ITALY - Spaghetti Carbonara with Speck

What makes it different from a regular spaghetti carbonara is the smoky speck (Swiss), which is finely sliced and with a delicate balance between salt and smoke. The pasta, lightly coated in egg and parmigiana, with the garlic and bacon undertones throughout, with a generous twist (or five) of freshly crushed black pepper, and a side of cherry tomatoes, simply dressed in olive oil and salt.  A good drizzle of an extra virgin olive oil to top.

A young, tame Tuscan red to go with this 'light lunch'!

INGREDIENTS

• Spaghetti (number 3 is ideal, but number 5 will also do)
  
• 2 eggs
• 100 g parmigiano cheese (but feel free to add more)
• 10-12 slices of Speck from Grissom (Switzerland) or any thinly sliced bacon will do.
  
• 2 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
  
• 5 tbsp olive oil (2 for garlic, 2 for pasta, 1 for cherry tomatoes)
  
• Salt to taste
  
• Cherry tomatoes
  

PREPARATION (takes like 10-15 min)

Put on your water to boil and salt it.  While it's heating up, break the eggs into a mixing bowl, and grate the cheese all over it.  Throw in a bit of pepper and let sit.

Meanwhile, slice your bacon strips into bits and put them in a skillet on medium heat.  Let them render the fat - take out some of it's excessive, and when the bacon is browning, throw in the garlic.  Be sure to scrape up all the crusty bits at the bottom, taking care to not let them burn.  Once the garlic has browned a bit and the bacon looks perfect, take it off.

By this time your water should be ready, so throw in the pasta for like 5-7 min until it is al-dente.  Drain most of your water, keeping some in reserve if needed later.  Turn off the burner.

Throw in the bacon and garlic with some of the rendered fat that's in the pan.  Then, throw in the egg-parmigiano mixture and stir it in so that it coats the pasta fully.  Add more water back if needed to keep moist.

Drizzle with olive oil and twist some black pepper on the top.

The tomato salad is super-simple - it's just cherry tomatoes sliced in half, with some salt and pepper thrown in, and a drizzle of olive oil on top - mixed well.  Served on the side.