Giada's Carbonara Pasta (My Way)

Submitted by Chef Mean Green

"I saw this recipe on Foodnetwork (Everyday Italian) and thought it looked so delicious so I ended up trying it right away. To make a long story short, I didn't have the asparagus that it called for (or at least any fresh), and my local grocery store didn't have any at the time. I ended up improvising this a little to fit what I had on hand. I used two heads of broccoli and I thought it was fabulous."

 

• Ready In: 25mins
• Ingredients: 18
• Serves: 4-6

ingredients

• carbonara pasta

• 1 bunch asparagus, ends trimmed, rubber band left on (or any other combinations of vegetables)
• 1 lb linguine
• 1 cup shaved pecorino cheese
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 4 -6 large eggs
• salt & freshly ground black pepper

• Basil Aioli

• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 large egg yolks
• 2 teaspoons mustard
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1⁄3 cup finely chopped fresh basil leaf
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1⁄4 teaspoon cayenne
• 1⁄2 cup vegetable oil
• 3⁄4 cup extra virgin olive oil

directions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the asparagus and cook for 3 minutes. Transfer the asparagus to a bowl of ice water and let sit until cool, about 5 minutes. Remove from the water, remove the rubber band, and cut into 1-inch pieces.
2. Meanwhile, add the pasta to the large pot of salted water used to cook the asparagus and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta into a large bowl. Add the Basil Aioli, cut asparagus, shaved cheese, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine and place on a long, rectangular serving dish.
3. Place the butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the eggs and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Fry the eggs to your liking. Place the eggs on top of the pasta and serve immediately.
4. Combine the garlic, egg yolks, mustard, lemon juice, basil, salt, pepper, and cayenne in a food processor and run the machine to mix. With the machine running slowly drizzle in the vegetable and olive oil. Basil Aioli can be kept, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
5. *RAW EGG WARNING.

Reviews

[Satyne]

Made for My Three Chefs June 2012. This was quite tasty although the combination of the food is a little jarring at first. My Aioli didn't come out looking like what I usually eat and this may have just been me. Both housemates loved it, so this could come down to personal taste. Thank you for sharing.<br/><br/>May I also suggest that the recipe has you do the Aioli first?