Look ma, no cream!
This is a dish that everyone should know, as it takes advantage of things that are usually on hand: Spaghetti, pancetta or guanciale, eggs, parmesan and black pepper. It can literally be made in the time it takes to cook the pasta. Just……
Cut up some bacon, preferably guanciale or pancetta and start it in a pan with a little olive oil. Regular smoked bacon will do just fine if that is all you have. Cook the bacon until it renders its fat and crisps up a bit.
Cook spaghetti a little shy of the packages instructions, as you will finish the cooking it in the pan.
Beat an egg in a bowl with a generous amount of black pepper. This is for one, but I’d say about an egg per portion.
Drain the pasta and add it to the bacon, reserving some of the cooking water. Toss, toss, toss with a little of the pasta water until the pasta and liquid become one. Remove from heat and stir in the egg/pepper mixture with a handful of Parmigiano Reggiano.
Stir until nice and creamy. Basically what you are doing is cooking the egg gently with the residual heat of pasta to point where it thickens but does not scramble. Plate it up and finish with more cheese and more black pepper. Booyah!
A good meal for a night alone watching Sopranos reruns.