Penne Dijon Carbonara

By Lindsey Bareham

Alphabet T The idea of this classic dish is to cook the pasta al dente and then, at the last minute, toss it with beaten egg, tiny specks of garlic and very crisp scraps of bacon
Penne rigate pastaPenne rigate pasta

Some people add cream to the eggs but one of my sons came up with the idea of adding creamy Dijon mustard instead and now I always make it this way. To accompany this dish, I suggest a salad of floppy green leaves – just what you need to mop up any egg left at the bottom of the bowl and ensure you enjoy every drop.

Ingredients

Serves 2

  • 200g/8oz dried penne pasta
  • 6 rashers rindless smoked streaky bacon
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 2 large fresh eggs
  • 1 tbsp of cream or smooth Dijon mustard
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • Grated Parmesan to serve

Method

  • Put the kettle on to boil. Slice across the rashers of bacon to make batons.
  • Meanwhile, peel and finely chop the garlic and beat the eggs with the mustard until smooth. Cook the pasta in plenty of boiling water from the kettle until al dente. Some 5 minutes before the pasta is ready, cook the bacon in hot oil in a frying pan until crisp. Add the garlic and stir briefly until aromatic without letting it colour. Remove from the heat.
  • Drain the pasta and return to the pan with 1 tbsp cooking water. Add the eggs and hot contents of the frying pan. Stir to coat the pasta evenly so the heat cooks the egg slightly.
  • Serve immediately with the grated Parmesan.

This article was first published in the April 2008 edition of Saga Magazine.

Lindsey Bareham's website is: www.lindseybareham.com

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