Carbonara - the Italian way

Boil the water of the pasta with a handful of rock salt. When it boils add the pasta and cook as per the instructions - I recommend timing it to be 2 min less than what indicated on the packaging and then taste it to not risk overcooking it.

In a frying pan cook the pancetta on medium heat. If you have bacon cut that into pieces and cook it in the same way. Cook until golden. I don't add any oil to the pan as the pancetta already has quite a lot of fat that will be released with the heat.

In a bowl add one egg and the parmesan together with a dash of milk or water. Add salt and pepper. Beat it with a fork well. For the real recipe you are meant to only use the yolk although it feels like a waste for me so I use the whole egg. This doesn't need to cook so just leave it on the side.

Now when the pasta is ready (al dente) take a cup and save some of the water. This is a good tip for whatever pasta you make, in Italy we save some of the water so that you can add it in case it gets too dry.

Drain the pasta and add it back in the pot without any heat. Add the egg and the pancetta and mix well. The eggs will cook with the heat from the pasta. If it looks too dry add a dash of water that you saved from the cooking.