Spaghetti alla Carbonara

Friday night = Spaghetti alla carbonara, voddy & tonic and Lost, after a long but lovely day of baking for a family gathering tomorrow. I’m supposed to be counting points but at times you need comfort and nothing is more comforting than a plateful of spaghetti carbonara, I swear I could eat this every night! I’ve tried a few versions of carbonara but this recipe by Nigella Lawson wins hands down, it’s absolutely divine! I halved the recipe as I felt the quantities were too much for just hubby and me (I can be greedy but Nigella is known for her huge portions). Normally I would use dried pasta but hubby suggested we try out the fresh spaghetti pasta and I have to say it worked wonderfully, delivering what seemed to be a creamier finished dish. If it’s comfort food in a hurry that you’re craving, look no further, I can guarantee you will want to eat this every night too!

Spaghetti alla Carbonara

Serves 2

250g spaghetti, dried or fresh
275g pancetta or lardons
1 tsp olive oil
30ml dry white wine or vermouth
2 eggs
30g Parmesan, freshly grated
Black pepper
30 to 50ml double cream
Freshly grated nutmeg

Put a large pan of salted water on to boil for the pasta. Fry the pancetta cubes in the oil until crispy but not crunchy. Chuck over them the white wine or vermouth and let it bubble away so that, after a few minutes, you have a small amount of salty winey syrup left. Take the pan off the heat.

In a bowl, beat together the eggs, Parmesan, cream and some pepper. Cook the pasta more or less according to the packet instructions. Put the other pan, the one with the bacon cubes, on the heat and add the drained pasta, tossing well to coat with the syrupy pancetta. Take the pan off the heat again and add the eggs and cheese mixture, swiftly tossing everything to mix. Grind over some more pepper and grate over the nutmeg. Sprinkle with more grated parmesan.