I know that based upon the last few months of posts you'd be left thinking that I had shut the kitchen down. The reality is that when the weather gets warm and the grill comes out I am not following recipes - for dinner we are most likely to have salad, some grilled meat, and grilled veggies. Nothing too adventurous but it works when you are busy and hot.
Let's get one thing perfectly clear before you read on - this is nor a low-fat, low-carb, low-calorie dish. If that is what you want then you should move on . . . no judgement just that this dish is not for you. Do NOT think of trying to make this dish low-fat, low-carb, low-calorie - it is impossible and you will be sad with the results. Do not use turkey 'bacon'. The food gods will smite you. No this is not an every day dish, but if you are going to indulge, then indulge!
It is asparagus season here in Ontario (actually, the tail end of it) and we had a few bunches in the refrigerator to eat. I also had a bag of shiitake mushrooms from the CSA. I googled recipes for asparagus and mushroom pasta and this one came up - it had no mushrooms but I added them in. It is a Jamie Oliver recipe for carbonara and it is pretty close to a 'real' carbonara but it strays from the purist version with the addition of cream and asparagus and I strayed even more by adding mushrooms. The food crime aside, it was delicious, quick, and a perfect summer meal.
Asparagus and Mushroom Carbonara
2 fresh egg yolks, at room temperature
¼ cup heavy cream
¼ cup Parmesan cheese
1 to 2 tablespoons butter
180 grams pasta
200 grams streaky bacon / pancetta, chopped
1 cup sliced mushrooms
100 grams thin, baby asparagus, chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Chopped fresh parsley, to garnish (optional)
boil a large pot of water. Season the water with salt - ½ tablespoon of salt per 1 litre of water. While waiting for the water to boil, grab a large frying pan (large enough to accommodate all the pasta, bacon and asparagus) and set it over medium heat.
Combine the egg yolks, cream and Parmesan cheese in a small bowl. Whisk to combine with a fork and stir in the butter - the heat from the pasta will melt the butter later.
When the water has come to a boil, add in the pasta and cook until al dente, per package's instructions.
Immediately after adding the pasta, add the chopped bacon into the frying pan - no oil is needed as the bacon will render lots of fats during cooking. Fry over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally until browned and almost crispy.
When the bacon is starting to crisp, add in the asparagus (if you're using thick asparagus, add them in slightly earlier as they'll take a longer time to cook) and the mushrooms. Stir-fry until the vegetables are tender. Season with freshly ground black pepper - do not add salt as the bacon and Parmesan cheese are very salty to begin with.
Once the pasta is al dente - remember, the pasta will continue to cook for a while after removing them from the heat - reserve ½ cup of cooking water and drain the pasta. Dump them immediately (do not rinse them with cold water!) into the bacon-asparagus mixture and toss to coat the pasta with the the bacon fats (very, very sinful I know!)
The most important step now: turn off the heat. Drizzle in the egg yolk mixture and toss / stir the pasta continuously until the pasta is coated with lots of creamy yumminess. If it's too thick, add in the pasta water - tablespoon by tablespoon, until it reaches the consistency you desired. Don't return the pan to the heat as it would cook the eggs.
Serve immediately (cold carbonara is yucky).
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