Spaghetti alla Carbonara

Note: As you can see, I wasn’t kidding about how few ingredients are needed. However, this does mean that the quality of each ingredient really matters. Don’t use pre-grated parmesan cheese from some container that will last till 2020. It’s crap. Really, it doesn’t even compare to fresh grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, so go out and get the real thing. Buy it in a block and grate as you need it. Also, you will know if it is real because on the rind of the cheese there is always the name stamped out. Fake parmesan will not have that.

Start by bringing a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Season the water generously with salt, and then add the pasta. Cook the pasta until al dente (usually this means for 2 minutes less than the package recommends). If you are trying it for doneness, it should still have quite a bite to it. Remember, you will cook it after removing for another few minutes in the pan, so fear not.

While the pasta is boiling, place your chopped bacon (or pancetta) into a large, deep skillet and cook it until is dark and crisp. After it is cooked, pour all the pan’s contents onto a cutting board lined with several sheets of paper towel. The idea is to remove all of that bacon fat from the pan and from the pieces themselves. I feel that leaving all that fat is unnecessary and overpowers the dish.

Return the de-oiled meat back into the pan and turn the heat off. In a separate clean bowl, whisk together the eggs and parmesan cheese. At this point, you should be just about ready to drain your pasta. Before you drain it, reserve 1 cup of the pasta water. Slowly whisk this hot pasta water into the egg and cheese mixture. Add it very, very slowly so that you don’t end up cooking the egg.

Add the drained pasta to the pan with the bacon. Turn the heat on low, and pour in the egg sauce. Whisk vigorously, constantly turning the pasta. You should notice, within just a minute or two, the sauce will become very creamy. Once that happens, turn of the heat and serve. Don’t cook the pasta for too long in the pan or you will have scrambled eggs. Also, if you feel like the sauce has stiffened up, add a little bit more water.

Serve with some sliced scallion on top and a little sprinkle of cheese.