Unconventional Spaghetti Carbonara

Everything you see I owe to spaghetti.

Sophia Loren

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I feel the same way.  I can (and often do!) eat spaghetti for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

The reason why I believe my version of Carbonara is slightly unconventional is because I not only use bacon instead of pancetta, but also add minced onion for added flavour.  I just love the richness and smokey flavour from the streaky bacon and the slight sweetness of the onion.

There is little in the world that beats a good bacon-based meal; add in spaghetti and you’re onto a winner!

Ingredients

3	Egg yolks
60g	Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
220g	Smokey, streaky bacon, chopped
200g	Dried spaghetti, cooked to al dente and one cup of cooking water reserved
3	Garlic cloves, chopped
halve	Onion, minced in a food processor or finely grated
	Freshly ground black pepper

Method

Mix egg yolks and 40g of the Parmesan in a small bowl and mix well.  Set aside for use once at the end.

Heat a big frying pan (I use a wok) over a medium-high heat.

Fry the chopped bacon until the bacon is starting to crisp and the fat is rendering out.

Add the garlic and minced onion.  The onion will melt away, but will leave a wonderful flavour!

Add the hot, cooked spaghetti and continue to fry for one minute to ensure it is piping hot and well-coated in garlic-y bacon goodness.

Take off the heat.

Pour over the cheesy egg mixture and mix well.  The residual heat will cook the egg without scrambling it.  If needed, add the cooking water (a tablespoon at a time) to ensure a light sauce forms; enough to coat the spaghetti.

(Instead of cooking water, I sometimes use a splash of white wine for extra flavour!)

Season with plenty of pepper.

Serve with the remaining Parmesan cheese and a glass of white wine.