Spaghetti alla Carbonara: the Authentic Recipe, Without Cream

Today I'm going to talk about a classic recipe from Italian cooking and from student flats all over Spain. Back in my university days I ate Spaghetti alla Carbonara up to 3 times in a single week (note that in Italian you shouldn't say "spaghettis", because the plural is already in the i: spaghetti is plural).

A more serious mistake than the final "s" when talking about spaghetti carbonara is the habit in Spain, even in restaurants, of adding cream, when the traditional recipe has none — to the point that Italian restaurants in Spain serve carbonara with cream because that's what we're used to here.

I lived in Milan for two and a half years, and one day a good friend, Marcello (pronounced "marchello"), a keen cook like me, came round for lunch and we decided to make spaghetti carbonara. We went down to the shop because my fridge was almost empty, and when I picked up the cream he said: why are you buying cream? Are you making a dessert? I said no, no, it's for the spaghetti, and he told me it doesn't go in. At that moment my "I know everything about cooking and this guy has no idea" streak came out, but he convinced me — and authentic carbonara, that is without cream, is infinitely better than what we make here. If you don't believe me, try it.

Below is the recipe from an Italian website (translated). Are we multilingual or what?
Spaghetti alla Carbonara

Ingredients (4 people)
Spaghetti 300 g
Guanciale (cured pork cheek; pancetta or bacon) 100 g
Grated Pecorino (Parmigiano Reggiano or Grana Padano will do) 50 g
3 eggs
A pinch of black pepper
Salt
Extra virgin olive oil, 2 tablespoons

Method
Put the water on to boil for the spaghetti. Meanwhile, cut the "bacon" into small cubes. In a bowl, beat the eggs with the pecorino, the pepper and a little salt.

In a frying pan, sauté the guanciale in plenty of oil over medium heat. Cook the guanciale for about two minutes, until the fat turns translucent.

Cook the pasta al dente, drain it and put it in the pan with the pancetta, toss and finally add the eggs. Mix everything well, taking care not to let the egg dry out.

Serve hot and, to taste, add more pecorino and pepper.

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