Quick carbonara

This is a great method of getting a quick ‘carbonara’ fix and we make no excuses for it not being the traditional carbonara dish best served in Rome.

Carbonara is dish recognized mainly for the amount of black pepper in the dish and in place of bacon, the cheek of the pig is used – ‘guanciale’. A traditional carbonara also has no cream but instead is made using egg yolk which creates a beautifully smooth sauce. However, it does require a certain technique to avoid the eggs overcooking. So in our recipe we avoid all the guesswork in order to create a perfect stylized version of this traditionally Roman dish.

Sicilian pasta with cauliflower

Ingredients – serves 2

• 8 – 9 ounces Linguine
• 1/3rd cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/3rd cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 ounce salted butter
• 5 – 8 slices prosciutto, roughly chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves, lightly bruised and roughly chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground blackpepper

Preparation

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil and cook the linguine to al dente – check for doneness after 30 seconds.
2. Once cooked, drain keeping a little of the water back and keep the pasta in the pot too.
3. Using the same pot, add the cream to the pasta along with the Parmesan and butter. Stir well to combine.
4. Now add the prosciutto, rosemary and pepper.
5. Lightly toss everything in the pan to combine and you will notice that any excess cream will disappear. It is being absorbed by the pasta which is why you cook to al dente. If you want to create more creamy sauce, simply add more cream.
6. Serve immediately!