Creamy carbonara
6
Easy
10 minutes
20 minutes
Grana Padano brings a rich, nutty complexity to this creamy twist on an Italian classic. While traditional carbonara skips the cream, we’ve embraced it here for an indulgent, velvety sauce that clings to every strand of pasta. Grana Padano’s aged depth cuts through the richness, adding balance and a savoury backbone to the dish. Made using centuries-old techniques and protected by PDO status, it’s the kind of cheese that elevates even the simplest ingredients into something truly special.
Ingredients
Method
- 500 g Woolworths fresh fettuccine
- 400 g Woolworths smoked pork rashers, cubed
- 70 g Woolworths coppa, torn
- 4 free-range eggs
- 80 g Grana Padano, finely grated, plus extra for serving
- ¾ cup cream
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Method
Ingredients
1. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta until just al dente. Drain and reserve 1 cup of pasta cooking water.
2. Meanwhile, place the cubed rashers in a cold pan, then increase the heat to medium. Cook slowly to render the fat and crisp the edges, stirring occasionally.
3. When the rashers start to brown, add the coppa and cook for a further 1–2 minutes, just until it begins to crisp. Turn off the heat and allow the pan to cool slightly.
4. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, cheese, cream and a generous crack of black pepper. Set aside.
5. Slowly whisk 2–3 T of the hot pasta water into the egg mixture to temper it. Add the drained pasta to the pan with the pork, tossing it well in the rendered fat. Wait 30 seconds, then pour the tempered egg mixture into the pan, tossing vigorously (off the heat) to coat the pasta and create a creamy sauce. Add splashes of reserved pasta water to loosen if necessary, until the sauce is glossy and silky.
6. Serve immediately with extra grated Grana Padano and more black pepper.
Photography: Shavan Rahim
Videography: Sadiqah Assur-Ismail
Recipes: Marcelle van Rooyen
Food assistant: Bianca Jones
With its crystalline, crumbly texture and mild, delicate flavour, it’s no mystery why Grana Padano is so popular. Its consistently excellent quality is due to each wheel being examined at nine months by an impartial technician.
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