Description

This is a simple and quick dish to make and comes out perfectly everytime. Add some fresh or frozen peas, if you wish.

Ingredients

• 1 lb. dry spaghetti
• 2 T. extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 oz. pancetta or slab bacon, cubed or sliced into small strips
• 5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 large eggs
• 1 c. freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more for serving
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• salt, to taste
• handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Steps

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil; add pasta; cook for 8 - 10 minutes or until tender yet firm. Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water to use in the sauce if desired.
2. As pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil in a deep skillet over medium heat. Add pancetta; saute about 3 minutes, until it is crisp and fat is rendered. Toss garlic into the fat; saute for less than 1 minute to soften.
3. Add hot, drained spaghetti to the pan; toss for 2 minutes to coat the strands in the bacon fat. Beat eggs and Parmesan together in a mixing bowl, stirring well to prevent lumps. Remove the pan from the heat; pour the egg and cheese mixture into pasta, whisking quickly until eggs thicken, but don't scramble, done off the heat to ensure this does not happen. Thin out the sauce with a bit of the reserved pasta water, until it reaches desired consistency. Season the carbonara with several turns of freshly ground black pepper, and salt to taste.