This might offend some Italians. I’m making spaghetti carbonara. Let’s see if I make it out alive. I’ve just put some black pepperc corns into the pan. We’re going to toast these for about 30 seconds. This helps to bring out the flavor a bit better. Spilled those everywhere. Ooh, they’re quite hot. Grind them up. Then we’re going to crack two eggs into a bowl like this. Followed by two egg yolks. Just separate them using the shell and then whack it in. Then we’re going to show some pecarino a great time. Whoops, a big chunk fell in. Lovely. Don’t be shy on the cheese. Then add a good pinch of our black pepper. Mixy mixy. We’re not using any cream for this. This is going to be the base of our creamy sauce. Now, we’re going to put our pasta on to boil. Season the water with a pinch of salt. Now, don’t be angry because I couldn’t find any guanchali. So, we’re just going to be using some diced panetta today. We’re going to whack it into a cold pan. That way, we’re going to render out the fat and get it nice and crispy. Once it’s nice and crispy like this, you can take it out of the pan. When the pasta’s al dente, we can go straight into the pan. Let this soak up all of that fat and flavor. I like to add a little bit of pasta water in with the eggs. Mixy mixy. Then pour in the eggs. Mixy mixy. The residual heat in the pan is going to cook the eggs without scrambling them. Top it with some more black pepper, pecarino, and the crispy panetta. Look at that. Should be nice and creamy. That is absolutely banging. Lovely.

44 Comments

  1. Ingredients (2 servings):
    180g uncooked spaghetti
    150g pancetta or guanciale
    2 whole eggs
    2 egg yolks
    60g pecorino
    Whole black peppercorns

    ———

    Method:

    1. Toast the black peppercorns in a dry frying pan for 30 seconds. Then grind until coarse.
    2. Fill a saucepan with boiling water. Add the spaghetti and cook until al dente.
    3. Add the diced pancetta or guanciale into your frying pan and cook until it’s crispy. Then remove from the pan.
    4. Crack the whole eggs into a bowl, along with the egg yolks. Grate in the pecorino cheese, add some black pepper, and mix until combined.
    5. Turn off the heat, then add the cooked spaghetti to the pan with a splash of the pasta water. Pour in the egg mixture and slowly cook in the residual heat.
    6. Serve topped with the crispy pancetta and freshly grated pecorino, then enjoy. Lovely!

  2. Won’t find any offended Italians that’s a great recipe, much better than most Britons making carbonara 😉

  3. A slightly different take, Max. Carbonara is one of my favourites and its quick and easy to make and so tasty. Cooking the pancetta/guancale from a cold pan and adding it at the end sounds interesting. I'll try it. I add the pepper at the end.

  4. I wanted to cook this for ages but I’m not gunna lie compared to my pre made Tesco carbonara sauce… homemade isn’t as good as I thought it would be

  5. Why would any Italian be offended? You are working with what is available. Very nicely done! Looks delicious and yummy! Thanks for posting!

  6. Love that you show your little mistakes you make while cooking, makes your videos feel personal and much more real!

  7. I'm so glad the youtube gods show me ur shorts every night after work, they really get me through the day Max, keep being yourself and spreading your energy to the world. If more people were as kind as you are the world would be a lot nicer place ❤

  8. This looks delicious 🤤🫶🏼

    I have Italian in my blood, and of course I love Italian food… but at times I do put my own twist on the dishes, it’s each to their own and if it tastes as amazing as it looks you have no worries 🙌🏼

    I love a 16 hour lasagna but I make “fake carbonara” pasta bakes quite often, homemade sauce, bacon and mushrooms with a nice thick layer of mozzarella, cheddar and Parmesan, it’s not traditional in the slightest, but it tastes great and everyone loves it 😅

    Tastes even better the next day!

  9. I personally like pancetta or just regular bacon better than guanciale. Too fatty for me and not worth the hustle of getting it

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