Spaghetti alla Carbonara

My friend Colin likes this. I wonder if this was as good as the one he brought me to at Lygon.

Source
A Taste of the World

Serves
4

Ingredients

185 g guanciale, pancetta, or bacon
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
salt and freshly ground pepper
500 g spaghetti
30 g grated pecorino romano cheese
30 g grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus extra as needed
2 eggs plus 1 egg yolk, at room temperature

Method
1. If using guanciale or pancetta, cut it into strips about 2 cm long by 1/4 inch thick. If using commercially sliced bacon, which will be thinner than 1/4 inch, cut it into 1 inch pieces.
2. In a large frying pan over medium-low heat, combine the meat and olive oil and heat slowly until much of the fat is rendered and the meat has browned a little, about 15 minutes. It should take on an appealing color without becoming too crisp. Leave the meat and fat in the pan and cover to keep warm.
3. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 1 tablespoon salt and the pasta to the boiling water, and stir for the first minute of cooking and occasionally thereafter. Cook until al dente, according to the package instructions.
4. Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine the cheeses. In another bowl, whisk together the 2 eggs and the additional yolk until well blended. Stir half the cheese mixture and several grinds of pepper into the eggs.
5. From this point on, timing and temperature are crucial. Put in a large serving bowl in the sink and set a colander in the serving bowl. When the pasta is ready, pour it into the colander; the cooking water will warm the bowl. Lift out the colander and shake it a couple of times. Add the drained spaghetti to the pan with the meat and stir to coat the pasta with the fat. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water and pour the rest out. Transfer the pasta to the bowl and stir in the egg mixture, mixing vigorously to coat the pasta evenly. Add a splash of the reserved cooking water if the pasta seems a little dry. Add an extra handful of Parmigiano-Reggiano if it seems too wet. (If the eggs scramble, the bowl or the pasta was too hot; if they are runny, something was too cold. If the beaten eggs were at room temperature to start, the bowl warmed with hot water should provide just enough heat.
6. Divide the pasta among warmed individual bowls and serve at once. Pass the remaining cheese at the table.

Variation
Add red pepper flakes instead of black pepper, or wild asparagus instead of cured pork.