Pasta Carbonara

Pasta Carbonara - Just the speaking of the dish's name conjures up memories of my trip to Italy.

The dish was served to me in Florence - and burned a hole in my memory!

Please dont freak about the raw eggs - if made according to my specs - the eggs get cooked!


Pasta alla Carbonara

1 pound dry spaghetti or linguini

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 ounces slab bacon, cubed or sliced into small strips
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 large eggs
1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano,
plus more for serving
Freshly ground black pepper
1 handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Prepare the sauce while the pasta is cooking to ensure that the spaghetti will be hot and ready when the sauce is finished; it is very important that the pasta is hot when adding the egg mixture, so that the heat of the pasta cooks the raw eggs in the sauce.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until tender yet firm
Drain the pasta well,

heat the olive oil in a deep skillet over medium flame.
Add the bacon and saute for about 3 minutes, until the bacon is crisp and the fat is rendered. Toss the garlic into the fat and saute for less than 1 minute to soften.

Add the hot, drained pasta to the pan and toss for 2 minutes to coat the strands in the bacon fat.

Beat the eggs and Parmesan together in a mixing bowl, stirring well to prevent lumps.

Remove the pan from the heat and pour the egg/cheese mixture into the pasta, whisking quickly until the eggs thicken, but do not scramble (this is done off the heat to ensure this does not happen.)

Thin out the sauce with a bit of the pasta water, until it reaches desired consistency.

Season the carbonara with lots of freshly ground black pepper and add salt after you have tasted it to make sure it needs it... ( the bacon and the parm cheese are pretty salty)

. Mound the spaghetti carbonara into warm serving bowls and garnish with chopped parsley.

Make sure there is more cheese for the table