Only and exclusively egg yolks, plus butter to brown the guanciale and flavor the egg cream: these are the secrets of the carbonara made by Bruno Barbieri together with his Roman friend Fabio Caressa. An interpretation of character with the inevitable sprinkling of Pecorino on the way out.
The dish
For Carbonara Day we propose the recipe of Bruno Barbieri, who in past years has dabbled in making the typical Roman dish together with his friend Fabio Caressa. His blog features an author's interpretation with all the caveats. The secret ingredient? Butter, used both when browning the guanciale and -once melted- as a flavoring agent for the egg cream. The result is an enveloping first course, round just the right amount due to the presence of only yolks but dynamic in texture.
The great cook, now king of the screens thanks to his role as a judge on Masterchef, prefers short pasta -particularly rigatoni, cooked al dente and whipped with the cooking water. No Parmigiano, just a generous sprinkling of Pecorino that adds bold tones to the sauce. Try it to believe!
The recipe for Carbonara alla Barbieri
Recipe taken from Bruno Barbieri's blog
Ingredients for 4 people
- 320 g of rigatoni
- 150 g guanciale
- 50 g butter
- Crushed black pepper to taste
- 3 egg yolks
- 80 g pecorino cheese
Procedure
Cut the guanciale into fairly large pieces and blanch it in the water in which you will cook the pasta for a few seconds, using a colander.
Place the guanciale in a pan with a little butter and cook over high heat until it has become nice and crispy. Season with a little salt and pepper previously crushed with a meat tenderizer.
In a boule, beat the egg yolks with the Pecorino and a little of the cooking water until creamy in consistency. Finish with a drizzle of the melted butter in which the guanciale was browned for flavor.
Meanwhile, cook the rigatoni in boiling salted water. Once cooked al dente, drain the pasta and toss it in the pan along with the guanciale with a little of the cooking water.
At this point, remove the pan from the heat, pour in the cream and whisk well, adding a little of the cooking water as well.
Plate the rigatoni alla carbonara with a sprinkling of grated Pecorino cheese.
The video recipe for Carbonara alla Barbieri
