AT THE TABLE • AT HOME • SEPTEMBER 21, 2026

The first carbonara.

The chicken was good. The carbonara was okay. That is exactly why the dinner was worth writing down.

A home-cooked plate of carbonara, pan-seared chicken and roasted vegetables — Dinner at home: carbonara, pan-seared chicken and roasted vegetables.

Some dinners confirm what you know. Others show you where to begin.

I was cooking for Michelle and our daughter. I roasted a California blend of vegetables, pan-seared the chicken and cooked the entire 1.74-pound package so there would be enough left for another meal.

The carbonara was the new part: eight ounces of Rummo spaghetti, about three and a half ounces of guanciale, Parmigiano-Reggiano, eggs and plenty of fresh black pepper. No cream, butter, garlic or olive oil—just the ingredients that make the dish what it is.

Guanciale crisping in a pan for carbonara — Guanciale crisping in the pan—the foundation of the sauce.

I used three whole eggs and one yolk with about three-quarters of a cup of Parmesan. The sauce came together, but it was creamier than I intended. The carbonara was okay, not yet the version I want it to be.

The first batch of carbonara being finished in a mixing bowl — The first attempt coming together off the heat.

The chicken had a good crust and finished where I wanted it. The vegetables browned nicely. The carbonara gave me a starting point—and a clear reason to make it again.

The point of a first attempt is not to prove you can do it. It is to show you what to do better next time.

KEEP COOKINGThe chicken landed. The carbonara gets another round.