If you haven’t made your own carbonara then you’re missing out on the queen of decadent spaghetti dishes. The carbonara sauce you buy in jars is thick, gloopy, bland and bears no resemblance to authentic carbonara. The kids call this bacon and egg spaghetti and they love helping to whisk together the sauce. I love a quick dinner that everyone can help with and eat without complaint.

INGREDIENTS
Serves 2 Adults & 2 Kids
300g spaghetti
1 tbsp olive oil
250g pancetta
3 large egg yolks
1/4 tsp black pepper
40g parmesan (finely grated)
2 ladles of pasta water
chopped fresh parsley

• Put a large pan of salted water on a high heat. Once it’s boiling add the spaghetti and stir to submerge. Whilst the pasta is cooking, prepare the sauce.
• Put the olive oil into a large frying pan on a medium to medium/high heat and add the chopped pancetta. Fry gently so that the fat gets crispy and the flesh stays chewy.
• Separate the egg yolks into a pasta bowl and whisk until smooth then grate in the parmesan and whisk again. Add the black pepper and whisk again.
• When the spaghetti is cooked, reserve a couple of ladles of pasta water then drain the pasta. Toss the spaghetti in the pancetta and oil then add the egg and cheese mixture. Add one ladle of pasta water to loosen the pasta then use two forks to thoroughly toss the spaghetti in the egg mixture. Add a little more of the reserved pasta water if you need to loose the mixture a little more.
• Finish with a little chopped parsley and some extra grated parmesan.