Kimchi Carbonara
A recipe for Kimchi Carbonara from the cookbook, Anything's Pastable! This dish pairs spaghetti with crisp pieces of guanciale, caramelized cabbage kimchi, and a silky egg cheese sauce.
Servings 4 -6 Servings
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup (4 ounces) store-bought grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan plus more for serving
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper plus cracked peppercorns for serving
- 8 ounces guanciale
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 cups napa cabbage kimchi drained and chopped into 1 inch pieces
- 1 pound dried spaghetti or spaghettoni, bucatini, or rigatoni
Instructions
- Bring 4 quarts of water and the salt to a boil in a large pot.
- In a large heatproof bowl, whisk the eggs, Pecorino, and ground pepper until smooth and consistent; set aside.
- Line a plate with a double layer of paper towels.
- Slice the guanciale 1/4 inch thick (about the thickness of thick-cut bacon), then into 1 by 1/2 inch rectangles, and add them to a large, high-sided skillet along with the oil.
- Spread the guanciale into a single layer, set the pan over medium-low heat, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the fat has rendered and the guanciale is deeply browned in spots, 8 to 12 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the guanciale to the prepared plate.
- Pour the rendered fat into a heatproof bowl or liquid measuring cup, using a spatula to scrape out the pan. Return 3 tablespoons of the rendered fat to the skillet, discarding any excess or reserving it for another use, and place the skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add the kimchi and cook, stirring occasionally and scraping the bottom of the pan, until the moisture has evaporated and the kimchi starts to caramelize around the edges, 6 to 8 minutes; remove the pan from the heat.
- Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook for 1 minute less than the low end of the package instructions.
- Use tongs to transfer the pasta directly to the skillet and return the heat to medium-high.
- Add the guanciale and cook, stirring constantly, until heated through and the pasta is evenly coated with the kimchi mixture, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Immediately transfer the pasta to the bowl with the egg mixture. Add 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water and use a rubber spatula to rapidly toss everything together until the pasta is well coated, the cheese is dissolved, and the sauce is smooth and glossy. (There should be extra sauce pooling in the bowl at first, but it should all cling to the pasta after 1 to 2 minutes of stirring. If the sauce looks too thick after 1 minute, add more pasta water 1 tablespoon at a time until smooth and creamy.)
- Transfer the pasta to a serving dish or individual bowls, sprinkle generously with more Pecorino and the cracked peppercorns, and serve.