Carbonara with Cotija Cheese

Step 1

Set the oven rack to the second from the top position and preheat the oven broiler.

Step 2

Roasted Poblanos: Place the whole poblano peppers on a baking sheet. Broil in the oven until charred on all sides, turning every couple minutes. Depending on the size of your peppers, broiling will usually take about 5 to 10 minutes to char. Once the peppers are charred, remove the peppers from the oven and carefully place them in a sealable heat-safe container (like a lidded bowl) until they are cool enough to handle. Once cool, remove the papery skin (it’s okay if you leave a little on), seeds, and stem, and dice the pepper flesh.

Step 3

Pasta: Fill a pot of water halfway and add 1 tablespoon coarse salt. Bring the pot of water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook to al dente (start checking at 7 minutes, be careful not to overcook). Do not drain the pasta water, you may need it for the sauce.

Step 4

Sauce: While pasta is cooking, stir together 7 egg yolks, 2 whole eggs, 1/2 teaspoon smoked salt, the grated Cotija cheese, and half of the diced poblano peppers in a large metal bowl.

Step 5

Fat pan: In a large pan over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter with 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Be careful not to burn the butter.

Step 6

Add fat to the pasta: When pasta is al dente, turn off the heat and use a pasta spoon to transfer the spaghetti to the fat pan. Using a pasta spoon will bring along some of the pasta water, this is desirable to get the right consistency. Quickly stir the pasta together with the butter and vegetable oil. You want the fat to evenly coat the pasta.

Step 7

Sauce it up: Carefully pour the noodles from the fat pan into the sauce mixture bowl and stir thoroughly. The sauce will thicken as you stir. You want the sauce to stick to the noodles, but not clump. If the sauce is too thick, use the leftover pasta water one tablespoon at a time to thin it. If the sauce is too thin, carefully hold the metal bowl over the hot pasta water to heat the sauce while stirring. Be very careful not to cook the egg. Salt and pepper to taste.

Step 8

To serve: Using a large fork and spoon, twist the pasta into your bowl. Garnish with cotija cheese and remaining poblano peppers.