Spaghetti carbonara

So my first effort out of the gate on Thursday was marginal - at best. Onto attempt number two today, spaghetti carbonara. A pasta dish without one ingredient that could be deemed as questionable, so the outlook was pretty good...

Spaghetti Carbonara

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)
1 pound spaghetti
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 slices bacon, diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup dry white wine (optional)
4 eggs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 pinch salt and black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook spaghetti pasta until al dente. Drain well. Toss with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and set aside.
2. Meanwhile in a large skillet, cook chopped bacon until slightly crisp; remove and drain onto paper towels. Reserve 2 tablespoons of bacon fat; add remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, and heat in reused large skillet. Add chopped onion, and cook over medium heat until onion is translucent.
3. Add minced garlic, and cook 1 minute more. Add wine if desired; cook one more minute.
4. Return cooked bacon to pan; add cooked and drained spaghetti. Toss to coat and heat through, adding more olive oil if it seems dry or is sticking together. Add beaten eggs and cook, tossing constantly with tongs or large fork until eggs are barely set. Quickly add 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, and toss again. Add salt and pepper to taste (remember that bacon and Parmesan are very salty).
5. Serve immediately with chopped parsley sprinkled on top, and extra Parmesan cheese at table.

What I did differently...
This recipe makes enough for eight, clearly more than we need, so I essentially halved it, though with an extra slice of bacon. I also sauteed a diced chicken breast after the bacon, to add some bulk and protein to the dish (how official does that sound?). Lastly, I omitted the white wine and used chicken broth instead. Still to figure out what they really mean when they say "dry white wine." Oh, I probably used a little more garlic than it called for too, but then Emerile would be proud.

The results:
A winner! We really enjoyed it. The flavors were great, it was hearty, new and still well within our comfort zone. Very easy to prepare, probably a half hour. And better yet, I typically have all of the ingredients in the cupboard. Plus, my kids didn't freak when they arrived at the table. Now that's a bonus.