Quick Weeknight Dinner: Spaghetti alla carbonara

I don't know about you, but coming home after work and wanting
to cook anything, let alone something delicious, rarely
happens for me. This recipe is your answer. It is 30 minutes start
to finish. It comes from Williams-Sonoma Food Made Fast: Pasta.
Laura made this tonight and it's fantastic. This is an easy way to
take on an Italian classic, the carbonara.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• Olive oil, 3 tablespoons
• Pancetta or bacon, 1/4 lb chopped
• Garlic, 2 large cloves, minced
• Dry white whine, 1/3 cup (Sauvignon blanc or even Pinot Grigio)
• Eggs, 3, at room temperature, beaten
• Parmesan cheese, 1/3 cup grated
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• Fresh flat-leaf (Italian) parsley, 1/4 cup minced

Directions

1. Make the sauce. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. In a large frying pan over medium heat, warm 1 tablespoon of the oil.
2. Add the pancetta or bacon and 3 tablespoons water and cook until the water has evaporated. Add the garlic and the remaining 2 tablespoons oil and cook, stirring occasionally, until the pancetta or bacon is browned, about 4 minutes.






3. Stir in wine and cook until most of the alcohol has burned off; about 1 minute.
4. In a large serving bowl, beat the eggs with the cheese and 3/4 teaspoon salt; seat aside.
   
   
   



5. Cook the Pasta. Add 2 tablespoons salt and the pasta to the boiling water. Cook, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, until al dente, according to the package directions.
6. Drain, reserving about 1/2 cup of the cooking water. Working quickly, add the pasta to the egg mixture and toss to coat. add as much of the cooking water as needed to loosen the sauce.





7. Add the pancetta or bacon, a generous amount of pepper, and the parsley. Toss again and serve.

My Tips and Tricks (with Laura):

• For those who don't want to use white wine, you can always use a little bit of chicken or vegetable broth (if it's not free of salt, lessen the amount of salt you use in). I really do suggest using wine, the alcohol burns off!
• Use kosher salt! Stop using iodized salt to cook or bake, it lacks the depth of flavor and integrity of more coarse types of salts.
• If you are squeamish eggs being raw, a couple of things: 1) the pasta cooks the eggs without scrambling them (trust me!); 2) you could make this without the eggs (granted it wouldn't be a carbonara), but you could just add cheese with a bit of olive oil to it before adding it to your pasta. **Will also lower the cholesterol of this dish.
• Pancetta and bacon can often be quite salty. If you are worried about your blood pressure, cut the salt added to the cheese/egg mixture. Still add a bit to your pasta water since this is the only time you'll be able to season the pasta itself. Another way to decrease some of the sodium is by draining some of the pancetta or bacon grease before adding your wine.
• If you're looking for a bit of kick, add crushed red pepper flakes!
• Last, but not least: pasta is a great time to introduce, or hide, vegetables into your meal. Make it your own. Add peas, mushrooms, carrots, broccoli...basically whatever. It makes it a more Americanized carbonara, but whatever, it's your house and your meal.