Chorizo and Chickpea Carbonara

matt · 11 September 2023
Date Posted
Ingredients
  • ½ lemon
  • 4 large egg yolks
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 ounces grated Parmesan cheese (about ½ cup), plus more for serving
  • Kosher salt
  • 4 ounces cured (Spanish) chorizo (about a 6-inch piece)
  • 1 (14.5-ounce) can chickpeas
  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 pound dried rigatoni
Body
  1. Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil.
  2. Make the egg mixture: In a medium bowl, whisk together 4 egg yolks and 1 whole egg. Whisk in 2 ounces grated Parmesan cheese (½ cup).
  3. Start the sauce: Dice 1 (4-ounce) piece of Spanish chorizo into ¼-inch pieces.
  4. Thoroughly drain and rinse 1 (14.5-ounce) can of chickpeas in a fine-mesh strainer.
  5. In a large Dutch oven, combine the chorizo and 3 tablespoons olive oil. Cook over medium heat until it just starts to sizzle, about 3 minutes.
  6. Add the chickpeas and stir well to coat in the oil. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally and crushing some of the chickpeas with the back of a wooden spoon, until they are crisp in some areas and the chorizo has leeched out some of its red oil, 5 to 6 minutes longer. Coarsely grind lots of black pepper into the pot to bloom the pepper and bring out its aroma. Remove the pot from the heat.
  7. Cook the pasta: While the chickpeas cook, add the rigatoni to the boiling water and give it a stir. Cook according to the package directions for al dente. Scoop out and reserve 1 ½ cups of the pasta water, then drain the pasta.
  8. Whisk ½ cup of the reserved pasta water into the egg and Parmesan mixture until well combined.
  9. Bring it all together: Transfer the pasta to the Dutch oven along with about half of the remaining pasta water. Turn the heat to medium-low and stream in the egg mixture, stirring vigorously and constantly with a spoon, until the pasta is coated in a thick, creamy, pale yellow sauce. You will see it magically transform from a raw egg mixture to a slightly thickened creamy sauce. Add a splash or two more pasta water if it looks a little too thick and could be saucier.
  10. Finely grate the zest of ½ lemon into the pasta. Taste and add more salt and black pepper if you think it needs it.
  11. Serve: Top with more grated Parmesan and black pepper and serve.