Spaghetti alla Carbonara

Ooh, this was a hit. If you haven't had this before, think of it as a breakfast pasta - except not gross, like that sounds.

This is my mom's favorite dish when we visit Rome. I gotta say, she's got good taste. This was my first stab at making this meal, and I'll definitely make it again. I made it up as I went - I added shallots, for one, which is probably a no-no in Rome - but hey, it tasted good, and that's really what this is about, right? Oh, and it's fast. It's about that, too.

Timing is somewhat important with this - you want the pasta to be hot when you add the egg to it, so the pancetta and shallots should be ready by the time the pasta is done.

So, here's what you need:
1 lb spaghetti
4 eggs
A few splashes half and half
1 tbsp olive oil (roughly)
1/2 or 1 whole shallot, minced
3 oz pancetta, diced
1/2 tbsp butter (roughly)
1/4 or 1/2 cup pasta water
3/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated (or romano, or a blend)
Ground black pepper, to taste
Red pepper flakes, if you're Joef

And here's how it goes together:
Start the water boiling for the pasta, add pasta when boiling. In the meantime, whisk the four eggs together in a separate bowl, and mix in a few pours of half and half. Set that aside. In a saucepan over medium-high heat, add the olive oil and butter and heat until the butter melts, then add the shallots and the pancetta and stir. Add a little black pepper, let it cook a bit, then turn to low so that the bacon can render its fat. When the spaghetti is done and drained, add it directly to the pancetta in the pan (it can still be on low heat, if you're paranoid about the egg like me), and immediately add the egg mixture, pouring it over the pasta in the pan. Now mix that all together, watching the egg cook as it coats the pasta. When that's all mixed, mix in the cheese and the pasta water to keep it from getting too dry, again coating all the pasta. Top with ground black pepper to taste.