In my book – A Ghost of a Chance – my hero Rory has a discussion with his brother about food and sex. This is an easy and fantastic recipe. Everyone should have it on their go to list.

1 pound dry spaghetti ( I use angel hair or fresh pasta from the supermarket)

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 ounces pancetta

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 large eggs

1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more for serving

Freshly ground black pepper

fresh parsley, chopped

You’re going to want to prepare the sauce while the pasta is cooking. The flavor is much better when the spaghetti is hot and ready when the sauce is finished. Truthfully it’s important that the pasta is hot when adding the egg mixture, so that the heat of the pasta cooks the raw eggs in the sauce.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or follow instructions on the pasta container. Drain the pasta well, reserving 1/2 cup of the starchy cooking water to use in the sauce if you wish.
Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a deep skillet over medium flame. Add the pancetta and saute for about 3 minutes or until it’s crispy and the fat is rendered. Toss the garlic into the fat and saute for less than 1 minute to soften.
Add the hot, drained spaghetti to the pan and toss for 2 minutes to coat the strands in the bacon fat. Beat the eggs and Parmesan together in a mixing bowl, stirring well to prevent lumps. Remove the pan from the heat and pour the egg/cheese mixture into the pasta, whisking quickly until the eggs thicken, but do not scramble (this is done off the heat to ensure this does not happen.) Thin out the sauce with a bit of the reserved pasta water, until it reaches a sort of creamy consistency. Season the carbonara with several turns of freshly ground black pepper and taste for salt. Mound the spaghetti carbonara into warm serving bowls and garnish with chopped parsley. Pass more cheese around the table. You’ll want this for your “post-sex” meal too! 🙂