Asparagus Carbonara

Because it's okay to have fun with classic recipes

One of the most contested & scrutinised recipes on the internet has to be the “carbonara”.

Strictly guanciale, eggs & parmesan, all brought together to a silky sauce with the help of some starchy pasta water; a beautifully simple creation.

How lovely that a recipe with so few ingredients and so much history is so well loved across continents. But also how joyful is it to take such a brilliant canvas and put your twist on it; whether it’s fusion ingredients (perhaps adding korean gochujang to the egg base) or using appropriate seasonal ingredients.

We’re in the thick of asparagus season in the UK at the moment, so we’re making the most of it and introducing it to the carbonara today!

Let’s get into it!

FULL RECIPE

Ingredients (serves 2)

6-8 asparagus spears - trim off woody ends if needed

50g guanciale (or good quality pancetta if you can’t find it, like me!) - cut into 1cm pieces

250g dried pasta (I’m using rigatoni)

2 egg yolks

50g grated parmesan

Freshly ground black pepper - to taste

Method

To start off, boil some salted, boiling water and blanch the asparagus for 1 minute then plunge into some iced water (to stop cooking and retain vibrant green colour). Drain on some kitchen paper, slice into 1 inch pieces then set aside for later.

In a large casserole pan, fry the guanciale or pancetta on a low heat to render out the fat, until nice and crispy. Remove from the pan and set aside for later.

Bring another pan of salted water up to boiling point then cook your pasta to 1-2 minutes under packet instructions.

Separate 2 eggs and in a small bowl, whisk together the yolks with 1 tbsp of the guanciale/pancetta fat. Grate in 3/4 of the parmesan which should give you a thick paste-like consistency.

When the pasta is nearly done, take 1 ladle of pasta water (approx 70ml) and add to the yolk mixture to loosen.

In the casserole pan used earlier, put on a low heat and, using a slotted spoon or tongs, transfer over the pasta. Pour in the yolk mixture and stir, keeping the heat very low, until the sauce thickens slightly and turns glossy.

Add 3/4 of both the guanciale/pancetta and asparagus pieces and stir through (I like to keep some back to garnish the plates).

Season with plenty of black pepper, stir through and it’s time to serve.

Spoon into bowls, garnish with the reserved guanciale and asparagus and an extra grating of parmesan. Enjoy!