Carbonara with Pork Cheek!
The ratio is for two people, if you're having more folks simply add or multiply with simple math.
Ingredients
- 200 grams of pork cheek
- Salt (approx. 6 grams)
- Pepper (approx. 3 grams)
- 1 goose egg or 2 chicken eggs
- Pecorino cheese (generous amount)
- 160 grams of pasta
Preparation
Remove the rind from the pork cheek, then spread salt and pepper on it. I used about 200 grams of pork cheek and I was generous with salt and pepper; I don't measure it as with time you develop an eye for it, but it is about 6 grams of salt and 3 grams of pepper. Cut the pork cheek into cubes or into fine strips. Mix the goose egg, or two chicken eggs with abundant pecorino thus making a creamy consistency.
By the way this Pecorino I used is as well very special, I got it from a farmer in my hometown where there is lots of sheep grazing free range, and he is making even the rennet for his cheeses which is quite rare nowadays! The result is something I had never seen before, as this Pecorino is hard as a rock!
Cooking
Back to the Carbonara, cook the pork cheek strips, or cubes, slowly on the pan for about 15 minutes, so that fat will be released and meat will become crispy.
Heat up the water until it boils, and then salt it, thus pour the pasta in. For two people I generally use about 160 grams of pasta.
Now comes the danger!
Turn off the pan where the pork cheek was cooking, and then when the pasta is ready pour it into that pan together with two or three spoons of pasta water. This water contains a lot of starch that pasta released into it during cooking.
Wait a few seconds! Finally pour the mix of egg and cheese that you prepared at the beginning. In fact, if you pour it too soon and the water is still too hot, you will make scrambled eggs, and there will be no way back. Mix the whole thing well and it will form a creamy sauce, and thus it's ready to eat.
One last note: if it happens that you poured too much water and the sauce is a bit too runny and you'd like it a bit thicker, you can fix it. Heat it up and keep mixing, keeping attention into not warming it up too much and making scrambled eggs. The eggs won't scramble below 70 Celsius degrees, so play with the heat and remove the pan from the fire, then put it back, and repeat this a few times while you keep mixing until you reach the desired thickness.
Have fun while preparing this delicious dish, I wish you too, and enjoy!
Best wishes,
George