Spaghetti Carbonara

Adapted from Anne Burrell
Serves 4 as pasta course
3 as a main course

1 pound spaghetti
3/4 lb. guancialle, pancetta, or good quality thick sliced bacon* diced
4 large eggs
1/2 cup each, freshly grated pecorino romano, and parmesan cheeses
1/2 onion diced fine
(if using pancetta or guancialle you will need 2TBL olive oil)
Salt and Pepper

In a large skillet heat oil (if using pancetta or guancialle)
If not, just heat skillet and cook pork until just getting crispy
Remove meat, and add onions to pan and cook over low heat until soft and starting to caramelize, remove from heat, and add meat back to pan
Beat eggs in a bowl, and add cheeses and mix well
Cook pasta in salted water
Drain pasta reserving about 1 cup of cooking water
If meat and onions have cooled heat again, add pasta to pan, with heat low, toss pasta to coat with fat and mix in the meat and onions
Add pasta to serving bowl and add egg-cheese mixture and toss until well coated and mixture has made a glossy sauce on pasta, adding pasta water 1/4 cup at a time as needed to thin mixture. The heat of the pasta and bacon mixture is enough to cook the eggs.

This is not meant to be a fancy dish, but a homey, farmers’ meal, simply prepared at the end of a day of hard work.

*this is a key ingredient, don’t skimp, get the meat from a good butcher, not the pre-packaged case