Gaetano's spaghetti carbonara

Graeme was taught to make this carbonara by Gaetano, the Italian security guard at King's College when he was at the University of Queensland.  Gaetano is from Florence, and as with all original Italian recipes that haven't been Americanised, I think it is the best I've tasted.  It doesn't use any cream so it isn't as rich as most carbonaras, but it's delicious and it's really simple to make.

Spaghetti Carbonara

100g bacon or pancetta

100g parmesan

(or 50g pecorino and 50g parmesan)

3 large eggs

350g spaghetti 

2  garlic cloves, peeled and left whole

50g butter

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

fresh chopped parsley

Put a large saucepan of water on to boil. Finely chop the bacon, having first removed any rind. Finely grate both cheeses and mix them together. Beat the eggs in a medium bowl, season with a little black pepper and set everything aside.

Add 1 tsp salt to the boiling water, add the spaghetti and when the water comes back to the boil, cook at a constant simmer, covered, for 10 minutes or until al dente (just cooked).

Squash the garlic with the blade of a knife, just to bruise it. While the spaghetti is cooking, fry the bacon or pancetta in the butter with the garlic on a medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring often, until the bacon is golden and crisp. The garlic has now imparted its flavour, so take it out with a slotted spoon and discard.

When the pasta is ready lift it from the water with a pasta fork or tongs and put it in the frying pan with the bacon.   Save a little of the pasta water.

Mix most of the cheese in with the eggs, keeping a small handful back for sprinkling over later. Take the pan of spaghetti and pancetta off the heat. Now quickly pour in the eggs and cheese and, using the tongs or a long fork, lift up the spaghetti so it mixes easily with the egg mixture, which thickens but doesn’t scramble, and everything is coated.  Season with a little salt, if needed.

Use a long-pronged fork to twist the pasta on to the serving plate or bowl. Serve immediately with a little sprinkling of the remaining cheese and a grating of black pepper and some chopped parsley.

 (If the dish does get a little dry before serving, splash in a little hot pasta water)