Spring green spaghetti carbonara

Asparagus, peas and snow peas star in this spring pasta dish.

Credit: Barefoot Contessa: Back to Basics

• serves

  6

• prep

  30 minutes

• cook

  10 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 
• 350 g (12 oz) spaghetti  
• 225 g (8 oz) snow peas, julienned lengthwise  
• 1 cup shelled fresh peas (450 g / 1 lb in the pod), or frozen peas  
• 12-14 thin asparagus, bottom third discarded and tips sliced in 5 cm (2 in) pieces  
• 1½ tbsp (30 ml) good olive oil  
• 225 g (8 oz) small-diced pancetta  
• ½ cup thick (heavy) cream  
• 2 extra-large eggs  
• 2 extra-large egg yolks  
• ¾ cup freshly grated parmesan, plus extra for serving  
• 5 scallions, white and green parts, thinly sliced diagonally  
• ¼ cup minced fresh chives, plus extra for serving  
• Zest and juice of 1 lemon  

Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of water with 1½ tablespoons salt to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Reserve a cup of the pasta water, then add the snow peas, fresh peas, and asparagus to the spaghetti and cook for 2 minutes longer. Drain the pasta and vegetables together.
2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a medium (about 26 cm) sauté pan over medium heat, add the pancetta, and cook for 7 to 9 minutes, stirring occasionally, until browned. Transfer the pancetta to a plate lined with paper towels and set aside.
3. While the pancetta cooks, fill a large bowl with the hottest tap water and set aside to heat the bowl. Just before you drain the pasta, pour the water out of the bowl. Put the cream, eggs, egg yolks, and ¼ cup of the reserved pasta water into the bowl and whisk to combine. Immediately, add the hot pasta and vegetables and toss with tongs for a full minute or two, until the pasta absorbs the sauce. Add enough reserved hot pasta water to keep the sauce creamy. Add the ¾ cup parmesan, the scallions, chives, lemon zest and juice, 3 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper and toss well.
4. Add the pancetta, sprinkle with salt, and serve hot sprinkled with extra chives and parmesan.

 

Recipe from Modern Comfort Food: A Barefoot Contessa Cookbook by Ina Garten (Clarkson Potter). Provided courtesy of Ina Garten. 

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.