Carbonara

I looked up this Carbonara recipe years ago after hearing Rachael Ray talk about it being her husband’s favorite meal she made. I pinned it immediately and it became one of our favorite meals. Rowan requests it every few weeks!

Things I tweak: I use bacon instead of pancetta and double the amount. I also use Parmesan cheese instead of Romano and leave out the parsley.

Ingredients (Adapted from Rachael Ray):

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 pound spaghetti
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (enough to coat bottom of pan)
1/2 pound bacon, chopped
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
6 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 large egg yolks
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Put a large saucepot of water on to boil. Add a liberal amount of salt and the pasta. Cook to al dente, about 8 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil and chopped bacon. Brown bacon 2 minutes. Add red pepper flakes and garlic and cook 2 to 3 minutes more. Add wine and stir up all the pan drippings.
In a separate bowl, beat yolks, then add 1 large ladleful (about 1/2 cup) of the pasta cooking water. This tempers the eggs and keeps them from scrambling when added to the pasta.
Drain pasta well and add it directly to the skillet with bacon and oil. Pour the egg mixture over the pasta. Toss rapidly to coat the pasta without cooking the egg. Remove pan from heat and add a big handful of cheese, lots of pepper, and a little salt. Continue to toss and turn the pasta until it soaks up egg mixture and thickens, 1 to 2 minutes. Garnish with extra grated Romano.