Spaghetti Carbonara

The hot pasta cooks the egg

I got the idea for this recipe from Two Spoons. I always thought spaghetti carbonara should be made with an egg and no filler. But a large supply of egg yolks has forced me to rethink a lot of previous misconceptions. Two Spoons’ version used more vegetables, but since I was serving this as a first course, I stuck with just mushrooms. I liked that she blended an egg yolk with a bit of cream and stuck with that approach.

This recipe is lighter and the egg is less overpowering than the standard carbonara not to mention more flavorful. The carbonaras I have had before have been too heavy (too much butter) and/or too much egg (dang that egg white). I guess I am a cream and yolk convert.

Use any fresh mushroom that fits your fancy. I prefer shitake. If you do not have shallots, red onion will work as a substitution.

Mushroom Spaghetti Carbonara

• 1 lb spaghetti
• ¼ lb pancetta or 3 slices high-quality bacon diced fine
• ½ cup mushrooms sliced 1/8” thick
• 1 shallot minced
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 tbsp heavy whipping cream
• 2 tbsp fresh parsley
• ½ cup grated Romano
• Pepper/salt

Beat egg yolk and cream in a bowl. Season with black pepper. Set aside. Place diced bacon in a frying pan. Over medium heat render fat and brown meat. Reserve two tablespoons of drippings. If using pancetta, add butter if needed. Saute onion on low in the reserved drippings until browned. Add mushrooms and cook as a single layer flipping as needed. When mushrooms begin to brown turn off heat. Meanwhile, in a separate pot boil heavily salted water. Cook spaghetti to al dente. Strain and return to pot. Season with pepper. While pasta remains hot add egg mixture. Stir constantly until noodles are coated to cook the egg. Add bacon and mushrooms to pasta. Stir well. Add cheese and mix again. Garnish with fresh parsley.