Carbonara

I bought some local bacon that seemed quite genuine.  At least according to the written information, the bacon is made from Washington pigs fed with natural feeds (meaning no chemical overload) and cured and preserved without any nitrate.  When I saw that, I thought this might turn out to be a good find.  Furthermore, I also have some delicious fresh eggs from a friend.  So, the next thing that came to mind is "Carbonara!"  (By the way, I usually use bacon instead of pancetta because it is widely available.)

I haven't been very successful making carbonara, mostly because I almost always ended up cooking the eggs more than I should.  The recipe for carbonara is actually very simple: pasta, bacons, garlic, eggs, whipping cream (or heavy cream), and parmasen.  The most critical point of making carbonara is timing.  The timing must all be right for the dish to be perfect.  While the pasta is cooking, the bacon should be sizzling in the frying pan, garlic should already be minced and eggs should be beaten with some whipping cream.  Once bacon is crisped, removed to a plate lined with paper towel.  If there is too much bacon fat on the frying pan, remove it and leave about 1 tablespoon on the pan.  Throw in the minced garlic.  When the fragrance of garlic tease your nose, add the pasta (which should be cooked adente at this point), shredded parmesan and the bacons.  Of course, salt and pepper too.  When they are all mixed, remove the pan from the heat and add the egg mixture.  Stir quickly so that the egg doesn't cook and forms a cream coating the spaghetti.  Carbonara is done!

But let me tell you.  It is easier said that done.  Often, the frying pan is so hot that my egg mixture turns into pieces of fried eggs.  Of all the attempts that I had, I only had two successes.  Guess, I still need experience.  But a good carbonara is so delicious and satisfying.