Zucchini Carbonara from Jamie Oliver (Jamie at Home)

I saw Jamie make this on his show and it looked so good and I happened to have green and yellow squash ready to be used. It took me a little longer to make since I had not made it before but none of the steps are difficult at all. Just a matter of getting myself organized. It turned out delicious and very filling. I will be making this one again. I think next time I will cut back on the oil and drain the bacon a little better. It was yummy rich but I think it would still be great cutting back on some of the oil and fat. I did not have penne so I used bow tie pasta that I had in the pantry.

• Ready In: 40 mins
• Serves: 6
• Yields: 6 plates of pasta

Ingredients

• 1  teaspoon salt
• 2  teaspoons ground pepper
• 6  medium zucchini
• 1  lb penne
• 4  large  egg yolks
• 1⁄2 cup heavy cream
• 1  cup parmesan cheese
• 2  tablespoons olive oil
• 12  slices pancetta or 12  slices lean bacon, thick slices cut into chunky pieces
• 2  teaspoons fresh thyme, leaves picked and chopped

Directions

1. Put a large pan of salted water on to boil.
2. Slice the zucchini at an angle into pieces roughly the same size and shape as the penne.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. Your water will now be boiling, so add the penne to the pan with the salted water and cook according to the package instructions.
6. 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.
7. 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.).
8. 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.