Who says you have to go out to eat restaurant-style? We’ve persuaded some of London’s top chefs to share their famous recipes, so you can recreate your favourite dishes in the comfort of your own home. Here’s Big Mamma Group’s carbonara recipe by chef Filippo La Gattuta, served at Circolo Popolare and Gloria, two of London’s hottest Italian restaurants. Buon appetito!
La Gran Carbonara Recipe
Serves: 4
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Ingredients
3 whole eggs and 6 egg yolks
90g/3 oz (1 cup) grated pecorino cheese
90g/3 oz (1 cup) grated parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon pepper
400g/14 oz spaghetti
8 slices of guanciale (cured pork cheek/jowl), finely sliced
Method
In a bowl, mix the whole eggs and egg yolks with the pecorino, parmesan and pepper. Set aside.
Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and cook the spaghetti according to the package directions, then drain, reserving the cooking water.
In the meantime, add the guanciale slices to a dry frying pan (skillet) over a medium heat and sear for 5 minutes, or until crispy. Add 1 tablespoon of the pasta cooking water, followed by the spaghetti.
Remove the pan from the heat. Add the egg mixture and mix briskly.
The eggs should not cook too much and the consistency of the sauce should be creamy.
Transfer to a large serving dish and serve immediately. Enjoy!
Fun fact: In real Italian carbonara recipes, sauce is made without cream. Big Mamma chef Filippo La Gattuta makes a spectacle of serving it straight out of a big pecorino wheel at his London trattoria.
