Serves 4 to 6
• 6 medium-sized eggs
• ½ lb. Parmesan cheese, finely grated (about 2 cups)
• 3 medium-sized onions
• 6 Tbs. olive oil
• salt to taste
• fresh-ground black pepper to taste
• 1 lb. spaghetti
1. Beat the eggs until they are fairly smooth and stir the grated Parmesan cheese into them. The mixture should have the consistency of a soft paste.
2. Peel, quarter, and slice the onions, or chop them very coarsely, then sauté them in the olive oil in a very large skillet over medium-high heat until they begin to turn golden brown around the edges.
3. Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti in 6 to 8 quarts of vigorously boiling salted water until it is just barely al dente. If the onions are golden before the spaghetti is cooked, remove them from the heat until about a minute before the spaghetti will be drained, then quickly heat them up again.
4. As soon as the spaghetti is tender (but not at all soft), drain it thoroughly in a colander. Remove the onions from the heat and add the spaghetti to them in the hot skillet. Pour the egg-cheese paste over the spaghetti and stir it all together quickly, by lifting with two wooden spoons, for about 1 minute. The heat of the skillet and the spaghetti will cook the eggs slightly and melt the cheese, and the result will be a creamy sauce that should coat all the pasta. Direct heat, however, will scramble the eggs, so be sure your skillet is quite hot but off the flame, and pour the paste over the pasta, not directly into the skillet. After about a minute of rapid lifting and stirring, the eggs should be sufficiently thickened, but if they are still runny, just continue the process for another 30 seconds or so.
5. Season with a little salt if needed, and grate on some black pepper. Serve immediately on heated plates.
