Easy Spaghetti Carbonara

Five years ago, during our trip to Italy, we had some of the best pasta dishes.  One of them being Spaghetti Carbonara.  The rich silky sauce that clings to the pasta and the wonderful bits of salty pancetta, topped with Parmigiana-Reggiano cheese - man I can close my eyes and still taste it.  Back home I make a pretty close knock off that people enjoy.  This recipe feeds 6 - 8 people easily, and with 15 minutes prep time and 15 minutes actual cooking time, you can have dinner on the table quickly.

You will need:
Salt
1 Tabs olive oil
1 Tabs butter
1/2 pound thick sliced bacon (or pancetta)
2 cloves garlic
1 pound spaghetti
4 large eggs (at room temperature)
Parmesan cheese (or Parmigiana-Reggiano)
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup frozen peas, thawed

First we're going to get everything prepared, because this dish comes together so fast.

Slice your bacon, (or pancetta),  into small bite sized pieces.  You only need 1/2 pound (8 ounces) of thick sliced bacon.

Note:  I use bacon, since it's less expensive.

Set the sliced bacon aside.

Peel 2 cloves of garlic  -  Don't slice, just peel and leave them whole.

Grate 1 1/4 cup of GOOD Parmesan cheese, (or Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese).  This is where I spend my money.  I figure if I cut costs using bacon, I can spend my money on good cheese.

Note: I grate my cheese on a micro grater, that gives me much more cheese than a large hole grater.  And the cheese goes further.

OK - now we are ready to start cooking !

 Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat and add salt, (this is for the spaghetti).

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add 1 Tablespoon of olive oil and 1 Tablespoon of butter.

Once the oil and butter have started to heat up, add the 2 garlic cloves.

 Add the bacon.

Cook the bacon until it renders the fat and it's cooked, (but NOT crisp).  About 4 or 5 minutes.

Boy you can really smell the wonderful flavors of the bacon and the garlic.  I just smells like Italy !

 Once the bacon is cooked, remove from heat.  Remove the garlic and discard.

 Remove the bacon.  Do NOT discard the oil/butter mixture.  You will need this.  Allow it to cool.

By now your water should be boiling and ready for the spaghetti.  Cook the spaghetti until al' dente'  Make sure to stir every so often, so the pasta strands separate.

 While the spaghetti is cooking, in a large bowl whisk the 4 eggs until the yolks and whites are just combined.

 Add 1 cup of the grated cheese.  Whisk just to incorporate.  (the remaining 1/4 cup will go on top of the spaghetti).

 Add the cooked bacon.

Add the cooled oil/butter mixture.  Whisk to incorporate.

 Add a generous amount of pepper, (apporximately 2 Tablespoons).  Whisk in the pepper.  I know this looks like a lot of pepper, but believe me, it's not.

Once the spaghetti is cooked, drain off the water.  Be sure to reserve 1 cup of the pasta water, (this is in case the sauce needs to be loosened up).

Now add the hot spaghetti to the egg mixture and stir well to coat all the spaghetti.  (The hot spaghetti will cook the egg mixture.)

 After a minute of so, (when the spaghetti is well coated), add the peas and if the sauce needs some loosening up a little of the pasta water.  Stir in the peas.

 And there you have it !

A nice large bowl of Spaghetti Carbonara for the family.

Add the remaining grated cheese on top of each serving for a nice garnish.  You can also chop some parsley to add on top.

Tonight I'm serving my Spaghetti Carbonara with a green salad and a slice of homemade white bread.

Dinner is ready !

Enjoy !