Of all places, I first learned of this a year ago while browsing the popular Filipino forum/bulletin board site PinoyExchange. Carbonara has been a well-known dish in Manila for quite some time now. Discussions vary from where one can find the best to trading recipes online. I only knew of Pinoy-style spaghetti with sweet meat sauce topped with grated mild cheddar as the sole popular pasta dish prior to carbonara. So out of curiosity, I sampled this dish at our favorite ristorante Café La Sala off Burlingame Avenue, and yes, it was good, sort of like your traditional linguini alfredo plus bacon bits and egg, but it was so rich that I felt like throwing up. That cream ingredient just didn't aggree with me. So I tried Mario's Spaghetti alla Carbonara. It is amazingly easy to make and it does not require cream. The recipe below is scaled to serve two:

Carbonara for Two

• 2 servings dry thick (bundle approx 1" diameter per serving)
• 3/4 to 1 cup diced pancetta or good quality bacon
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup grated pecorino romano or parmigiano reggiano (or mixed)
• 1/3 to at most 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 2 fresh eggs
• ground peppercorn

1. As soon as your pasta is in boiling water, brown pancetta cubes over medium heat. For best results, do not use non-stick surface. Add optional onion halfway. Cook until onion is caramelized and your pancetta turns golden brown with its fat rendered.

2. Transfer almost-done pasta onto your meat skillet. Add a few tablespoons of pasta water just enough to thoroughly deglaze your pan. Immediately bring down heat to low. Toss/stir your pasta to thoroughly coat with rendered fat and deglazing water.

3. Remove from heat. Add a few more tablespoons of pasta water to keep your pasta moist and loose enough. Add and incorporate egg white, grated reggiano or romano, and ground pepper.

4. THE FUN PART: On individual plates, portion almost-finished product equally and shape 'em like bird's nests. Carefully drop without breaking your egg yolks at the center of your nests and top off with more grated cheese and ground peppercorn. You now have authentic carbonara. =)

Since dealing with raw eggs, it's best to enjoy this dish almost immediately. The heat from the pasta will cook the yolk once mixed in the pasta.