Pasta Carbonara - Pasta of the Month

I don't know about you, but I look forward to my "pasta of the month post".   Frankly, I could make and eat pasta every day, if allowed.  My waistline does not permit me to indulge in such comfort food!  In my next life, I need to come back as an Italian living in the coastal regions of "the "boot".  That way I can have the best of both worlds, seafood and pasta, with an occasional pizza thrown in!

I'm surprised I've never made this classic dish sooner.  It comes together in about 20 minutes and is decadently good.  The thought of beaten eggs whisked in at the last minute scared me a bit, but so does the raw eggs in caesar salad dressing!  And there's always sushi, but I won't go into those stories!

I adapted this recipe from the Food Network.  I'm not a bacon in the morning  person (unless swirled into chocolate ice cream), so I used panchetta, not that it matters much.  They are still practically the same except for the way they are prepared and cured.  This is a great pasta dish.  It deserves more recognition!

Pasta Carbonara  (2 large servings, can easily be doubled or tripled)

1/2 cup chopped panchetta

1 Tbsp chopped garlic

black pepper

approx 1/2 lb spaghetti or fettucine, cooked

2 large eggs, beaten

salt (if you must, but not necessary with panchetta)

1/2 cup Parmesan or Romano cheese, grated

1 Tbsp chopped Italian parsley

On medium heat, in a large saute pan, cook the panchetta with a drizzle of olive oil until crisp.  Remove from the pan and drain on a paper towel.  Use about 1 1/2 Tbsp of the oil from the panchetta and toss the rest.  Add the garlic, then the pepper, only cooking for 30 seconds, or so.  Add the panchetta back in and the drained pasta.  Cook for another minute, while stirring.  Add the salt to the eggs.  Important:  Remove the pan from the heat and add the eggs, whisking briskly until the eggs thicken, being careful that they don't scramble.  Add the cheese, stir and garnish with the parsley to serve.  Very tasty!!  You can almost transport yourself to Rome with this one!  Enjoy!

Entrance to the Vatican