Spaghetti carbonara is one of our favorite weekday meals and one of the simplest dishes you can add to your cooking repertoire. Aadapted from Sunday Suppers at Lucques [1] by Suzanne Goin.

Serves 6

1 Tbls. extra-virgin olive oil
4 oz. smoked bacon (about 4 slices of the thick, meaty kind)
6 oz. pancetta
6 egg yolks
1/2 c. cream
1 1/2 c. grated Parmesean, freshly grated
1 1/2 lbs. spaghetti pasta
1 1/2 c. diced onion [2]
1 Tbls. minced garlic
1 Tbls. fresh thyme leaves
2 c. freshly shucked peas or substitute frozen
3 oz. pea shoots
2 Tbls. chopped flat-leaf parsley
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil.

In a large pan, saute bacon and pancetta in olive oil slowly so that it releases its own fat before crisp. Add a grind of pepper.

Beat the egg yolks with the cream and season with a generous pinch of salt and a grind of pepper. Add half the Parmesean.

Add pasta to boiling water. Cook approximately 10 minutes (set the timer) until al dente.

Note: The best way to check if your pasta is cooked al dente when the timer goes off is to test it. If it is not quite done, check it about every 30 seconds to minute after until done.

While pasta is cooking, add onion, garlic and thyme to the bacon and cook about 6 minutes until onion is translucent. Just before pasta is ready, stir in the peas.

When ready, drain pasta thoroughly. Immediately place pasta back in the pot and pour in cream and warm bacon mixtures. Stir to coat pasta; the heat from the pasta will cook the egg slightly. Add the remaining Parmesan cheese, pea shoots and parsley.

Variation: If you are not eating meat, substitute the pancetta with asparagus sauted in olive oil.