Spaghetti alla Carbonara

SPAGHETTI WITH EGG AND BACON SAUCE

To serve 4

 

4 tablespoons soft butter
2 whole eggs

2 egg yolks

1 cup freshly grated imported
Parmesan cheese

6 to 8 quarts water

1 teaspoon salt

1 pound spaghetti, spaghettini
or linguine

8 slices bacon, cut crosswise into
1/4-inch strips

1 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
(optional)

1/2 cup heavy cream

Freshly ground black pepper

In a small bowl, cream the soft butter by beating it against the sides of
the bowl with a wooden spoon until it is soft and fluffy. In another small
bowl, beat the eggs and egg yolks with a fork or whisk until they are well
blended, then stir in 1/2 cup of grated cheese. Set both bowls aside.

Heat a large ovenproof serving bowl or casserole in a 200⁰ oven. At the
same time, bring the water and salt to a bubbling boil in a large soup pot
or kettle. Drop the spaghetti into the boiling water and stir it for a moment
or two with a wooden spoon to be sure the strands do not stick to one an-
other or to the bottom of the pot. Cook the spaghetti over high heat, stir-
ring occasionally, for 7 to 12 minutes, or until it is tender. Meanwhile, fry
the pieces of bacon in an 8- to 10-inch skillet over moderate heat until they
are crisp. Pour off about half of the bacon fat and stir into the pan the optional
red pepper and then the cream. Bring the cream to a simmer and keep it warm
until the spaghetti is done.

When the spaghetti is cooked, drain it thoroughly in a large colander,
lifting the strands with two forks to make certain all of the water runs off.
Transfer the spaghetti to the heated serving bowl and stir in the creamed
butter, tossing and turning the spaghetti with two forks to coat every
strand. Then stir in the hot bacon-and-cream mixture and finally the beaten
eggs and cheese, mixing everything together thoroughly. The heat of the
pasta arid other ingredients should cook the raw eggs on contact. Taste and
season with salt and a few grindings of pepper. Serve the carbonara at once
with the remaining 1/2 cup of grated cheese passed at the table.