Preparation

Fill a 10-quart stockpot with 7 quarts water and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the salt, stir and reduce the heat to low, and cover the pot.
Place a 10-inch skillet over low heat. Add the pancetta or bacon and cook, stirring frequently to prevent sticking, until it has given up its fat and is beginning to color and crisp, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the onion, reduce the heat, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft and beginning to color and the pancetta or bacon is crisp, about 7 minutes.
While the pancetta and onion are cooking, place a large stainless steel or glass bowl next to the stove. Pour the egg and egg yolks into a medium bowl and whisk until pale and increase in volume, 3 to 5 minutes. Set the bowl with the eggs next to the large bowl.
When the pancetta and onions are cooked, remove them from the heat. Raise the heat under the pot of water and bring it back to a boil.
Add the pasta and cover the pot until the water begins to bubble. Lift the lid and immediately taste the pasta. When the pasta is al dente, about 2 minutes (longer if using dried pasta), scoop out about 1/4 cup of the cooking water, then drain the pasta and add to the large bowl. Add the onion mixture and olive oil and mix gently but thoroughly with tongs or a wooden spoon.
Add the eggs to the pasta and mix very quickly and thoroughly. (If you aren't fast here, the eggs will scramble). If the pasta looks dry at this point, add some of the reserved cooking water 1 tablespoon at time, mixing between additions. Stir in cheeses and pepper and mix again. Transfer the pasta to a serving dish and serve immediately.


TIPS: I couldn’t afford truffles in my younger days, but occasionally I will shave about 4 paper-thin slices of either fresh black truffles or (much cheaper and more convenient jarred black truffles in olive oil into each serving of the finished dish. The woodsy flavor of the truffles goes beautifully with the richness of the egg yolks.


Pino Luongo says:" In my youth, I was an actor and I traveled around Italy with a theater troupe. We were all good cooks-food was our second passion, after acting. The perfect fettuccine alla carbonara became our Holy Grail. When we were on the road, we'd finish a performance and then find a local restaurant where we'd ask the owner to make the dish, or, if it was late enough and the place was empty, we'd just ask to into the kitchen and cook for ourselves. We completed fiercely to see who could come up with the best version, and we built on each other's refinements. More than two decades later, I am still using the recipe I developed with my fellow actors, and it remains a stand-out carbonara.

Making a great carbonara is like making a great stir-fry: It's all about the timing and assembly. If you have all of the ingredients ready, you can quickly put everything together. Tossing the cooked pasta with the onions and olive oil before adding the eggs lets the pasta cool slightly, reducing the chance that the eggs will scramble when you stir them in.