Spaghetti alla Carbonara

The Italians can make anything sound romantic. Spaghetti alla Carbonara. It just saucily rolls off the tongue. But what is this lovely dish, with the lilting name? In essence, "White Trash Pasta".  Spaghetti with bacon, eggs and cheese. Something you can make on a trailer hot plate. So I thought I would make it for the family. Granted, the Italians use guanciale, unsmoked pig jowl, but I use Leidy's Double Thick Cut Bacon. The cheese most often used is Parmigiano-Reggiano, although I prefer Grana Padano. Grana Padano is very similar to Parmigiano-Reggiano, but it is not aged as long and therefore has a milder flavor, allowing the bacon and eggs to shine through as well.

Ruth Reichl (Editor from the now-defunct Gourmet magazine and early 90's New York Times Restaurant Reviewer) says she never met a kid who didn't love this. So I used her recipe - I double it for my ravenous family. And she was right.