Ingredients (~4 servings)
- 1 lb spaghetti (dry)
- 8-10 cloves garlic, peeled and left whole
- 2 cups packed fresh spinach or parsley leaves
- 4 large egg yolks
- 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 1/2 cups diced pancetta or guanciale (about 6-8 oz)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt and lots of black pepper
Blanch the Aromatics
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Have a bowl of ice water ready nearby.
Drop the peeled garlic cloves into the boiling water. Cook for 2-3 minutes; you want them to soften slightly but not turn to mush.
Add the spinach or parsley to the same pot. Cook for 10 seconds just to wilt it and set the bright green color.
Fish everything out with a spider or slotted spoon and plunge it into the ice bath to stop the cooking. Squeeze the greens dry with your hands to prevent a watery sauce. Keep the water boiling for the pasta.
Smash the Flavor Base
Place the blanched garlic cloves and squeezed greens into a mortar and pestle (or a food processor). Bash them into a coarse green paste; the garlic should smash easily now.
Add the egg yolks, grated Parmesan, and a generous amount of black pepper. Mix vigorously until you have a thick, vibrant green slurry.
Render the Fat
Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over low heat. Add the diced pancetta.
Cook slowly for ~8-10 minutes. You want the fat to render out completely and the meat to become crispy and golden. Do not rush this; if the heat is too high, the fat will burn before it renders, and you need that liquid fat to coat the noodles.
Cook the Pasta
While the pancetta crisps, boil the spaghetti in the garlic-infused water until al dente.
Use tongs to transfer the hot pasta directly into the pan with the crispy pancetta and its rendered fat. Add a ladle (about 1/2 cup) of the starchy cooking water. Toss to coat the noodles in the hot oil.
Create the Emulsion Off Heat
Remove the pan from the heat completely. This is crucial; if the pan is on the burner, the eggs will scramble instantly.
Pour the garlic-herb egg mixture over the pasta. Toss quickly and continuously for ~60 seconds. The residual heat from the pasta and fat will gently cook the eggs and melt the cheese into a creamy, glossy green sauce.
If it feels dry or sticky, add another splash of pasta water to loosen it up. Serve immediately.
Garlic and Herb Carbonara
Ingredients
Ingredients (~4 servings)
- 1 lb spaghetti dry
- 8-10 cloves garlic peeled and left whole
- 2 cups packed fresh spinach or parsley leaves
- 4 large egg yolks
- 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 1/2 cups diced pancetta or guanciale about 6-8 oz
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt and lots of black pepper
Instructions
- Blanch garlic cloves in boiling water for 2-3 minutes, then add spinach for 10 seconds.
- Transfer garlic and greens to ice bath, then squeeze dry.
- Mash garlic and greens in mortar and pestle with egg yolks, Parmesan, and black pepper.
- Render pancetta in olive oil over low heat for 8-10 minutes until crispy.
- Cook spaghetti in same water until al dente.
- Transfer pasta to pancetta pan with some cooking water, toss to coat.
- Remove pan from heat, add herb-egg mixture, and toss continuously for 60 seconds.
- Add pasta water if sauce is too thick.
- Serve immediately.
