Frascatelli Carbonara

Preparation

Baking Directions:

Place the cut guanciale, or pancetta, in a heavy-bottomed skillet with the olive oil.

Place the pan over medium high heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat is rendered and just beginning to crisp.

Place the cooked guanciale in a colander set over a bowl to drain, making sure to save the rendered fat.

Set aside cooked meat and fat.

Prepare the sauce:In a saucepan, bring the cream to a slow simmer over low heat, whisking occasionally.

As the cream is heating up, grind an abundant amount of fresh black pepper from your pepper mill into the pan.

The exact amount will be to your taste, but there should be specs of pepper visible in the sauce.

Add the Parmigiano and 1/2 cup of the Pecorino, and whisk well to melt the cheeses.

Remove the cream from the heat and allow to cool.

To accelerate the cooling process, place the cream in a stainless steel bowl set into another bowl filled with ice.

When the sauce is completely cool, whisk in the egg yolk, and 2 tablespoons of the rendered guanciale or pancetta fat.

Reserve the sauce.

It can be covered and refrigerated for one day at this point.

Prepare the pasta:Bring to a boil one gallon of water and add the 2 tablespoons kosher salt.

Spread the durum wheat flour on a worktable, forming a 1/4-inch thick layer.

Have ready the cold water in a bowl next to the flour, a colander with large holes, such as you might use to drain cooked pasta (not fine mesh), and a lightly floured (with the durum) cookie sheet.

Dip your fingertips into the cold water, then hold your hand over the flour and simply allow the water to drip onto the flour.

Repeat the action, moving your hand around as you continue to drip water onto the flour so as to cover the entire area of exposed surface of the flour.

With a rubber spatula or plastic scraping card, turn the moist flour over on itself once or twice, then transfer all the flour to the colander.

Holding the colander over the worktable, shake it to and fro to sieve the excess flour, leaving behind the small dumpling, or spaetzle-like frascatelli.

Carefully transfer the pasta to the cookie sheet, taking care to spread them out as you slowly let them slide from the colander.

Avoid dumping them in a pile, and try not to use your hands to touch or move the frascatelli.

Continue the process until all the durum flour has been used up.

Immediately slide the pasta into the boiling salted water, and allow to cook for 3 to 4 minutes.

Meanwhile place the sauce in a skillet large enough to hold all the pasta.

Drain the cooked frascatelli and add to the skillet with the sauce.

Bring the sauce to a simmer and stir to coat the pasta well.

Serving Directions:

Serve immediately in warmed pasta bowls, topped with the remaining Pecorino.