Buono's Spaghetti alla Carbonara

10 mins Prep Time

20 mins Cook Time

Written By

Robin Winship

Who can resist an authentic carbonara? Made with salty Pecorino, smoky guanciale and a velvety coating of rich egg yolks -- this Roman dish is simple to make, yet extremely flavourful. Buono, an Italian pasta bar on Queen West, knows how to make the carbonara of our dreams, and thankfully, has shared their recipe with us eager home cooks. Although, the spot is still available for takeout on all the food delivery apps, carbonara is just one of those dishes that's best fresh out of the pan.

If you give this recipe a shot, make sure to post up your creation on Instagram and tag @tastetoronto and @buonotoronto!

Ingredients

350g spaghetti
120g hog jowl
30g Pecorino Romano cheese
2 egg yolks
Salt and pepper (to taste)

Directions

4 Steps

Step 1

Cut the hog jowl into small lardons and put into a cold pan. Cook the jowl over medium-high heat until crunchy and almost all of the fat is rendered. Once done, remove from heat and set aside. Keep pan with rendered fat for later on.
Step 2

In a bowl, mix the egg yolks until you get a smooth cream, add the pecorino and black pepper to the bowl and whisk together until fully smooth and creamy (make sure there are no lumps).
Step 3

Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the spaghetti according to the instructions on the packaging (usually a minute or two less for al dente). Pecorino cheese is quite salty, so keep that in mind when salting the water. Once the pasta is cooked, drain and add the spaghetti to the pan where you previously cooked the hog jowl.
Step 4

Mix the spaghetti and jowl together (off the heat) and slowly add the mixture of egg yolks, pecorino and black pepper and mix until the spaghetti is evenly coated. Serve immediately and enjoy!