Rome’s classical carbonara hinges on the guanciale. Made from pork jowl that’s been cured in salt for 2-3 weeks, the meat has a much deeper flavor than bacon. This carbonara recipe comes courtesy of Sarah Cicolini, chef of popular contemporary trattoria Santo Palato. The dish traditionally opts for a shorter pasta known as rigatoni or even mezza manica, a shorter version of the rigatoni. The “riga” (ridges) on the edges help the pasta hold the sauce. For every 100 grams of pasta, boil 1 liter of water, mixing in a generous pinch of salt. The fat produced while frying the guanciale helps give the sauce extra body. To offset the fat in the sauce, pat the cooked meat with paper towels. Mixing the sauce in a double boiler keeps the egg creamy.

1. Fill a large pot with water. Add salt and bring to a boil.
2. In a frying pan on medium heat, sauté the peeled and diced guanciale until pleasantly crisp, about 10-15 minutes. Pour the resulting fat into a separate dish.
3. Place egg yolks and egg white in a bowl. Add a portion of the guanciale fat and grated pecorino romano. Mix until smooth and frothy.
4. Boil pasta but remove from heat two minutes early. Retain the pasta water.
5. Pour the rest of the guanciale fat into a large pot. On medium-high heat, add the boiled pasta and 1/2 cup of the pasta water. Stir for three minutes.
6. Turn off heat. Add (3) to the pot. Mix until very creamy. Add more pasta water as necessary.
7. Serve the pasta on plates. Add (2) and finish with a sprinkling of grated pecorino and black pepper to taste.