Melissa Church's Spaghetti alla Carbonara

Spaghetti alla Carbonara

·       Prep time: 10 minutes

·       Cook time: 20 minutes

·       Yield: Serves 4-6.

Ingredients

·       1 Tbsp olive oil or unsalted butter

·       1/2 pound pancetta

·       1 Teaspoon garlic cloves, minced

·       3 whole eggs

·       1 cup pecorino cheese

·       1 pound spaghetti

·       Salt and black pepper to taste

Method

1 Put a large pot of salted water on to boil (1 Tbsp salt for every 2 quarts of water.)

2 While the water is coming to a boil, heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the pancetta and cook slowly until crispy. Add the garlic and cook another minute, then turn off the heat and put the pancetta and garlic into a large bowl.

3 In a small bowl, beat the eggs and mix in about half of the cheese.

4 Once the water has reached a rolling boil, add the pasta, and cook, uncovered, at a rolling boil. When the pasta is al dente (still a little firm, not mushy), use tongs to move it to the bowl with the bacon and garlic. Move the pasta from the pot to the bowl quickly, as you want the pasta to be hot. It's the heat of the pasta that will heat the eggs sufficiently to create a creamy sauce. Toss everything to combine, then add the beaten eggs with cheese and toss quickly to combine once more. Add salt to taste.

Serve at once with the rest of the parmesan and freshly ground black pepper.

If you want, sprinkle with a little fresh chopped parsley.

This was delicious and a recipe from a real italian!