Carbochiana: carbonara with Aglione della Valdichiana

Let us be clear from the start: this is not a carbonara, and it does not claim to be. It is what happens when a Roman dish passes through the Valdichiana and somebody puts the local ingredient into it. We called it Carbochiana precisely to avoid any misunderstanding.

The point is that it works. Aglione is sweet rather than sharp, so it does not compete with the fat of the pancetta: it rounds it off.

For four people

• 360 g of pasta — pennoni hold this cream well, but spaghetti is fine too
• 2 cloves of Aglione della Valdichiana
• 150 g of diced pancetta
• 4 egg yolks and 1 whole egg
• 80 g of grated Parmesan
• half a glass of dry white wine
• extra virgin olive oil, black pepper ground fresh, salt

How it is made

1. The aglione. Two cloves are enough: remember they are four times the size of ordinary garlic cloves. Slice them thinly and put them in the pan with a little oil over a low heat. They should soften, not colour: if they take colour they turn bitter and you have lost the sweetness.

2. The pancetta. Raise the flame and add the pancetta. Render it until the fat turns clear and the edges crisp.

3. The wine. Deglaze with the white wine and let it evaporate completely. This step is what binds the aglione to the pancetta instead of leaving them side by side.

4. The cream. In a bowl beat the yolks with the whole egg and the Parmesan until you have a thick paste. Pepper generously. No salt: between the pancetta and the cheese there is plenty.

5. Bringing it together. Drain the pasta al dente, keeping a ladle of the cooking water. Tip it into the switched-off pan, stir, wait half a minute. Then add the eggs and stir, loosening with the cooking water a little at a time.

The heat stays off. It is the one rule that cannot be negotiated: if the pan is still hot the eggs cook and you have an omelette.

Why aglione and not garlic

Garlic has no place in a carbonara, and there is a reason: it would cover everything. Aglione does the opposite — it gives a sweet base for the fat of the pancetta and the salt of the cheese to rest on. You can tell something is there, and you cannot immediately say what.

Try it, and then decide for yourself what to call it.