Spring Carbonara

When I decided that a carbonara would be delicious, I forgot just how much I adore carbonara. It’s rich and silky and utterly decadent. The addition of leeks and peas added a spring touch, but also cut down the richness a bit. It was so delish when I made it for this shoot I ended up eating most of it straight out of the pan. OMG - amazing.

You could probably add different vegetables to this depending on the time of year. I certainly didn’t think ahead to swim suit season with the timing of this recipe. Let’s just say, you should stick to salads for lunch if this is on the menu for dinner. But you only live once, so let’s eat well while we’re here.

serves 4

STEP 1

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Cook the spaghetti until al dente. Drain and reserve at least 1 cup pasta water. Chop leeks and pancetta

STEP 2

Cook together pancetta and leeks until softened.

STEP 3

Whisk eggs, egg yolks & parmesan cheese together. Slowly whisk in ¼ cup pasta water to warm up the eggs but whisk fast enough that the eggs don’t cook.

STEP 4

Toss cooked pasta with pancetta and blend in egg mixture. Whisk constantly off the heat to coat the pasta entirely. If the pasta seems dry, add more pasta water.

STEP 5

Toss in peas and parsley and serve with extra parmesan cheese.

2 eggs

3 egg yolks

½ cup parmesan cheese

1 leek, whites sliced

2 oz pancetta

1 cup peas

¼ cup chopped parsley

½ lb spaghetti