Mushroom Carbonara
Mushrooms replace the traditional cured pork product in this carbonara that is decadent but comes together quickly enough for a mid-week meal. Serve with a green salad on the side.
Ingredients
12 oz dried or fresh pasta
1 quart mushrooms, any variety, torn or roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 eggs and 2 yolks, room temperature
2 oz parmesan, grated finely
Method
- Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil
- In a large frying pan, heat a big glug of olive oil over medium high heat
- Add the mushrooms to the oil and season liberally with salt and pepper
- Cook until the mushrooms are golden brown but not frizzled
- Add the minced garlic and continue cooking until the garlic is soft and fragrant
- In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, yolks, and parmesan
- Cook the pasta to 90% of doneness
- Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water then drain the pasta and add to the mushroom-garlic skillet
- Add the egg-cheese mixture to the pasta and stir vigorously until the mixture forms a creamy sauce, adding a bit of the pasta water as needed to blend the sauce
- Serve with with several grinds of black pepper
