2 ounce soft butter
2 whole eggs
4 ounce freshly grated Parmesan cheese
8 to 13 pints of water
1 scant teaspoon salt
1 lb. spaghetti
8 rashers bacon, cut crosswise into 1/2 inch strips
1 scant teaspoon dried red pepper flakes (optional)
6 tablespoons double cream
Freshly ground black pepper
(Spaghetti with egg and bacon sauce)
To serve 4 to 6
Cream the soft butter in a small bowl by beating it against the sides of the bowl with a wooden spoon until it is soft and fluffy. Beat the eggs and egg yolks with a fork or whisk in another small bowl until they are well blended, then stir in 2 ounce of grated cheese. Put both bowls aside.
Heat a large fireproof serving bowl or an earthenware dish in a 200oF oven. At the same time, bring the water and salt to a bubbling boil in a large saucepan. Drop the spaghetti into the boiling water and stir it for a moment or two with a wooden spoon to be sure the strands do not stick to one another or to the bottom of the pot. Cook the spaghetti over a high heat, stirring occasionally, for 7 to 12 minutes, until it is tender.
Meanwhile fry the pieces of bacon in a fairly wide frying pan over a moderate heat until they are crisp. Pour off about half the bacon fat and stir into the pan the optional red pepper and then the cream. Bring the cream to simmering point and keep it warm until the spaghetti is done.
When the spaghetti is cooked, drain it thoroughly in a large colander, lifting the strands with 2 forks to make certain all the water runs off. Transfer the spaghetti to the heated serving bowl and stir in the creamed butter, tossing and turning the spaghetti with 2 forks to coat every strand. Then stir in the hot bacon-and-cream mixture and finally the beaten eggs and cheese, mixing everything together thoroughly. The heat of the pasta and other ingredients should cook the raw eggs on contact. Taste and season with salt and a few grindings of pepper. Serve the Carbonara at once, the rest of the grated cheese being handed round at the table.