Bucatini Carbonara

This version of carbonara is silky-smooth with extra bacon, a garlicky understone, and ALL the cheese.

Ingredients needed:

5 slices thick-cut bacon or pancetta, diced

3 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced or minced

1 large egg

4 large egg yolks

3 oz pecorino romano cheese, shredded

1/2 tsp kosher salt, plus more for pasta water and to taste

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper (or more if you'd like)

3/4 lb bucatini

Steps:

1. Fill a large pot halfway with water. Bring to a boil. Season generously with salt. It should be almost as salty as sea water. (You don't want to fill the pot all the way to the top with water because we want the water to become starchy from the pasta so we can use it in the sauce. Leave enough room for the pasta to cook without crowding, but no more than that.)

2. While the water comes to a boil, dice the bacon. Add the bacon to a large skillet and cook over a medium heat. Once the bacon is brown and crisp, use a slotted spoon to transfer the bacon to a paper towel. Drain all but 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat.

3. While the bacon cooks, add egg, egg yolks, cheese, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper to a medium bowl. Whisk to combine and set aside.

4. Drop the pasta in the water. Use tongs to make sure the bucatini does not stick together. 5. Cook the bucatini UNDER aldente - this is usually about 2-3 minutes shy of the cooking time listed on the package. Reseve the cooking liquid.

6. When the pasta is about 1 minute shy of being done (about 4-5 minutes in), add the garlic to the skillet with the bacon fat. Saute over a medium-low heat until fragrant, but not brown. If garlic starts to brown, use the slotted spoon to remove from the pan. Turn the heat off.

7. Use tongs to transfer the bucatini to the skillet with the bacon fat and garlic. If you had to remove the garlic, add it back in. Toss the pasta in the bacon fat and garlic.

8. Take 1/2 cup of the starchy pasta water and SLOWLY whisk it into the bowl with the eggs and cheese. Once combined, pour the mixture over the bucatini. (Make sure the stove is OFF.) 9. Quickly toss the bucatini with the egg, cheese, and pasta water mixture. Continue to toss until the cheese has melted and the sauce is smooth. If needed, add more hot pasta water to loosen the sauce up and make it shine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

10. Add bacon back to the skillet with the pasta. Toss. Again, if needed add more pasta water and season to taste with plenty of salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Garnish with extra cheese.

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