Silky Spaghetti Carbonara (No Cream)

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A cream-free carbonara built the Roman way: rendered pancetta, a raft of egg yolks whipped with Pecorino Romano, and starchy pasta water tempered in off the heat until the sauce turns glossy and clings to every strand. A slow-softened sweet onion — a nod to the Gulf Coast trattoria version that inspired it — melts into the fat and adds a whisper of sweetness against all that salt and pepper.

Ingredients

• 1 lb dried spaghetti (bronze-die if you can find it)
• 6 oz slab pancetta, cut into 1/4-inch batons
• 2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 medium sweet onion, cut into thin slivers
• 2 tbsp kosher salt, for the pasta water

• 4 large egg yolks
• 2 large whole eggs
• 3 oz Pecorino Romano, finely grated on a rasp (about 1 1/2 packed cups)
• 1 oz Parmigiano-Reggiano, finely grated (about 1/2 packed cup)
• 2 tsp black peppercorns, coarsely cracked, plus more to finish

Instructions

1. Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot and add 2 tablespoons kosher salt — the water should taste like a light broth, no saltier, since the pancetta and pecorino bring plenty of their own.
2. Toast the cracked peppercorns in a dry 12-inch skillet over medium heat for 45 to 60 seconds, until fragrant. Scrape half into a large heatproof mixing bowl and leave the rest in the pan.
3. Add the olive oil and pancetta to the same skillet and set over medium-low heat. Render slowly, stirring occasionally, for 10 to 12 minutes, until the fat has fully melted out and the batons are golden and chewy-crisp at the edges but not hard. Lift the pancetta out with a slotted spoon onto a plate, leaving the fat behind.
4. Add the slivered onion to the rendered fat and cook over low heat, stirring, for 8 to 10 minutes until completely soft, translucent and just starting to turn blond. Do not let it brown. Kill the heat and leave the onion and fat in the pan.
5. While the onion cooks, whisk the 4 yolks and 2 whole eggs in the bowl with the toasted pepper until completely smooth, then whisk in the pecorino and parmigiano. You want a thick, sandy paste — closer to spackle than batter. Let it sit at room temperature.
6. Boil the spaghetti until just shy of al dente, usually 1 minute less than the package says (about 8 minutes for most brands). Two minutes before draining, dip out 2 cups of the cloudy pasta water and set it aside.
7. Temper the base: while whisking the egg-cheese paste constantly, drizzle in about 1/2 cup of the hot pasta water in a thin stream. It will loosen into a pourable, custardy cream and warm to just above body temperature. Adding it slowly is the entire trick — dump it in and the eggs scramble.
8. Drain the spaghetti and immediately add it to the skillet with the onion and pork fat. Toss over the lowest possible heat for 30 seconds so every strand slicks with fat, then take the pan completely off the burner and let it sit for 30 seconds to drop below scrambling temperature (about 165°F).
9. Pour the tempered egg mixture over the pasta off the heat and toss hard and continuously with tongs for 60 to 90 seconds, adding hot pasta water 2 tablespoons at a time, until the sauce is glossy, ivory and coats the strands like a thin custard. If it looks tight or clumpy, more water and more tossing will fix it; heat will not.
10. Fold in the crisped pancetta, reserving a spoonful for the top. Taste and add salt only if it needs it. Serve immediately in warmed bowls, finished with the reserved pancetta, a shower of pecorino and a heavy grind of black pepper. Carbonara waits for no one.

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Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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