Name: Asparagus carbonara
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 3-4
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 1 tbsp olive oil; 2 garlic cloves, crushed; 5 large eggs, 4 yolks, plus 1 whole egg; 100g pecorino cheese, finely grated (or vegetarian alternative); 300g dried penne; 250g asparagus, trimmed and cut into 4cm pieces; ½ x 28g pack basil, leaves only, shredded; 2 tbsp pine nuts, lightly toasted

Asparagus carbonara

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Alice Hart

Serves 3-4 | prep 20 mins | total time 35 mins

If a baconless carbonara seems too much of a travesty, chop and fry a few rashers of streaky bacon before adding the garlic to the pan

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
5 large eggs, 4 yolks, plus 1 whole egg
100g pecorino cheese, finely grated (or vegetarian alternative)
300g dried penne
250g asparagus, trimmed and cut into 4cm pieces
½ x 28g pack basil, leaves only, shredded
2 tbsp pine nuts, lightly toasted

Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over a low heat and gently soften the garlic for a couple of minutes. Set aside.
Whisk together the egg yolks, egg and two-thirds of the grated cheese in a small bowl. Add the garlic and season with lots of black pepper.
Cook the pasta in plenty of salted water, according to pack instructions. Add the asparagus for the last 3 or 4 minutes. Drain, saving half a mugful of the cooking water. Return the pasta and asparagus to the pan and add the egg and cheese mixture, stirring constantly. Add enough of the reserved cooking water – about 4 tablespoons – to create a creamy sauce that coats the pasta; stir in the basil. Scatter with the pine nuts and serve with the remaining cheese.

Note: this recipe contains raw/partially cooked eggs
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