Spaghetti Carbonara ... This tasty pasta dish was first prepared for us by our oldest daughter's husband who was born and raised in Milan Italy.

The first time I had this dish I was amazed that spaghetti was prepared without a tomato sauce. Since then I have learned that very little pasta is prepared with a tomato sauce in Italy. My very favorite pasta is Pasta Troife which is made with a troife pasta, potatoes, green beans, and then dressed with a pesto sauce made with olive oil, pine nuts, salt, and basil leaves. Our children have taught me sooo much.

Spaghetti Carbonara

Ingredients:

1/2 cup flat leaf parsley, loosely packed

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 pound thin cut diced bacon or pancetta

2 cloves garlic

3 Tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup dry white wine or 1/2 cup water from pasta

1 Tablespoon salt

1 pound spaghetti

2 eggs

3 oz. Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Beat eggs lightly, add 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese to eggs, beat lightly to mix. Finely chop parsley and add to eggs. Add pepper and beat to mix. Side aside.

Dice bacon or pancetta. Fry bacon or pancetta in frying pan until almost crisp. Remove bacon or pancetta from fry pan and pour off fat. Peel and chop garlic, set aside. Heat olive oil in a small fry pan, add garlic and meat. Stir occasionally until fragrant, about one minute. Add wine or salted water from the cooking pasta and cook until liquid is reduced by about 1/2. Remove from heat and set aside.

Cook pasta according to directions in salted water, just until al dente.

The next steps move fast. Ingredients must prepared in the order given.

Pour the cooked pasta in a roomy bowl and add the egg mixture. Toss thoroughly. Coat pasta with the egg mixture. (The heat of the spaghetti cooks the eggs.) Pour bacon or pancetta mixture on top of pasta, toss to combine thoroughly. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.