Pasta Carbonara - A Most Divine Dish

Not long ago, my mom gave me a cookbook that her church had put together in celebration of its 40th Anniversary. It was one of those collective cookbooks, where the members were asked to contribute their favorite recipes. Truly, I think that is the best kind of cookbook, because the recipes come from "real" people. You can be pretty sure they they are tried and true.

At that time, I was on major pasta kick. I craved anything and everything Italian. When I found this recipe for Pasta Carbonara, (which was submitted by the priest, no less), I put it on my "must try" list and purchased the ingredients I didn't have right away.

The great thing was, I already had most of the ingredients! The only thing I didn't have was the Pancetta (which is very similar to bacon), but I easily found that in the deli of a nearby Produce market.

This was simple, delicious, and so very satisfying.

Pasta Carbonara

Ingredients:

2 T. Olive Oil

2 T. Butter

1/4 tsp. garlic, chopped (I used more!)

1/4 c. onion, finely chopped

1/2 lb. Pancetta (cut into bite-size pieces)

1/4 c. White wine

1/4 c. Romano cheese, grated

1/2 c. Parmesan cheese, grated

3 large eggs

1 tsp. Salt

1 tsp. Pepper

1 lb. cooked pasta noodles (I used Spaghetti)

Saute' garlic and onion in olive oil and butter over medium heat, until limp. Add pancetta, saute' until crisp. When the pancetta starts to crisp add the white wine. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a large pasta bowl, whisk together the cheeses, eggs, salt and pepper. Set aside in a warm spot; do not let the eggs begin to cook. Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente ( I did this while I was sauteing the other ingredients). Drain pasta and immediately while hot add to the cheese and egg mixture. Add pancetta. Serve immediately with extra parmesan.

This made about four decent sized servings. Hint ~ prep and measure your ingredients before you get started ~ this dish comes together quickly!