A new cookbook from “Binging with Babish” creator Andrew Rea walks home cooks through mastering basic skills and recipes in the kitchen. Rea joins us to discuss Basics with Babish: Recipes for Screwing Up, Trying Again, and Hitting It Out of the Park.

CARBONARA

Italian dishes are regularly bastardized here in America, and carbonara is far from an exception. Bacon, peas, mushrooms, garlic, even scallops have invaded this simple Roman staple, and you know what? Who cares. Put what you want in your carbonara, just don’t serve it to a purist (or post it on the Internet) if you don’t want to catch an earful. I will not debate, however, that far and away the best expression of carbonara is the properly executed genuine article. Eggs (or just egg yolks for added richness and color) are practically whipped into an emulsion with pork fat and Pecorino Romano, creating what is perhaps the richest sauce in the pasta lexicon. The sauce’s rich, complex flavor is largely furnished by guanciale, a difficult to find cured pork jowl. Luckily, the much more widely-available pancetta is a fine substitute!

SERVES 4 TO 6

3 large eggs

1 large egg yolk

4 ounces of finely-grated Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (or 2 ounces of each!), plus more for serving

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/2 pound guanciale or pancetta, diced

1 pound dried linguine

In a large, high-walled sauté pan, bring 2 quarts water to a boil, just enough in which to comfortably cook the pasta.

In a liquid measuring cup, combine the eggs, egg yolk, cheese, 1 teaspoon salt, and 2 teaspoons pepper. Whisk or beat with a fork until evenly combined. Set aside.

In another large sauté pan, combine the guanciale with 1/4 cup water and cook over medium-high heat until simmering. Continue to cook until the water is evaporated and most of the fat from the guanciale has rendered out, anywhere from 5 to 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, add the pasta to the boiling water and cook for 1 minute less than the suggested cooking time on the package. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the pasta cooking water.

Discard all but 3 tablespoons of fat from the guanciale, lower the heat, and add the pasta along with 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta cooking water. Cook, tossing, until the pasta is evenly coated in fat. Take the pan off the heat and allow to cool for 10 seconds if it’s sizzling loudly. Add the egg and cheese mixture, immediately and vigorously stirring it into the pasta, taking care not to let any of the egg sit in one place for too long. Stir in more pasta cooking water, 2 tablespoons at a time, until the desired consistency is achieved. Season with more salt if necessary and serve with extra cheese grated over the top.

Note: Try the (Michelin-starred chef and master of pasta) Luciano Monosiglio method—it’s fun! Put the eggs and cheese in a blender and slowly stream in a half cup of pasta cooking water while the blender is running. Throw a hunk of guanciale in there if you really want some pervasive pork flavor, followed by 2 tablespoons of reserved fat from the pan. Blend until smooth and add back to the pasta in the hot pan, cooking over low heat until thick.