This delicious courgette carbonara is one of Jo Eeeles’ favourite’s for lunch on a Saturday: “we regularly cook it for drop ins and all ages love it.
Traditionally we feast on it in the summer when we have a glut of courgettes from the garden, but actually it works remarkably well at this time of year ticking all the comfort food boxes!! Not to mention the fact it is super easy to prepare and can be knocked up and on the table in 20 minutes!”
Ingredients
Maldon sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 medium green and yellow (if available) courgettes
400 g penne
4 mdium free range egg yolks
100mls of double cream
3 good handfuls of freshly grated parmesan
10 rashers of smoked streaky bacon
fresh thyme
How To Cook It:
1. Put a large pan of water on to boil with a teaspoon of salt.
2. Cut up the bacon and fry in a little olive oil in a good large non stick frying pan, once the bacon has begun to cook, add the courgette batons, a good twist of black pepper and fresh thyme. Regularly turn the courgette and bacon mixture so everything takes on gourgous golden color and the courgettes start to soften and caramelise.
3. When the water is boiling, pour in the penne and stir several times with a wooden spoon, time exactly so the pasta is cooked al dente, drain the pasta, reserving 200ml of pasta cooking water.
4. To make the creamy carbonara sauce, mix the egg yolks, cream and parmesan in a separate bowl.
5. Return the drained pasta to the large frying pan (which has been taken off the heat) with the bacon and courgettes, add the carbonara sauce and a little of the pasta water, stir to coat all the penne, add a little more pasta water to create a silky smooth sauce. Don not put back on the heat as it will scramble the eggs.
6. Serve immediately on hot plates with freshly grated parmesan, more black pepper and some fresh thyme on top.
Jo’s Courgette Carbonara