Carbonara Pasta is most likely named after a Roman restaurant and roughly translates to ‘in the manner of coal miners’. It is normal to see the carbonara pasta on menus in italian restaurants or any place that serves ‘western’ food. An obscenely easy dish to prepare, I decided to give it a shot to prepare for my mum when she was around. This recipe is loosely based off Jamie Oliver’s recipe.

Feel free to check out his rendition here:

However, I decided to some things a little different. Go ahead and try this version out!

Ingredients:

• Leek
• Mushroom (I used portabello, white button and some brown mushroom. It was under a 3-in-1 package)
• Garlic
• Onion
• Pasta (Any kind will do. I would prefer not to do it with angel hair as it is pretty brittle)
• Parmesan
• Mozzarella
• Mascarpone
• Egg Yolks
• Lemon Zest
• Lemon Juice
• Salt
• Pepper
• Olive Oil
• Parma Ham (Or Bacon)
• Butter
• White Wine

Instructions:

1. Chop up your leeks into 2 cm segments. Thinly slice your mushrooms. Mince your garlic and onions.
2. Boil your pasta in salt and olive oil until al dente. When it is done, drain the pasta but reserve some pasta water. Set aside with a little drizzle of olive oil.
3. Mix a bowl of lemon zest, juice, egg yolks, parmesan, mozzarella and mascarpone. Add some pepper for some extra heat. Reserve some of the cheeses for later.
4. Heat some butter on a pan that can hold all your pasta.
5. Add garlic and onions. Cook till fragrant but not burnt.
6. Add mushrooms and leek. Cook until all the juices come out. Then, add a splash of white wine. Continue to let it cook until all liquids reduce by about 70%.
7. Add Parma Ham and cook till lightly browned (or crispy)
8. Add your pasta and toss it. Let it soak up all the flavours.
9. Take your pan off heat. Add in the egg mixture and stir it all up. The reason behind taking it off heat is to ensure you get an egg sauce and not scrambled eggs.
10. Add more cheese, pepper and salt to taste.
11. Serve with soup or salad! Enjoy!