This delicious pasta dish is an Italian favourite. This recipe, courtesy of Bord Bia, swaps locally produced cheese for the traditional parmesan.
Serves two.
Ingredients
100g bacon lardons
3 eggs
180g spaghetti
0.5 tablesp olive oil
Knob of butter
2 garlic cloves, peeled and left whole
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
50g mature local cheddar or hard farmhouse cheese, grated
To serve: Green salad
Method
To cook the pasta: Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. Add the spaghetti, bring back to the boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, covered for 10 minutes.
To cook the bacon: Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Then add in the knob of butter, reduce the heat slightly to stop the butter from burning. Add the bacon and garlic and cook until the bacon is crispy. Remove the garlic and discard. Reduce the heat and keep the bacon warm.
To prepare the eggs: Separate the eggs. Place the yolks in a bowl and whisk with a fork. Season with a little black pepper. Reserve the egg whites for another recipe. Add the cheese to the egg mixture, reserving a tablespoon to sprinkle over the final dish.
To make the sauce: When the pasta is ready, using a tongs, transfer it to the frying pan with the bacon. Don’t worry if some water goes into the pan along with the pasta. Stir well to combine.
Take the frying pan off the heat and add in the egg mixture. Stir well to cook the eggs and make the sauce. You also want to coat the spaghetti. Keep the pan off the heat to avoid scrambling the eggs. If the sauce is too thick, stir through a couple of tablespoons of the pasta water. Taste and season.
To serve: Divide the spaghetti and bacon pieces between two pasta bowls and sprinkle over the reserved cheese. Serve immediately with a green salad.
