Carbonara spaghetti. Pasta carbonara is luscious and incredibly decadent; the preparation time is equal to that of the pasta.

Simple components include spaghetti or another long pasta, eggs, Parmesan cheese, a tiny bit of olive oil, salt, and pepper for making the carbonara.

Tossing the beaten eggs with the hot pasta and a little grease from the pancetta or bacon produces a smooth carbonara sauce.

Have I mentioned being indulgent yet? Indeed, this isn't a recipe to try every day. This is a dish for when you've been eating greens for weeks and you decide to treat yourself.

Ingredients:

•  1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil or unsalted butter

•  1/2 pound pancetta or thick cut bacon, diced

•  1 to 2 garlic cloves, minced, about 1 teaspoon (optional)

•  3 to 4 whole eggs

•  1 cup grated Parmesan or pecorino cheese

•  1 pound spaghetti (or bucatini or fettuccine)

•  Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Heat the pasta water:

One tablespoon of salt for every two quarts of water should be added to a big pot of boiling water.

2. Sauté the pancetta or bacon and garlic:

In a large sauté pan, heat the butter or olive oil over medium heat while the water is heating up. Cook the pancetta or bacon slowly until it becomes crispy.

When the pancetta and garlic have cooked for a minute, remove from the fire and transfer to a large bowl.

3. Beat the eggs and half of the cheese:

Beat the eggs and add roughly half of the cheese to a small bowl.

4. Cook the pasta:

Add the dry pasta to the boiling water and cook, uncovered, until the pasta is tender.

5. Toss the pasta with pancetta or bacon:

With tongs, move the pasta to the bowl holding the bacon and garlic until it is al dente, or slightly firm but not mushy. Let it get soggy all over. Set aside a portion of the pasta water.

You want the pasta to be hot, so move it quickly from the pot to the bowl. The pasta's heat will be what heats the eggs enough to make a creamy sauce.

Mix everything together, letting the pasta cool somewhat so that adding the eggs won't cause them to curdle. (That's the challenging part.)

6.Add the beaten egg mixture:

Quickly toss the beaten eggs and cheese together to ensure they are well combined. To taste, add salt. Re-add a small amount of pasta water to avoid the pasta from drying out.

Serve at once with the rest of the parmesan and freshly ground black pepper. If you want, sprinkle with a little fresh chopped parsley.