How to make spaghetti carbonara

Ingredients

• 200g/8oz dried pasta, such as penne, spaghetti or tagliatelle
• 6 rashers rindless smoked streaky bacon
• 1 garlic clove
• 2 large fresh eggs
• 1 tbsp of cream or smooth Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Grated Parmesan to serve

Method

Some people add cream to the eggs but one of my sons came up with the idea of adding creamy Dijon mustard instead and now I always make it this way. Give the Dijon mustard a go, if you like, or stick with the traditional cream.

The idea of this classic dish is to cook the pasta al dente and then, at the last minute, toss it with beaten egg, tiny specks of garlic and very crisp scraps of bacon to make the silky carbonara sauce.

To accompany this dish, I suggest a salad of floppy green leaves – just what you need to mop up any egg left at the bottom of the bowl and ensure you enjoy every drop.

Put the kettle on to boil.

Slice across the rashers of smoked streaky bacon to make batons, and peel and finely chop the garlic.

Beat the eggs with the mustard until smooth.

Cook the pasta in plenty of boiling water from the kettle until al dente.

Some 5 minutes before the pasta is ready, cook the bacon in hot oil in a frying pan until crisp. Add the garlic and stir briefly until aromatic without letting it colour.

Remove from the heat.

Drain the pasta and return to the pan with 1 tbsp cooking water. Add the eggs and hot contents of the frying pan. Stir to coat the pasta evenly so the heat cooks the egg slightly.

Serve immediately with the grated Parmesan and serve with salad.

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