Carbonara & Macaroni Variations from the World's Best Pasta Chef

Cut the pancetta into thin batons. For carbonara, pancetta is preferred over guanciale (Spanish pancetta is used here as a substitute).

Start boiling the Mancini 2.2mm spaghetti first. The package calls for a long 12 minutes, so check at 11 minutes. Doneness varies from lot to lot.

Prepare everything else while the pasta boils. Set out the extra virgin olive oil, and crush the black pepper coarsely rather than grinding it in a mill. Freshly cracked pepper has better aroma, and a coarse grind lets the fragrance rise through your nose as you bite into it.

Make the egg mixture. Combine 2 eggs per serving with grated Pecorino Romano, and loosen with about 2 tablespoons of pasta cooking water. Combining it directly with the cooked pasta would cause clumping. Mix lightly rather than over-mixing.

Sauté the pancetta in a frying pan. Once it has cooked somewhat, add a generous amount of black pepper. When the fat has rendered out and it is cooked through, set half aside and use the remaining half to draw out the drippings.

Check the firmness of the pasta. Once it reaches the right texture, let it absorb the pancetta drippings in the frying pan. A little moisture remaining is fine.

Turn off the heat or reduce it to very low, add the egg mixture, and toss while cooking with residual heat. Finish so that each strand of pasta is coated in egg and cheese, then top with the crispy pancetta you set aside. The result has little sauce but coats everything evenly.

[Variation] Swap the pasta for elbow macaroni (salad macaroni). Cut one serving of prosciutto into bite-sized pieces.

Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the macaroni. The standard cooking time is 8 minutes, so drain at 7. For the egg mixture, combine 1 whole egg with cheese; since the white is included, don't thin it with cooking water.

Cook the prosciutto thoroughly with black pepper until crisp. Don't start on high heat, as the pepper will burn; set half aside at the right moment.

Drain the macaroni well, since water left inside the tubes makes it salty, then let it absorb the prosciutto drippings. Combine with the egg mixture to finish with a consistency like crème anglaise, and top with the prosciutto you set aside.

[Variation of the variation] The next day, turn the chilled, set macaroni carbonara into a salad. The egg and oil have emulsified into something like mayonnaise, so just add salt-rubbed cucumber, sliced red bell pepper, and cherry tomatoes, add white wine vinegar to taste, and cut and mix it together.