Spaghetti alla Carbonara
Spaghetti with egg and bacon sauce

4 tbsp hot butter
2 whole eggs
2 egg yolks
1 cup freshly grated imported parmesan cheese
6 to 8 quarts water
1 tsp salt
1 lb spaghetti, spaghettini or linguine
8 slices bacon, cut crosswise into ¼-inch strips
1 tsp dried red pepper flakes (optional)
½ cup heavy cream
freshly ground black pepper

1. In a small bowl, cream the soft butter by beating it against the sides of the bowl with a wooden spoon until it is soft and fluffy. In another small bowl, beat the eggs and egg yolks with a fork or whisk until they are well blended, then stir in ½ cup of grated cheese. Set both bowls aside.
2. Heat a large ovenproof serving bowl or casserole in a 200 degree oven. At the same time, bring the water and salt to a bubbling boil in a large soup pot or kettle. Drop the spaghetti into the boiling water and stir it for a moment or two with a wooden spoon to be sure the strands don’t stick to one another or to the bottom of the pot. Cook the spaghetti over high heat, stirring occasionally, for 7 to 12 minutes, or until it is tender. Meanwhile, fry the pieces of bacon in an 8- to 10-inch skillet over moderate heat until they are crisp. Pour off about half of the bacon fat and stir into the pan the optional red pepper and then the cream. Bring the cream to a simmer and keep it warm until the spaghetti is done.
3. When the spaghetti is cooked, drain it thoroughly in a large colander, lifting the strands with two forks to make certain all of the water runs off. Transfer the spaghetti to the heated serving bowl and stir in the creamed butter, tossing and turning the spaghetti with two forks to coat every strand. Then stir in the hot bacon-and-cream mixture and finally the beaten eggs and cheese, mixing everything together thoroughly. The heat of the pasta and other ingredients should cook the raw eggs on contact. Taste and season with salt and a few grindings of pepper. Serve the carbonara at once with the remaining ½ cup of grated cheese passed at the table.