Spaghetti Carbonara with Peas & Asparagus
After a long winter hike or a day of cross country skiing hearty “mountain food” is sometimes needed to refuel. Although there is no butter or cream in this version, it still hits the spot when wanting a satisfying cheesy pasta. It’s a quick two pan dinner, and a flexible base recipe that you can tweak according to what veggies you have available. Or don’t add any veg at all, and keep it super simple!
Yield
2 servings
Ingredients list
4oz (113g) dried spaghetti
1 x 4oz (113g) packet of cubed pancetta
2 garlic cloves
2 large eggs
2oz (56g) parmesan, grated
½ cup (80g) frozen peas
6-8 thin asparagus spears, chopped to same size as the peas
Salt & pepper
Method
Pop a medium sized pan of salted (a pinch) water on to boil.
In a small bowl whisk the eggs and stir in the parmesan. Put to one side.
Peel the garlic cloves, leave them whole but slightly crush them with the knife or base of the frying pan (before you put it on the heat).
Gently heat a medium sized frying pan and slowly fry the pancetta cubes and whole garlic cloves. No need to add oil as fat will cook out of the pancetta. When the pancetta is golden and crispy, pluck out the whole garlic and reduce the heat to low. If a lot of oil has cooked out of the pancetta, drain it at this point.
Cook the spaghetti according to packet instructions, usually about 8-10 mins. Throw in the peas with 3 minutes to go. Then add the asparagus for the last minute. Both the pasta and veg should be soft (not mushy) with a slight bite.
Scoop the pasta and veg from the boiling water straight into the frying pan using a slotted spoon or tongs. You want a bit of the pasta water to fall into the frying pan.
Take the frying pan off the heat and pour in the egg and parmesan, tossing or lifting with the tongs until everything is coated (and not turned into scrambled egg). You may need to add an extra splash or two of pasta water to make the sauce smooth and silky. Go easy with the water, you don’t want this to be soupy.