I am really a spaghetti lover. Long before, when my best friend and I used to go to Gaisano mall and sometimes drops by at the Port café to have snacks wherein my default order would be spaghetti and my best friend’s order would be Carbonara. I sometimes stare her carbonara and think how awful it would be to taste it. It doesn’t look appetizing to me and I kept on wondering why she loves it. She wanted me to taste it but I was pretty reluctant to do it cause I feel like I might lose my appetite. But when my friends and I came to this place named Metro Avenue (I think) and ate at Fwends diner, there I found Carbonara again but it seems to have attracted me differently than before.  As I saw the dish, I wanted to try that carbonara. So I did order, and as my order was served, I was excited to taste it and I was amused how delicious it was. So from that time, Carbonara became one of my favorite dishes and as of now, I could find the best Carbonara dish at Fwends diner.

    There was this time that I was really looking for a place where I could eat a carbonara dish, and there was this one place I found in a mall and I ordered carbonara there. I was expecting that it would be a delicious carbonara dish but when it was served to me I could really smell the aroma of dairy butter which I hated the most. As I ate my food I was really disappointed and lost my appetite. It was the worst carbonara dish I have ever tasted. And I expected too much. Anyway, I think I’m sharing too much information about my life with carbonara. I’d like to share with you guys a recipe I found in FoodNetwork.com. It’s called “Spaghetti alla Carbonara”. Enjoy!

In this version, the eggs are cooked into a custardlike sauce. An extra step, yes, but the technique ensures food safety. To vary the vegetables, try green beans, asparagus or frozen peas (cook peas separately from pasta).

1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
3 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto or Canadian bacon, trimmed of fat and diced (1/2 cup)
2 cloves garlic, minced
Pinch of crushed red pepper
3 large eggs (pasteurized, if desired)
3/4 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
12 ounces whole-wheat spaghetti or linguine
8 ounces broccolini (2 1/2 cups) or broccoli rabe (4 cups), stem ends trimmed, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese
Salt to tastePut a large pot of water on to boil for cooking pasta. Also bring about 1 inch of water to a gentle simmer in the bottom of a double boiler (see Equipment Tip).

Heat oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add prosciutto (or Canadian bacon) and cook, stirring often, until heated through, about 2 minutes. Add garlic and crushed red pepper; cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Remove from heat.

Whisk eggs, broth and pepper in the top of the double boiler to combine. Set over the simmering water in the bottom of the double boiler and cook, whisking constantly in a slow, steady, figure-eight motion, until the sauce steams and thickens enough to coat a metal spoon, 5 to 7 minutes. The sauce may have a few small curdles. Remove the top pan from the heat and whisk the sauce rapidly so it does not continue to curdle.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in the boiling water, stirring often, for 5 minutes. Drop in broccolini (or broccoli rabe) and cook until the pasta is tender but firm, 4 to 6 minutes more. Drain and place in a large bowl. Add the egg sauce, the prosciutto (or bacon) mixture and cheese; toss to coat well. Season with salt, if desired.Equipment tip: No double boiler? Improvise by setting a large stainless-steel bowl over a pan of simmering water.