So I'm on a carbonara streak and I can't help it. I like the stuff. Check that, love the stuff. It's just a different type of pasta most probably aren't accustom to and the idea of putting eggs in a pasta dish may not seem all that appetite-appealing. Last week I made a pancetta carbonara dish that turned out pretty good, and I learned a couple lessons while making that version of a carbonara. This one was a little different, no heating and continously beating eggs. And instead of milk or cream, I used some of the oil that the artichoke is stored in - that was a great decision.

Ingredients:
1lb Spaghetti cooked Al Dente
2 Cups of Artichoke Hearts
6 Cloves of Garlic, Sliced
Zest of 1 Lemon and 1/4 of it for the juice
1/3lb Good Bacon, cubed
1/2 Cup Chopped Onions
1/2 Cup Oil used to store Arichokes
4 Egg Yolks
1 Cup Finely Grated Parmesan
Salt and Pepper
Italian Parsely, Finely Chopped for Garnish

1) Start a pot boiling, add about 2tbls of Salt. The water should be salty, like the sea. Trust me. That's the difference between good pasta and great pasta.

2) Start the bacon rendering in a saute pan over medium. When the fat starts melting add the onion and garlic. Continue to cook until the onions are wilted and even a little brown and the bacon and garlic is crispy. Don't burn the garlic. It can be light brown. Burning it will make it bitter, but the light brown will add a nice texture and crunch to the dish.

3) Once done, get a plate, cover it with a couple sheets of paper towel and dump the mixture from the saute pan over.

4) Separate the yolks from 4 eggs. Add to a bowl and whisk.

5) Add the parmesan in with the eggs and wisk some more. Then add the artichoke oil and stir to combine well. It will be thick. Don't worry. Now add the lemon zest and the juice of about 1/4 lemon, stir again.

6) Once the pasta is near done, start tempering in some of the pasta water into the egg and parmesan mixture, about 1/4 cup at a time to a total of 1 to 1.5 cups. The hot water will help to melt the cheese. Add 1 teaspoon of salt and go crazy with the peppermill. Seriously, add a nice amount of pepper

7) Now add the artichoke to the saute pan with the garlic, onion and bacon. Stir to combine. Add the drained pasta. Now pour over the egg, artichoke oil and parmesan mixture.

8) Combine well. Finish with more finely grated parmesan and some italian parsely for garnish