Asparagus Carbonara with pistachios
Time: 20 mins | Difficulty: 1.5 | Recommendation: Lunch or dinner
This pasta is DELICIOUS! The asparagus takes the place of pancetta here, giving the whole thing a really light, springy flavor. Because there’s no pancetta, you might have to add more butter near the end, but that’s not really a bad thing in my book. Make sure you grate more cheese than you think you need! The cheese here is everything. And make sure you turn off the heat when you add in the egg slurry, so it doesn’t scramble. The crumbled pistachios on top add the perfect crunchy touch, that brings it all together!
Ingredients:
Asparagus, chopped on a diagonal into 1/2 inch pieces
A handful of spaghetti or another thick noodle
1 egg and 1 egg yolk
Parmesan
Pecorino
Butter
Olive oil
Black pepper
Chili flakes
Method:
Set the pasta to boil.
Make the egg slurry: whisk together 1 egg and 1 egg yolk, and then grate in the parmesan and pecorino (about 50-50). Add pepper and chili flakes.
Chop the asparagus. Heat some butter and a touch of olive oil in a pan, and add the asparagus. Sauté until bright green and crispy, and add salt and pepper. Add a little more butter at the end. Turn off the heat.
When the pasta is boiled (should be about the time the asparagus is done—if not, heat the pan again for a couple minutes), add it into the pan using a spaghetti spoon. Don’t worry about any of the pasta water getting in the pan, that’s what you want.
Stir the noodles around and coat them with the butter, so everything gets nice and warm!
Pour in the egg slurry and stir vigorously so it all emulsifies in the residual heat of the pan.
When it’s all looking smooth and good to go, remove from the pan and enjoy!