Zucchini Carbonara From Jamie Oliver Jamie At Home Recipes

EASY CARBONARA

Steps:

• Cook the pasta in a pan of boiling salted water according to the packet instructions.
• Slice the bacon and place in a non-stick frying pan on a medium heat with half a tablespoon of olive oil and a really good pinch of black pepper. Leave it to get super-golden and crispy, tossing occasionally, then turn off the heat.
• Meanwhile, beat the eggs in a bowl, then finely grate in the Parmesan and mix well.
• Use tongs to transfer your pasta straight into the pan and toss with the bacon.
• Pour the Parmesan eggs into the pan, and keep everything moving, loosening with splashes of the pasta cooking water until you have a silky sauce. Make sure the pan isn't too hot otherwise the eggs will scramble.
• Plate up the pasta, and finish with an extra grating of Parmesan.

BEAUTIFUL COURGETTE CARBONARA

Steps:

• Put a large pan of salted water on to boil.
• 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.
• Your water will now be boiling, so add the penne to the pan and cook according to the packet instructions.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.)
• 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.
• 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.

ZUCCHINI CARBONARA FROM JAMIE OLIVER (JAMIE AT HOME)

Steps:

• Put a large pan of salted water on to boil.
• Slice the zucchini at an angle into pieces roughly the same size and shape as the penne.
• Put the egg yolks into a bowl, add the cream and half the Parmesan, and mix together with a fork. Season lightly with salt and pepper and set aside.
• Heat a very large frying pan (a 14-inch is a good start), add a good splash of olive oil and fry the pancetta or bacon until dark brown and crisp.
• Your water will now be boiling, so add the penne to the pan with the salted water and cook according to the package instructions.
• Add the zucchini slices and 2 big pinches of black pepper to the skillet with the bacon or pancetta, not just to season but to give it a bit of a kick. Sprinkle in the thyme leaves, give everything a stir, so the zucchini is coated with all the lovely bacon-flavored oil, and fry until they start to turn lightly golden and have softened slightly.
• When the pasta is cooked, drain it, reserving a little of the cooking water. Immediately, toss the pasta in the pan with the zucchini, bacon and lovely flavors, 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.).
• While you're tossing the pasta and sauce, sprinkle in the rest of the Parmesan and a little more of the cooking water if needed, to give you a silky and shiny sauce. Taste quickly for seasoning.

BEAUTIFUL ZUCCHINI

Steps:

• Place a large frying pan on a high heat with 1 tablespoon of oil. Peel and lightly squash the garlic clove and add to the pan, moving it around to perfume the oil. Slice the guanciale into rough 1-centimeter (3/8-inch) chunks and add to the pan to let the fat render out. Trim the zucchini, halve lengthways, then chop into 2-centimeter (3/4-inch) chunks. Stir into the pan, then season with a little sea salt and a good pinch of black pepper. Halve or quarter the tomatoes, deseed, and add to the pan. Pick, roughly chop and add the parsley leaves.
• Reduce the heat to medium and cook for about 15 minutes, or until softened, stirring occasionally. This gives you a really fresh, delicious zucchini dish full of life, just how Nonna Maria made it. Or you can turn the heat down lower and cook it for 40 minutes, so you get a deeper, sweeter, frumpier result, adding a splash of water to loosen, if needed. Both ways are delicious, and celebrate zucchini at their very best. Just before serving, taste and check you've got the seasoning spot on.