Perfectly creamy Carbonara - without any cream. I hate to use the word authentic (because, what is, really?) and I also did not use the traditionally called for Bucatini here. :b Aside from that, I stuck to tradition (that's not mine) as much as possible, using guanciale (cured pork cheek) that I was gifted from my neighbour , pecorino cheese, freshly cracked black pepper, and no cream, just yolks. After experimenting with a few diffferent permutations, this technique and ratio yielded my favourite end result.

As you guys know, Carbonara is a dish that waits for no man or woman (hahahaha is it... ME?!), so make this and slurp it up immediately.

Ingredients (per portion/pax)

• 125g dried spaghetti (or bucatini, or pasta of choice)

• 65g guanciale (or bacon or pancetta), sliced into thin cubes

• 2 yolks

• tons of freshly cracked black pepper

• 70g of finely grated pecorino romano cheese, or use parmigiano-reggiano

• salt, for the pasta cooking liquid

Directions

• Start by rendering the fat out your guanciale, placing the sliced cubes in a pan over low heat. Low and slow is the way to go here. If you're using bacon or pancetta, it'll be less fatty and render out less fat. Drizzle in a little olive oil if you'd like. It'll slowly render out its fat and crisp up, turning golden brown. Set aside.

• Cook up your pasta of choice in plenty of salted, boiling water. Cook it according to your package instructions, until it turns al dente. Ladle out some of the pasta cooking liquid and set aside. This is what's gonna turn our sauce creamy without any cream!

• While the pasta is cooking, make your sauce. Whisk up the grated cheese, 2 yolks (per person), the crisped up guanciale and its drippings, and freshly cracked black pepper.

• Drain your pasta. Place it in a large saucepan, and drizzle in some of the reserved pasta cooking liquid. Switch your heat on to low at this point, and toss your pasta with the liquid. It'll evaporate a little and thicken. If you feel it's a little too dry, add more pasta cooking liquid. When it looks slightly thickened, switch off your heat. This is key cause you don't wanna scramble your yolks in the next step!

• With the heat off, pour your grated cheese/yolk mixture all over the pasta, tossing it continuously with a pair of tongs. Continue moving it around until the sauce thickens and coats the pasta. Serve immediately, grating more cheese or black pepper over if desired. Et done!

• You probably won't need to add any salt as the guanciale, the cheese, and the pasta cooking liquid are all salted.