Carbonara

Italy was always an important influence growing up. My parents met in Italy and both loved their time there. A lot of furniture from Italy was in the house when I was a child - especially the two with their smell of ancient wood and scotch spice.

Until I was 7, the only spaghetti I knew was Carbonara. This was a family recipe. I still remember as a small child, being flabbergasted when a restaurant brought me spaghetti with red sauce. Adults looked on confused as I swore it was not spaghetti - only for it to dawn on them I had never experience the traditional spaghetti being served. To this day, Carbonara is the original spaghetti. Recently for Xmas, I made it for dinner. Despite the plethora of recipes online, none were our recipe. So, for my own posterity and memory, here is our recipe for Schlegel Carbonara.

Schlegel Carbonara

• 1 lb of spaghetti
• 1/2 stick butter
• 1 lb bacon cooked crisp (or you can use pancetta)
• 1 cup Parmesan (+ more for the top)
• 4 eggs, separated 
• Salt and Pepper

This is a multi-step process, requiring you to have all ingredients prepared and ready before you take the hot pasta out of the water.

1. Start the water boiling, but don't put in the spaghetti until later.
2. Cook the bacon. (I like to bake the bacon in the oven.) Cut into crumbles.
3. Melt the butter.
4. Separate the eggs. Set the yokes aside.
5. Whip the egg whites until soft tufts. Set aside.
6. Measure out a cup or so of parmesam.

With all the ingredients ready (or almost ready), put the spaghetti into boil. When done, drain the spaghetti. Put in a large bowl with the melted butter. Toss lightly. Then put the eggs whites on the top of the spaghetti. Make a little hole - like a nest in the center of the whites - and put the yokes in it. Toss completely into the spaghetti. The hot pasta will cook the eggs - the whites being very fluffy flecks. Add the bacon, parmesan, salt and pepper and toss again until all ingredients are mixed well.

Serve it up, eat it up, YUM!

I've seen some recipes add peas (fresh please) and some add garlic and italian spices. But the above is the traditional recipe I grew up with and love.