Are you looking to elevate your pasta carbonara game? Look no further! By adding golden mushrooms to this classic dish, you can create a light, quick, and delicious dinner that will impress even the pickiest eaters. Let's dive into how just a few simple ingredients can transform your meal into a culinary masterpiece.
- Add 1 whole garlic clove when frying the bacon to flavour the fat, then remove it. Real Carbonara is not garlicky.
- Use freshly ground cheese for best flavour.
- Keep ½ cup of pasta water for the sauce. If you forget to do that, don’t panic! Simply add hot water from a kettle, it’s not as good but better than nothing.
- Always mix in the eggs and cheese into the pasta off the heat for a smooth Carbonara sauce.
- Salt to taste! If your Mushroom Carbonara seems bland, always add salt first, then taste again.
- Serve sprinkled with extra Parmesan and black pepper.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 lbs spaghetti
- 100g/3.5oz bacon or pancetta or guanciale
- 1 clove garlic optional
- 250g/8oz mushrooms sliced
- 80g/1/2 cup Parmesan cheese or Pecorino Romano
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 whole egg
- salt and pepper to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
- Cook the pasta according to package instruction in a large pot of boiling water.
- Meanwhile mix the egg yolks, one egg and grated Parmesan in a small bowl and set aside for later. Fry chopped bacon or pancetta with 1 whole garlic clove, that's been slightly crushed, in a pan until the bacon rendered its fat. Remove the bacon to a separate plate and set aside until later. Discard the garlic clove and all fat from the pan but 1 tbsp. Add sliced mushrooms to the pan and cook until golden on medium heat for about 5 minutes, return the bacon to the pan and take it off the heat.
- Once the spaghetti is cooked al dente, drain in a colander but keep ½ cup of pasta water. Add the spaghetti to the pan with bacon and mushroom and half of the reserved pasta water and lightly toss to combine. Then add the egg and cheese mixture and toss until the pasta is evenly coated with the sauce. Work quickly to prevent the eggs from scrambling. Add the remaining pasta water if the dish looks dry and continue mixing until the pasta is coated with the sauce. Add salt to taste. Serve with more grated Parmesan and black pepper.