Spagetti Carbonara

I keep forgetting to take a picture when I make this meal, and we NEVER have left-overs!  So I am going to post it anyway because it is one of our family's new favorites.

It is from the book Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl.  Most of the instructions are in her words.

1 pound of spaghetti
1/2 lb thickly sliced bacon
2 cloves garlic, peeled (I just use minced garlic)
2 large eggs
black pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano cheese

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil.  When it is boiling, throw the spaghetti in.  In the 9-10 minutes it takes to cook you can make the sauce.

Cut the bacon crosswise into pieces 1/2 wide (mine are more like an inch).  Put them in a skillet and cook for about 2 minutes until the fat begins to soften.  Add the garlic and cook for another 5 minutes, until the edges of the bacon just begin to get crisp.  Do not overcook.

Meanwhile, break the eggs into the bow you will serve the pasta in, and beat them with a fork.  Add some shakes or grindings of pepper.

If you used whole garlic, remove it from the pan.  If it looks like too much fat, discard some, but you're going to toss the bacon with most of its fat into the pasta.  (I drain about 3/4 of the fat off).

When it is cooked, drain the pasta and immediately throw it into the beaten eggs.  Mix it thoroughly.  The heat of the spaghetti will cook the eggs and turn them into a sauce.  Add the bacon with its fat, toss again, add the cheese, and serve!

According to Ruth Reichl, "Contrary to the recipe used so often in restaurants, real carbonara contains no cream.  The real thing also uses guanciale, cured pork jowl, but to be honest, I like bacon better."