How to make a carbonara (with an asparagus twist)

A classic Carbonara is loved the world over and the addition of asparagus brings a lovely fresh flavour. I even use the hard stems to flavour the pasta water. Vegetarians can simply omit the pancetta and use a vegetarian pecorino-style cheese. And don’t throw out the egg whites; store them in the fridge and use the next day to make a lovely light omelette.

Serves: 4

Remove any hard stems from the asparagus, then finely chop the remaining stems and keep the asparagus tips intact. Set aside.

Bring a pot of salted water to the boil and add the woody asparagus stems. When the water begins to boil, discard the asparagus, add the linguine pasta and cook until al dente.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat, add the pancetta and sweat for 2–3 minutes until it begins to colour. Stir in the finely chopped asparagus stems and tips and stir-fry for about 3 minutes until the asparagus is cooked.

In a bowl, lightly beat the egg yolks, then stir through a little black pepper and the pecorino.

Drain the cooked linguine and add to the frying pan with the asparagus. Mix well together, adding a little of the hot pasta water to bind. Remove from the heat and quickly stir in the egg yolk mixture, until everything is well combined and silky.

Serve immediately with a sprinkling of black pepper and extra grated pecorino, if desired.

Recipe extracted from Gennaro’s Verdure: Big and bold recipes to pack your plate with veg by Gennaro Contaldo (Pavilion Books)

Image credit: David Loftus