Spaghetti Carbonera

If you've never had spaghetti carbonera, you're in for a treat. Carbonera is definitely the "breakfast spaghetti" in that the main ingredients are bacon and eggs! Very neat, I know. I would recommend that you a) read the full recipe through ahead of time (especially the last steps) and, b) that you make it with a buddy. I find that things can move pretty quickly so it's good to have everything out and ready to go. Essentially, you'll literally be cooking your eggs in the hot spaghetti so you need to move very quickly. This is a super rich dish that we coupled with a light salad to make it slightly less bad for you. Bon appétit!


Ingredients
salt
6 slices thick-cut bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
2 red jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced
1/4 cup cognac or brandy (optional) ... we used white wine and it was yummy!
12 ounces spaghetti
3 large eggs
3/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
1/2 cup freshly grated pecorino romano cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Freshly ground pepper

Directions
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Combine the bacon, olive oil, garlic, rosemary, jalapenos and 1/4 cup water in a large skillet. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the water evaporates and the bacon crisps, about 12 minutes. Discard the garlic. Add the cognac, if desired, and cook until it evaporates. Remove from the heat and set aside 1/4 cup bacon mixture forgarnish.

2. Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti in the boiling water as the label directs. Mix the eggs, cheeses, parsley and 1 teaspoon pepper in a bowl. Drain the pasta, reserving 1/4 cup cooking water.

3. Return the skillet to medium-high heat. Add the pasta and toss until heated through, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat. Whisk the reserved pasta water into the egg mixture, then quickly pour over the pasta and toss to gently cook the eggs and make a creamysauce. Garnish with the reserved bacon mixture and more parmesan.

- recipe cred The Food Network