Discover the secrets to making the perfect Spaghetti alla Carbonara, straight from Roscioli NYC, the iconic Roman restaurant's New York outpost. This recipe, shared by Chef Mattia Maliterni, highlights the importance of authentic ingredients and traditional techniques to achieve a creamy, rich carbonara that’s not too fatty but full of complex flavors. Whether you're a fan of cooking, recipes, or Bon Appétit’s culinary insights, this guide will bring a true taste of Rome to your kitchen.
Starting with the Star Ingredient: Guanciale
The secret to a fantastic carbonara begins with guanciale — pork cheek — which is favored over bacon or pancetta for its perfect balance of fat and meat. The guanciale used in this recipe is carefully prepared by removing the black pepper crust and the inedible skin, ensuring the meat crisps beautifully without any burnt or bitter flavors.
Cooking guanciale requires attention to temperature. Chef Mattia uses a hot iron pan, then lowers the heat to medium to render the fat slowly while keeping the cubes crunchy on the outside and tender inside. Importantly, no extra oil or butter is added, as the guanciale is naturally rich in fat, which fries the meat perfectly in its own juices.
Toasting and Grinding the Perfect Pepper Blend
While guanciale cooks, a special pepper mix is toasted to elevate the dish’s aroma and flavor. This blend includes black pepper from Sarovac, white spicy pepper from Montauk, Indonesia, and red Kampot pepper. Toasting these peppercorns releases a floral and aromatic profile that goes beyond the usual black pepper kick.
The peppercorns are toasted until they start to “jump” in the pan, signaling they are ready to be ground. The coarseness of the grind is carefully controlled to avoid overly fine pepper, ensuring a pleasant texture and punch in the final dish.
Crafting the Creamy Carbonara Sauce
The sauce is where carbonara truly shines. Unlike many modern takes, this traditional recipe uses no cream. Instead, it relies on eggs and cheese for its creamy texture.
For two servings, the sauce includes two egg yolks and half an egg white, lending richness and a vibrant yellow color. The cheese is a mix of Pecorino Romano and Pecorino Moliterno — the latter adds a subtle sweetness that balances the saltiness beautifully. The cheese is finely grated for a smooth blend.
A crucial step is adding a spoonful of the rendered guanciale fat into the sauce, infusing it with meaty flavor. To help the sauce come together without curdling, a little pasta cooking water is added, and the bowl is gently warmed over steam to create a silky, smooth emulsion.
Choosing and Cooking the Right Pasta
Spaghetti alla Carbonara deserves the perfect pasta, and here, a thick “spaghettone” is preferred. The pasta is slowly dried at low temperatures by small producers, preserving flavor and nutrients. This thick spaghetti holds up well to the sauce, staying al dente without becoming mushy.
The pasta is cooked in lightly salted water — just enough salt since the dish already has salty components — then combined with the sauce to start the emulsification process.
Bringing It All Together: Emulsifying and Plating
Once the pasta is ready, it’s added to the bowl with the carbonara sauce. The crispy guanciale is folded in carefully, avoiding adding extra fat since the sauce already contains it. The mixture is emulsified by stirring and adding a little pasta water if needed, resulting in a creamy, smooth texture that clings perfectly to the spaghetti.
Plating is made easy with a spoon to twirl the pasta into neat nests. A final sprinkle of crispy guanciale and the aromatic pepper blend finishes the dish, presenting a beautiful, authentic carbonara with a subtle New York twist thanks to the pepper mix.
A Rich, Balanced Carbonara Worth Making at Home
This carbonara recipe from Roscioli NYC is all about balance — rich yet not overwhelming, salty but nuanced, and creamy without any cream. The crunchy guanciale adds texture while the pepper blend elevates the flavor profile with aromatic complexity.
Chef Mattia’s advice is to be thoughtful about ingredient quality, as it makes all the difference in the final dish. Follow these steps and enjoy a carbonara that’s rich, delicious, and truly authentic.
“Without the flavor of the meat, it’s not a carbonara. I mean, it’s something different.” — Chef Mattia Maliterni
This article was created from the video How The Best Carbonara in NYC is Made | Made to Order | Bon Appétit with the help of AI.
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