Pasta con Pancetta

Pasta con Pancetta (or Bacon as a Substitute)
Ingredients
75g/3oz butter
1 garlic clove, crushed
160g/5½oz pancetta, roughly chopped
1 free-range egg, beaten
150ml/5fl oz single cream
300g/11oz pasta
salt and freshly ground black pepper
freshly grated pecorino cheese (optional)
thyme leaves, for garnish (optional)

Boiling Pasta.

Bacon

cream and egg mixture

Finished product.

Preparation method

1. Bring a large saucepan of lightly salted water to the boil.
2. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large frying pan, add the garlic and sauté for 1-2 minutes, or until golden. Remove the garlic clove and discard.
3. Add the pancetta to the pan and sauté for 3-4 minutes, until the pancetta turns a golden-brown colour.
4. In a bowl, mix together the beaten egg and single cream.
5. Cook the pasta according to packet instructions, until al dente, then drain.
6. Add the pasta to the pancetta mixture, then stir in the egg and cream mixture. Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
7. Serve immediately in warmed bowls. Finish with freshly grated pecorino cheese and garnish with a couple of thyme leaves (optional).

I love this recipe. It worked much better with the pancetta I bought in Italy, but it works just fine with bacon. The only thing I would reccommend is to be sure you cut off the fat from the bacon, you really don't need much since there is so much butter to cook it in (5oz is a lot). It also microwaves pretty well, or you can put it in a pan with a little bit of water and heat it up on the stove. (My solution in Italy where microwaves weren't an option.)
I also highly recommend the Pecorino cheese although I didn't have any (not available at Kroger or HEB). Pecorino cheese is one of my favorites.