Lighter Rotini Carbonara

There's no cream or dairy in this version of carbonara, which is how I like it. The bacon fat makes up for that, I think. It's very tasty and it looks appealingly sophisticated, but the dish comes together very quickly and easily.

• Ready In: 30 mins
• Serves: 4
• Yields: 4 plates of pasta

Ingredients

• 2  tablespoons bacon fat (or 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil)
• 6 -8  slices bacon, chopped
• 1⁄2 onion, finely minced
• 1⁄3 cup white wine
• 3⁄4 cup  frozen peas
• 12  ounces rotini pasta
• 2  eggs, room temperature
• 1⁄4 cup parmesan cheese, preferably freshly grated
• 1⁄4 teaspoon white pepper
• 3  tablespoons parsley, chopped
•  coarse sea salt, to taste
•  parmesan cheese, shredded (optional)

Directions

1. Bring the water you'll be using to cook the pasta to a boil.
2. Heat bacon fat or oil/butter mixture in a deep skillet skillet or heavy pot over medium heat. Add the bacon and fry until bacon becomes crispy, about 5-8 minutes.
3. Add the onion, and cook until translucent, or about 3-5 minutes.
4. Add the white wine, stir and cook until about half of the liquid has reduced off. Remove from heat and set aside.
5. Your water should be boiling now, so prepare your pasta according to your package's directions, or until al dente. Before putting in the pasta, use some of the boiling water to defrost the peas: just put the peas in a bowl, cover with the water, and set aside.
6. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, grated cheese, white pepper and half of the parsley. Set aside until pasta is done cooking.
7. Drain the pasta, but DO NOT rinse it. Immediateley add the hot pasta to the skillet and toss well. Quickly transfer everything in the skillet to the bowl with the egg mixture and toss again. Drain the peas and add them to the pasta, and keep stirring until the sauce thickens (the eggs will cook from the heat of the pasta).
8. Serve immediately. Top with the remaining parsley, a sprinkling of coarse sea salt and some shredded Parmesan cheese, if desired.