This is an easy and versatile pasta recipe you can prepare in advance. The base comes from Roscioli in Rome, and once you understand the method, it becomes a great foundation for other pasta variations.
I like serving it with my Green Garden Salad. The crisp vegetables and slightly bitter greens cut through the richness of the pasta and make the whole meal feel balanced.
And if one of your guests is not a meat person, substitute the pancetta with some sliced smoked salmon. The smoky, salty salmon adds another layer of flavour and a beautiful pop of colour to the dish.
Good cheese, good pepper, and hot plates make all the difference here. It is simple, but simple only works when the ingredients are doing their job.
Ingredients
- 5 oz high-quality Pecorino DOP cheese, finely grated
- 2 oz high-quality Parmigiano Reggiano, finely grated
- 4 eggs, at room temperature
- 2 tsp strong black pepper, such as Cape Herbs & Spice Extra Bold Peppercorns
- 6 oz pasta, such as tagliolini
- 1/2 cup high-quality pancetta, cubed
- Pot of lightly salted water
Method
Preheat the oven to 300°F. The serving plates will go in the oven to heat up.
Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil. The cheeses, especially the Pecorino, are already salty, so the water does not need much salt.
While the water is heating, fry the pancetta in a small pot until nicely browned. Keep the pancetta in the pot with the rendered fat.
Crack the eggs and place only the yolks into a mixing bowl. For the last egg, add the yolk plus half of the egg white.
Add the grated cheeses and black pepper to the eggs and mix with a fork until blended.
When the water is boiling, add the pasta and cook until al dente.
While the pasta is cooking, place the serving plates in the hot oven.
When the pasta is done, take about half a ladle, roughly 3–4 oz, of pasta water and add it to the egg mixture.
Add the pancetta and rendered fat to the egg mixture and stir.
Drain the pasta, combine it with the egg mixture, divide into two portions and serve immediately on the hot plates.
Hint: This recipe is easy to scale up. For 4 people, use 8 eggs, double the cheese, pepper and pancetta, and use all of the egg white from the last egg.
You can also use this recipe as the core for pasta variations. If you do not want pancetta, substitute smoked salmon cut into pieces. For pasta al piccante, add hot chili flakes. It also works beautifully with high-quality anchovies.
