Pumpkin Carbonara

Method

1. Take half a pumpkin, remove seeds and peel, cut into cubes.
2. In a pot, sauté finely chopped yellow onion with olive oil and a garlic clove.
3. Add the pumpkin cubes and fresh rosemary. Season with salt and black pepper.
4. Cover and let stew for 20-25 minutes until soft.
5. Prepare the carbocrema: separate egg yolks from whites; use only the yolks.
6. Grate abundant Pecorino Romano and mix with the yolks.
7. Add abundant black pepper to the yolk mixture.
8. Pasteurize the carbocrema in a bain-marie, heating the eggs to 60-64°C (or by feel).
9. Cut the guanciale into thick cubes.
10. In a very hot pan, sauté the guanciale until crispy on the outside and soft inside.
11. Remove the guanciale and set aside; keep the rendered fat.
12. Stir the guanciale fat into the carbocrema immediately.
13. When the pumpkin is soft, blend it with a little water and a drizzle of olive oil to obtain a creamy sauce.
14. Cook the spaghetti in salted boiling water until al dente.
15. Drain the pasta and finish cooking in the pan with a bit of guanciale fat and pasta water.
16. Add a couple of spoonfuls of the pumpkin cream and some crispy guanciale; toss well.
17. Add the carbocrema and cream off the heat, stirring quickly to avoid scrambling the eggs.
18. Plate: form a nest of pasta, top with crispy guanciale and grated Pecorino Romano.