "Vincenzo Agnesi method" method a try? According to Nigella Lawson, it "reduces the risk of overcooking" your pasta.

Others call it the "passive cooking method" and praise it for its money-saving abilities. In order to do it, you need to bring a pan of water to the boil, and once you've dropped your pasta in only cook it for two minutes, before turning the hob off, putting a lid over the pan, and leaving until it's cooked.

The water will stay hot even without the stove on, so your pasta will still cook, although it might take a little longer.

Ariane Sohrabi-Shiraz