carbonara

In 1944, an American soldier added his rations – powdered eggs, bacon and liquid cream to spaghetti – and made the first carbonara

The

Fresh mint and green peas add an element of surprise to a basic carbonara. Bellissimo!

Classic carbonara

If you’ve ordered it in a restaurant but never made it yourself… Here’s your chance – it’s super-easy and super-tasty.

Serves 4 | Ready in 20 mins

Faff factor

• 300g dried spaghetti

• 160g Asda Diced Pancetta

• 75g Asda Extra Special Parmigiano

Reggiano (Parmesan), or other hard cheese, finely grated, plus extra to serve

• 3 egg yolks

• 1 whole egg

• freshly ground black pepper

1 Half fill a large saucepan with water, cover and bring to boil. Add the spaghetti and as it begins to soften, push down into the water with a spoon. Return to boil and cook, uncovered, for 10 mins, stirring occasionally.

2 Meanwhile, in a large, deep non-stick frying pan, fry the pancetta over a medium heat (without oil), until lightly browned, stirring regularly.

3 Mix the grated Parmesan, egg yolks, whole egg and lots of freshly ground black pepper in a bowl until thoroughly combined, thick and creamy

4 Drain the cooked pasta into a colander over a large bowl, reserving the pasta cooking water. Carefully pour 200ml of the cooking water into a heatproof measuring jug. Tip the pasta into the frying pan with the pancetta and toss together using tongs or two wooden spoons until well combined. Remove from the heat

5 Pour the egg mixture into the frying pan, add half the reserved water and toss thoroughly with the pasta and pancetta. Return to a low heat, add the remaining water and toss together for about 60 secs, or until the pasta is creamy-looking and the sauce is hot. Do not allow to overheat or the eggs will look grainy and begin to scramble.

6 Divide between warmed bowls, adding an extra splash of hot water just before serving if needed. Serve sprinkled with extra Parmesan and ground black pepper.

Get whisking

Use the leftover egg whites to make meringues, they can be frozen and thawed out for future baking

Pea, mint and spinach ‘carbonara’

Be season savvy – fresh springtime vegetables and herbs, with lemon and garlic, will create bowlfuls of fresh flavours.

Serves 4 | Ready in 25 mins, Faff factor |

• 250g dried spaghetti

• 300g frozen peas

• 150g baby spinach

• 75g Asda Extra Special Parmigiano Reggiano (Parmesan), or other hard cheese, finely grated, plus extra to serve

• 3 egg yolks

• 1 whole egg

• 5g fresh mint leaves, plus extra to serve

• freshly ground black pepper

• 160g Asda Diced Pancetta

• 1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed

• finely grated zest ½ small lemon

1 Half fill a large saucepan with water, cover and bring to the boil over a high heat. Add the spaghetti and as it begins to soften, push down into the water with a wooden spoon. Return to the boil and cook, uncovered, for 10 mins, stirring occasionally. Add the spinach leaves for the last 30 secs of cooking time

2 Meanwhile, put the peas in a large heatproof bowl and cover with some just-boiled water from a kettle. Leave for 1–2 mins and then drain

3 Put the grated Parmesan, egg yolks and whole egg, half the thawed peas, the mint and lots of freshly ground black pepper in a bowl and blitz with a stick blender until thick and creamy and as smooth as possible. You can also do this in a small food processor. Set aside.

4 In a large deep non-stick frying pan, fry the pancetta over a medium heat (without oil), until lightly browned, stirring regularly. Add the garlic and remaining peas to the pan and cook with the pancetta for 1–2 mins or until the peas are hot, stirring regularly

5 Drain the pasta into a colander over a large bowl, reserving the pasta cooking water. Carefully pour 200ml of the cooking water into a heatproof measuring jug. Tip the pasta into the frying pan with the pancetta and toss together using tongs or two wooden spoons until well combined. Remove from the heat.

6 Pour the egg mixture into the frying pan, add half the reserved water and toss thoroughly with the pasta and pancetta. Return to a low heat, add the remaining water and toss together continuously for about 60 secs, or until the pasta is creamy-looking and the sauce is hot. Do not allow to overheat

7 Divide between warmed bowls and serve sprinkled with a little lemon zest, some extra Parmesan, a few mint leaves and ground black pepper.

Pan swap

No large deep frying pan? Tip the pancetta, peas and pasta into the saucepan used to cook the spaghetti then add the egg mixture