Carbonara with ham and peas

Pasta Carbonara can be simple or complex, but we just prefer it totally overloaded with good stuff.  I recently made it with left over ham, but left over chicken would be good too.

Pasta Carbonara

1 lb spaghetti
Salted water

3 cloves of garlic
Bacon grease or oil
1/2 c white wine
1 lb of diced pre-cooked ham or chicken
3 eggs
1 1/2 to 2 c grated Parmesan cheese


Start the water for the pasta.  In a small skillet, saute the garlic until light gold and then add the wine.  Simmer for a few minutes until slightly reduced.  Add the meat and heat through.

In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs and cheese together.  Add the hot ingredients from the skillet and stir together.  Cover with plastic and microwave on medium for a few minutes, stirring, until the eggs have set. [Note: it is not traditional to do this, but I cannot eat eggs that are undercooked without a trip to the emergency room]

Drain the pasta, reserving some of the pasta water.  Return the pasta to the pot, stir in the cheese and meat mixture over very low heat, and add a bit of pasta water to make a moist sauce.