Spaghetti Carbonara

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Season liberally with salt and pepper.

2. Whisk the egg yolks, pecorino, ½ teaspoon salt, and black pepper in a medium bowl. Set it aside.

3. While the water comes to a boil, cook the bacon. Add the bacon to a large skillet with high sides. Turn the heat on medium and start to render out the fat. Continue to cook the bacon, flipping occasionally until brown and crisp. Use a slotted spoon to remove the bacon. Drain on a paper-towel lined plate. Chop the bacon into bite-sized pieces. Set the bacon aside and keep the rendered grease in the pan.

4. Add the diced onion to the rendered fat in the hot pan. Sauté over medium heat, stirring often. After two minutes of cooking, drop the spaghetti into the boiling water. Use tongs to stir the pasta around so the strands do not stick together.

5. Continue cooking the onion until translucent, about 4-5 minutes. Add garlic, cook another minute. Remove the skillet from the heat. Season with salt and pepper.

6. Remove 1 ½ cups of pasta water from the spaghetti pot. Drain the pasta.

7. Slowly whisk in ½ cup of pasta water to the egg yolk and cheese mixture.

8. Use tongs to transfer the drained spaghetti to the still-warm skillet with the onion and bacon fat. Toss the spaghetti in the bacon grease and onion.

9. While stirring constantly with the tongs, add the egg, cheese, and pasta water mixture to the spaghetti. Toss to combine. Add more pasta water as needed to form a cohesive, creamy sauce. Add the bacon back in, toss.

10. Season with salt and black pepper. Garnish with lots of pecorino Romano cheese.