Brussels Sprouts Carbonara

In a small heavy-based saucepan, fry the pancetta and Brussels sprouts until golden and crispy. Be careful not to heat it too vigorously and burn them. Once cooked, set aside to cool and keep the excess fat (very important).

While the pancetta mixture is cooling, separate the eggs (you will just need the yolks for this recipe).

Add the finely grated pecorino to the yolks and mix until fully combined into a thick paste. Add a very generous dose of black pepper.

Once the pancetta and Brussels sprouts are lukewarm, add them to the egg mixture (including the oil) and quickly beat. If you do this while it is too hot, you will scramble the eggs, so don’t rush this step.

Cook the rigatoni in bubbling water. Don’t salt the water as much as usual, as the pecorino is naturally quite salty.

While the pasta is cooking, set aside a couple of dessert spoons of the pasta water. Once it has cooled slightly, add it to the egg mixture and beat quickly to loosen it. The consistency should be thick but still easy to stir.

Drain the pasta, return it to the saucepan, and quickly tip in the egg mixture. Don’t hang around on this step, as you don’t want to scramble the eggs. Keep mixing for a minute or two until all the pasta is coated.

Serve and add extra pecorino and black pepper!