Read an Excerpt

Vegetarian Carbonara
With Zucchini & Asparagus
 
I DO NOT THINK there is another population in this world who can argue over a recipe like the Italians. We have strong opinions on all things food, but there is one dish that triggers more arguments than any other: carbonara. Pancetta or guanciale? Cream or no cream? And how much pepper? Still, there are two things we all agree on: The pasta should be tossed with the sauce and pasta water to make the carbonara creamy and not scrambly, and, of course, we agree that, no matter how it is prepared, carbonara is delicious.
 
Here, I use neither pancetta nor guanciale, but the cheese and eggs paired with asparagus make for a carbonara that is just as delicious. It will not make you miss the original, but should you ever make this for an Italian, be sure you don’t say that you are serving carbonara. You might be stuck in an argument for a while!
 
SERVES 4
 
INGREDIENTS:
 
¼ cup (60 ml) olive oil
1 medium onion or leek (7 oz/200 g), thinly sliced
2 small zucchini (7 oz/200 g), halved and thinly sliced
16 asparagus spears (7 oz/200 g), trimmed of the hard stalk and thinly sliced
1½ teaspoons salt, plus 2 pinches for the pasta water
10 ounces (270 g) whole-wheat or spelt spaghetti or paccheri
2 large eggs plus 2 large egg yolks
1/3 cup (1.7 oz/50 g) grated pecorino or Grana cheese, plus more to finish
1 teaspoon pepper, plus more to finish
 
 
DIRECTIONS:
1. Place the olive oil and onion in a medium-large pan and sauté over medium heat, stirring often, for about 5 minutes, until the onion is translucent. Add the zucchini, asparagus, and 1 teaspoon salt and cook while stirring for 5 minutes more. Add ½ cup (50 ml) water, cover, and cook for about 15 minutes, until almost all of the water is gone. All the vegetables should be soft at this point. If they are not, add another splash of water and cook until tender. When the vegetables are cooked, uncover, stir, and let the remaining water evaporate completely.
2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat, then add coarse salt in the proportion of 1 scant teaspoon for every 4 cups (1 l) water. Boil the pasta according to the package instructions, but drain it 2 minutes before the end of the cooking time. Reserve about ½ cup (125 ml) of the pasta water.
3. Meanwhile, place the whole eggs and yolks in a medium bowl and whisk them with the cheese, the remaining ½ teaspoon of salt, and the pepper.
4. Add the drained pasta to the pan and toss it well with the vegetable mixture over low heat for 1 minute. Remove from the heat, pour in the egg mixture, add 2 tablespoons of the reserved pasta water, and toss to coat with a fork and spoon: The egg mixture should form a cream with the starch in the pasta water, and it will cook with the residual heat of the pan and hot pasta. Use more pasta water if it seems too dry. Place the pan over medium-low heat and let the sauce thicken for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Do not let the egg curdle. Serve immediately with extra pepper and a sprinkling of extra grated cheese.
 
NOTE: When cool, this pasta might curdle up a bit. Do not reheat in a microwave, or the egg will curdle. Reheat gently in a pan, adding 2 tablespoons of water to make it creamy again.