Spaghetti carbonara

Spaghetti carbonara was my favorite food when I was little, and it's easy to see why. Cheesy pasta flecked with bacon is like ambrosia to little-kid palates, and probably yours as well. I highly recommend this dish for parents. Both you and your kids will love it, and it takes 20 minutes from start to finish. As you may know, the sauce comes from eggs, not cream.

Adapted from Marcella Hazan's Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking:

1. Put a large pot of salted water on to boil. Meanwhile, cut 8 ounces of guanciale, pancetta or slab bacon into 1/4-inch slices. Smash and peel four garlic cloves. Grate 1/2 cup parmigiano-reggiano and 1/4 cup romano plus extra for serving. Finely dice 2 T. Italian flat-leaf parsley.

2. When the water is boiling, add a pound of spaghetti and cook al dente (about 9 minutes). While the pasta cooks, heat 3 T. olive oil over medium high and saute the garlic cloves until they are deep gold, then remove the cloves from the pan. Add the chopped meat and saute until its edges begin to crisp. Add 1/2 cup white wine to the pan, cook 1-2 more minutes and turn off the heat.

3. Crack two eggs into the large bowl you will use to serve the pasta. Beat lightly, then add the parsley, the two cheeses, salt and pepper and mix well. When the spaghetti is done, drain, add the the pasta to the bowl, and toss well. You may want to reserve a small amount of the cooking water to add in case the mixture is a bit dry. Now add the contents of the bacon pan to the bowl and toss once more. Serve with extra grated cheese and black pepper.