Breakfast For Dinner

No, I'm not talking waffles and bacon or scrambled eggs and sausage, though those are perfectly acceptable.  I'm talking Pasta Carbonara, a Roman classic.  Bacon and eggs in the form of a pasta dish.  A simpler pasta recipe you'd be hard pressed to find, yet the end results are sublime.

A total of four main ingredients are all it takes to make this comforting dish - eggs, bacon, pasta and Parmesan cheese.  If you are looking for a quick afterwork meal, this will do it.  Add a veggie or salad and a hunk of bread and you'll be sitting down to dinner in 20 minutes, no kidding!

Pasta Carbonara
(Serves 4, though easily cut in half for 2 servings as I did when I made it)

4 tbsp olive oil
4 ounces bacon or pancetta, cut into 1 inch pieces
3 egg yolks and 1 whole egg
2 tsp black pepper
1 lb. spaghetti noodles

Heat olive oil in frying pan.  Cook bacon until it is crispy.  Add pepper.  Drain all but 2 Tbsp. oil out of pan and put bacon and remaining oil in a bowl and let cool.

When bacon is cool, mix in eggs and cheese until a thick sauce is made.  In the meantime, cook the pasta until al dente, approximately 8-9 minutes.  Drain, reserving approximately 1/4 cup of pasta water.  Put drained pasta on top of sauce and mix all together, adding enough pasta water to make a creamy sauce.  Season with salt to taste and serve immediately.