Pasta is widely regarded as one of the easiest meals to whip up in the kitchen, but sometimes it’s worth taking a little extra time to create a dish that’s really going to blow your guests’ socks off.
Guy Grossi, the chef behind Queensland restaurant Settimo, has shared his recipe for the perfect Fettucine Carbonara with 9honey Kitchen.
Grossi advises to put plenty of salt in your pasta water, but the tip you may not have expected is actually about the pot you’re using.
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Many of us make the mistake of cooking pasta in a pot that just fits the amount of pasta we’re cooking. But Grossi says it’s actually really important to use a bigger pot so your pasta doesn’t overcrowd.
“For the meat, use guanciale (cured pig cheek) or pancetta if needed. Cut it into small pieces for extra crispiness, fry until crispy, then strain the fat but keep it, just let it cool,” he says.
That cooled fat will be mixed into your egg mixture, as per the recipe below, but Grossi warns, ”make sure it’s cool, or you’ll scramble the eggs.”
Check out the full recipe below.
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Light and bright pasta recipes for the summer days ahead
Fettucine carbonara recipe
Ingredients:
Pasta dough
- 500 g durum wheat flour
- 6 x 60 g eggs
- Pinch of salt
Sauce
- 1-tablespoon olive oil
- 200 g pancetta or guanciale (cured pig’s cheek), thinly sliced
- 8 large egg yolks
- 70 gm Pecorino Romano, grated, plus extra to serve
- Sea salt and cracked black pepper
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Method:
To make the pasta dough, place all the ingredients in an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook. Mix on low speed for 6–8 minutes or until a dough has formed. Add a little water if required – the dough should be soft but not sticky. Wrap the dough in plastic film, then rest in the fridge for 2 hours.
To make the square spaghetti shape we use a Chitarra, or you can use the linguini attachment on the pasta roller.
Cut the dough into workable pieces and roll through the pasta roller and fold over do this until the pasta becomes laminated and silky smooth.
Continue to roll the pasta through the machine, reducing the setting each time, until the dough is 3mm thick.
Cut the pasta sheets into approximately 30cm long sheets. Cut the sheets through the linguini attachment and dust with flour.
Dice the guanciale or pancetta.
Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat, (if using guanciale you don’t need the oil) add the pancetta or guanciale and cook slowly until golden and crispy. Remove the guanciale from the pan.
Place the yolks into a bowl add the grated cheese and season generously with pepper. Whisk together well to incorporate.
Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil, then add the tonnarelli. Move the pasta around gently so it doesn’t stick and cook for 1 minute or until al dente.
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Return the frying pan to the heat to warm the guanciale, add the pasta and toss so the oil and guanciale coat the pasta well.
Remove from the heat and, working quickly, mix in the egg mixture tossing, adding a little of the pasta water to loosen it up a little – you want the eggs to be creamy and bound with the pasta, but not scrambled.
Serve immediately with extra grated cheese and a grinding of black pepper.
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