Spaghetti Carbonara with Mushrooms (Carbonara ai funghi)

 Carbonara is one of the most famous Italian dishes. Almost everywhere in the world you can find Carbonara done in many different ways which sometimes are very far from the original recipie. Traditional Italian Carbonara sauce  is made of eggs, Pecorino and Parmigiano cheese, guanciale (a kind of bacon) and pepper...that's all...no cream, nothing else. This is a variation on Carbonara, made with mushrooms, onions and parsley in addion to the original ingredients. A kind of Autumn version. It is very tastefulland and  I hope you all will like it!

Serving 4

Ingredients:
360gr Italian Spaghetti
120 g Guanciale (or bacon) cut is small cubes
400 gr White Mushrooms (Champignons)
4 Tbs Extra virgin olive oil
3 eggs
40gr Grated ParmigianoReggiano cheese
40gr Pecorino Romano
1 Tbs finely cut parsley (facultative)
1 small onion
Salt and Pepper

Cut the Guanciale, or Bacon, in small cubes. Cut the champignons in tin slides. Finely cut the parsley and the onions.

Heat the olive oil in a deep skillet over medium flame. Add the onions then the guanciale and saute for about 3 minutes, until the onions are golden and the bacon is crisp and the fat is rendered.

 Toss the Champignons into the pan, add a little salt and saute for less than 4-5 minutes, till the Champignons turn brown. If the mix is too dry you can add a spoon of white wine or water.

 Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the pasta and cook until "al dente" please always check tasting the pasta.

In the meanwhile  beat the eegs with the Parmesan, Pecorino and a good pinch of pepper. Reserve one Tbs of grated cheese. Drain the pasta well, reserving 1/2 cup of the starchy cooking water to use in the sauce if you need.

Add the hot, drained spaghetti to the pan and toss for 2 minutes to coat the strands in the bacon/champignos mix stirring well. Remove the pan from the heat and pour the egg/cheese mixture into the pasta, whisking quickly until the eggs thicken, but do not scramble! (this is done off the heat to ensure this does not happen.) Thin out the sauce with a bit of the reserved pasta water, until it reaches a creamy consistency. Season the carbonara with several turns of freshly ground black pepper and a good Tbs of  Grated Parmigiano or Pecorino, taste for salt.

Mound the spaghetti carbonara into a serving plate and garnish with chopped parsley, if you like.
Buon appetito!