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Main dishPasta

Carbonara (not quite)

Long dried spaghetti with streaky bacon or pancetta in small lardons (so the fat renders), peas, mushrooms, chili, and four cloves of garlic. Sauce from egg yolks, real crème fraîche, and Grana Padano — not traditional carbonara, but close in spirit. Tips: use proper long pasta and do not snap it short if you want to twirl; add more chili and mushrooms to taste; use less pasta if you prefer a saucier plate; extra cheese on top only if you want.

Prep
10 min
Cook
20 min
Serves
2 people

Product list ingredients

  • eggs
  • bacon
  • pancetta
  • garlic
  • chili pepper
  • parmesan
  • spaghetti
  • parsley
  • mushrooms
  • peas
Carbonara (not quite)

Ingredients

Sauce:

  • •100–125 g dried spaghetti (long pasta; do not break short if you want to roll/twirl)
  • •30 g frozen peas
  • •80 g streaky bacon or pancetta, small lardons (pre-diced or cut very small so the fat renders)
  • •2 egg yolks
  • •1½ tbsp crème fraîche (real crème fraîche, not substitutes)
  • •4–6 mushrooms, sliced (add more if you like)
  • •1 red chili, minced (use more to taste)
  • •Olive oil
  • •4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  • •Grana Padano or parmesan — about ⅓ cup (40 g) grated for the egg mix, extra to finish
  • •2 tbsp parsley, chopped
  • •Salt and black pepper

Directions

  1. Bring a large pot of well-salted water to the boil and add the spaghetti. Cook until al dente; keep plenty of starchy pasta water.

Sauce:

  1. Heat a non-stick pan over medium-high. Add about 1 tbsp olive oil; when hot, add the bacon with a little pepper. After about 2 minutes add the garlic, mushrooms, and chili. Cook until the bacon is crisp and the mushrooms colour; salt to taste.

  2. Grate about ⅓ cup (40 g) Grana Padano over the egg yolks. Add the crème fraîche and mix. Add 1 tsp cold water if needed so the mixture stays loose and pourable.

  3. When the bacon mixture is almost done, stir in the peas. As it finishes, add about 3 tbsp pasta water to the pan.

  4. Drain the pasta (reserve more water), season lightly, then add to the bacon mixture and toss 20–30 seconds. Lower the heat, pour in the egg mixture, and toss until the sauce gently thickens and coats the pasta (splash in more pasta water if it tightens). Stir in the parsley.

  5. Plate and top with more cheese if you want.