a hearty bowl of pasta: a recipe

A couple years ago I saw an episode on the Food Network featuring spaghetti carbonara... I can't recall if it was Rachael Ray or Giada De Laurentiis... either way, I've seen this classic Roman dish featured on numerous shows with different variations. I had never had it before then but it looked tasty and simple to cook... and really, you can't go wrong with pasta and bacon. I've been cooking this regularly ever since. It was one of my go-to meals while living in Los Angeles in my early 20s, because nothing can be cheaper than cooking any pasta dish. This is something that my tummy craves on a cold, rainy day (besides pho, of course). So here's my simple version...

Spaghetti Carbonara:

Serves 2 (or 1 with leftovers).

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 1 whole egg and 1 egg yolk
• 1/2 cup half and half or heavy cream
• 1/4 grated parmesan cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (more or less according to your spice intake)
• 4 or 5 slices of bacon cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1/4 cup of chopped onions
• 1/2 lb of spaghetti (half the box)
• liberal amount of salt for flavoring water to boil spaghetti in
• sprinkle of dried or fresh parsley
• fresh cracked black pepper (optional)

Directions:

Start cooking the spaghetti in a big pot according to package directions in salted boiling water. In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, parmesan and half and half or heavy cream, set aside. In a separate pan, heat olive oil on medium heat and add in the bacon. About half way through, add the onions, garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook until bacon is brown and crisp. Spoon out any excess oil, leaving about 1 tablespoon in the pan. Set the pan aside, off heat. Once the spaghetti is cooked to al dente, add it to the pan with the bacon mixture, sprinkle in the parsley and black pepper and toss together. Pour in the egg cream mixture and immediately begin mixing and tossing together, this will allow the cream to thicken and not scramble, about 5 minutes. Serve with extra parmesan dusted on top.

If you want to live dangerously, eat with crusty bread... but try not to pass out from carb overload! Seriously, don't say that I didn't warn you! Hope you enjoy this comfort food favorite. :)