pasta carbonara for my son’s school lunch

Yes, I just delivered a hot lunch to my son, Tate, at school. I made pasta for dinner last night (carbonara, his favorite) and he asked so sweetly to have it as today’s lunch, I couldn’t refuse.

I was quite the hit with the school secretaries; I just might have to surprise them one day with a home-cooked lunch. If you’re interested in our recipe (an adaptation of Tom Cruise’s recipe), here it is:

1 lb spaghetti or spaghettoni (thick spaghetti)
1 medium sweet onion (Maui, Vidalia, etc.)
4 oz cubed pancetta
2 tbsp olive oil
2 eggs, beaten w/salt and pepper
2 cups grated parmeggiano reggiano
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Finely dice the onion and cook slowly with the olive oil and pancetta; use low-medium heat and stir frequently. The trick is to caramelize the onion without burning it – this will take about half an hour. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain then return to pot. Quickly toss the beaten eggs over the hot pasta. Continue tossing until the pasta looks creamy from the egg coating; I usually do this for 3-4 minutes to make sure the eggs are reasonably cooked. Add most of the cheese and toss well. Add onion/pancetta mixture, toss and serve with remaining grated cheese, salt and pepper.