First open the wine, pour and sip. The pasta should be cooked at the same time as the sauce, and takes about the same length of time. You don’t want the sauce or the pasta sitting too long before serving.
Place the pasta in a large pot of boiling water and cook for 8-10 minutes depending on the pasta. Check the cooking instructions on whichever pasta you are using.
At the same time, put 2 table spoons of olive oil in a sauce pan over a medium heat. Add the crushed garlic and bacon. Cook until the bacon is going brown. Add the cream and bring to a boil. Add the parmesan and simmer until the pasta is ready. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Break the eggs and discard the whites, keeping a piece of the shell to hold the yokes. You can use an egg separator, but just breaking the egg in half and pouring the contents back and forth between the two halves until the white is gone works just fine.
When the pasta is cooked, drain in a colander, return to the pan and add the sauce, stirring to cover the pasta. Divide between four plates and serve with an egg yolk sitting in the shell in the middle and a sprig of fresh basil. Serve immediately with fresh bread, salad and parmesan cheese and black pepper on the side. When the pasta is served, let your diners turn the egg out into their plate and stir into the pasta. Don’t worry, the egg will cook from the heat of the sauce and pasta. This adds a very rich taste to the dish and looks great. There are loads of ways to do this recipe. You can use ham or proscuitto instead of bacon, add clams, or fava beans or even plain peas. Throw in a chopped onion with the bacon if you like. It’s a great recipe to have fun with. This is the best carbonara recipe ever.
