pasta carbonara

Flour, egg, and water.

Except I like to use 2 types of flour, any ratio works. The semolina is to toughen up the noodles a bit. Most commercial pasta is 100% semolina. That's why it is yellow without egg.

I use half the egg shell as a cup for the water and that determines the amount of flour. 

The original Italian version uses guanciale made from pork jowls or pork cheek and not pork belly like bacon. But whatchagonna do? We're a bacon nation, not a guanciale nation. And this is very good bacon and I'd say that the smoky nature goes very well with a thing called carbon-ara. 

The real deal Parmesan not the imitation of it. It does make a significant difference.

The dough has rested for about 20 minutes and now it feels a lot softer and a whole lot more cooperative and manageable

The bacon grease is drained and reserved for something else. Olive oil is added to the same unwashed pan and 1 clove of garlic is lightly browned. About 1/2 cup of the pasta water is added to form this simple sauce. This is a simple sauce.

An egg pre-warmed in hot water in its shell is opened onto the top. This egg is a second sauce. The heat of the pasta and the first sauce lightly cooks the eggs. If the egg is cold from the refrigerator this doesn't work quite as well.

The egg is mixed through with fresh basil.

OMG this is good. 

You know, it occurred to me that you can do this whole thing right in front of your date or your guest or guests and blow their minds to smithereens by your deftness and your éclat, your joie de vivre and élan vital, your confidence and your finesse and adventure and your knowledge and insouciant wild mad cookery skills. Why not?