Pasta Carbonara

The trick to making a successful Carbonara?

Stirring the egg mixture quickly into the pasta which should be hot enough to "cook" the egg to make a sauce but not so hot as to make it curdle.

Getting carbonara just right can take some practice so don't despair if your carbonara sauce is a little lumpy the first time you make it.

BelikeBecci’s tips and tricks:
Prepare ahead: Since this dish comes together so quickly, and timing is crucial, be sure to have all of your ingredients and equipment ready to go from the start.

• Temper the eggs: Working quickly after draining the pasta is paramount to having success. To streamline things, have the beaten eggs at the ready in a bowl, and quickly whisk in a few tablespoons of reserved hot pasta cooking water to temper them. This makes them less likely to curdle once you toss them with the cooked pasta. Then toss the pasta with the tempered eggs in the still-warm cooking pot, which will help the mixture stay warm enough to melt the cheese.

• Use high-quality cheese: Set down the processed cheese shaker! For this dish, it's key to use real, high-quality Parmesan cheese. Trust us, this recipe is worth it. If you're going to indulge, why not do it right?

  Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil or unsalted butter

• 1/2 pound pancetta or thick cut bacon, diced

• 1-2 garlic cloves, minced, about 1 teaspoon (optional)

• 3-4 whole eggs

• 1 cup grated Parmesan or pecorino cheese

• 1 pound spaghetti (or bucatini or fettuccine)

• Salt and black pepper to taste

• Fresh Parsley for garnish

  Heat pasta water:

  Put a large pot of salted water on to boil (1 tablespoon salt for every 2 quarts of water.)

  Sauté pancetta/bacon and garlic:

  While the water is coming to a boil, heat the olive oil or butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the bacon or pancetta and cook slowly until crispy.

  Add the garlic (if using) and cook another minute, then turn off the heat and put the pancetta and garlic into a large bowl.

  Beat eggs and half of the cheese:

  In a small bowl, beat the eggs and mix in about half of the cheese.

  Cook pasta:

  Once the water has reached a rolling boil, add the dry pasta, and cook, uncovered, at a rolling boil.

  Toss pasta with pancetta/bacon:

  When the pasta is al dente , use tongs to move it to the bowl with the bacon and garlic. Let it be dripping wet. Reserve some of the pasta water.

  Move the pasta from the pot to the bowl quickly, as you want the pasta to be hot. It's the heat of the pasta that will heat the eggs sufficiently to create a creamy sauce.

  Toss everything to combine, allowing the pasta to cool just enough so that it doesn't make the eggs curdle when you mix them in. (That's the tricky part.)

  Add the beaten egg mixture:

  Add the beaten eggs with cheese and toss quickly to combine once more. Add salt to taste. Add some pasta water back to the pasta to keep it from drying out.

  Serve at once with the rest of the parmesan and freshly ground black pepper.

  Sprinkle with a little fresh chopped parsley.

  BelikeBecci tips: hang onto the hot pasta water for reheating for your seconds,(and I know you will come back for seconds). And if you have leftovers, add a little pasta water into the container with the pasta to help keep it moist for when you heat it up for lunch tomorrow!