SIMPLE CARBONARA RECIPE RECIPES

1. Cook the pasta in a pan of boiling salted water according to the packet instructions, then drain, reserving a mugful of cooking water.
2. Meanwhile, squeeze the sausagemeat out of the skins, then, with wet hands, quickly shape into 18 even-sized balls.
3. Roll and coat them in black pepper, then cook in a non- stick frying pan on a medium heat with ½ a tablespoon of olive oil until golden and cooked through, tossing regularly, then turn the heat off.
4. Finely chop the parsley, stalks and all, beat it with the egg and a splash of pasta cooking water, then finely grate and mix in most of the Parmesan.
5. Toss the drained pasta into the sausage pan, pour in the egg mixture, and toss for 1 minute off the heat (the egg will gently cook in the residual heat).
6. Loosen with a good splash of reserved cooking water, season to perfection with sea salt and pepper, and finely grate over the remaining Parmesan.

1. Put a large pan of salted water on to boil.
2. Halve and then quarter any larger courgettes lengthways. Cut out and discard any fluffy middle bits, and slice the courgettes at an angle into pieces roughly the same size and shape as the penne. Smaller courgettes can simply be sliced finely.
3. Your water will now be boiling, so add the penne to the pan and cook according to the packet instructions.
4. To make your creamy carbonara sauce, separate the eggs and put the yolks into a bowl (saving the whites for another recipe). Add the cream and grate in half the Parmesan, and mix together with a fork. Season lightly with sea salt and black pepper, and put to one side.
5. Heat a very large frying pan (a 35cm one is a good start – every house should have one!) and add a good splash of olive oil. Cut the pancetta or bacon into chunky lardons and fry until dark brown and crisp.
6. Add the courgette slices and 2 big pinches of black pepper, not just to season but to give it a bit of a kick. Pick, chop and sprinkle in the thyme leaves (reserving any flowers), give everything a stir, so the courgettes become coated with all the lovely bacon-flavoured oil, and fry until they start to turn lightly golden and have softened slightly.
7. It’s very important to get this next bit right or your carbonara could end up ruined. You need to work quickly. When the pasta is cooked, drain it, reserving a little of the cooking water. Immediately, toss the pasta in the pan with the courgettes, bacon and lovely flavours, then remove from the heat and add a ladleful of the reserved cooking water and your creamy sauce. Stir together quickly. (No more cooking now, otherwise you’ll scramble the eggs.)
8. Get everyone around the table, ready to eat straight away. While you’re tossing the pasta and sauce, grate in the rest of the Parmesan and add a little more of the cooking water if needed, to give you a silky and shiny sauce. Taste quickly for seasoning.
9. If you’ve managed to get any courgette flowers, tear them over the top, then serve and eat immediately, as the sauce can become thick and stodgy if left too long.

Cook the pasta in boiling water according to the packet instructions. Meanwhile, in separate pans fry the bacon and chopped mushrooms in a little oil for a few minutes as the pasta cooks. 

Put the Philadelphia in to a bowl with 3 tbsp of milk and the parmesan/pecorino cheese and half of the bacon bits, and mix together well. Then add the mushrooms and stir through.

Once the pasta is cooked drain it off into a colander, keeping some cooking water aside for later, then tip it back in to the pan and add the cheese mixture. Stir well together to combine and heat everything through. If the sauce is too thick, add a little of the cooking water. Then serve, adding the chopped bacon bits and an optional garnish of parsley.