Tortiglioni Carbonara with Mushrooms

Vegetables

1. Fry the carrots with the shallots. Peel the carrots and shallots and cut them into thin strips. Of all the vegetables in the dish, the carrot is the hardest and needs the longest frying. Heat olive oil in a wide frying pan over high heat and fry the carrots until soft – this usually takes 2-3 mins. Then add the shallots, cut into strips or dice, and fry until they begin to caramelize slightly.

   
   

2. Add the zucchini and mushrooms and cook until the liquid evaporates. Wash the zucchini, pat dry and cut into thin strips, roughly the length of the tortiglioni you’re using. Add the zucchini to the pan and fry everything together for 2-3 mins. Meanwhile, wash the mushrooms, slice them thinly and add to the vegetables. Mushrooms release their moisture quickly as they cook. Lower the heat to medium and, stirring, cook the vegetables uncovered until the remaining liquid has evaporated.

   

3. Fry the vegetables until lightly browned. Once the liquid has evaporated, the vegetables and mushrooms will start to fry. Keep stirring and frying the vegetable mixture until it begins to brown lightly. Season with a pinch of salt and turn off the heat, leaving the vegetables in the pan.

   

Pasta and sauce

4. Cook the pasta. While the vegetables are frying, bring 3.5 l of water with 25 g of salt (7 g per 1 l of water) to a boil over high heat in a large pot, add the tortiglioni and cook, stirring. Tortiglioni usually take 11-12 mins. Cook for the time on the package and the pasta will be al dente; if you like it softer, cook 1-2 mins longer. Before draining the pasta in a colander, don’t forget to save half a cup of the cooking water (100 ml).

5. Make the egg yolk sauce. Since the vegetables are juicy, you don’t need much of it. Separate the eggs – keep the whites for other dishes and put the yolks in a cup. Season the yolks with a pinch of fine salt and plenty of freshly ground pepper – from a pepper mill rather than a packet. Whisk the yolks, then add finely grated cheese and whisk again.

6. Combine the pasta with the vegetables and sauce. Transfer the drained tortiglioni to the pan with the vegetables (the heat under it is off, otherwise the yolks will curdle) and add the egg sauce.

   

   Toss the pasta and fried vegetables with the sauce right away. If the mixture turns out too thick, add the pasta water a little at a time – the sauce should turn smooth and coat the pasta. If you like, add more cheese – it will be even tastier.

Serving

7. Divide the pasta with vegetables and carbonara sauce among plates and be sure to top with ground black pepper – it should stand out against the dish and, it’s really true, it looks like coal dust. Serve right away, while the pasta is hot.

   

   You can use other vegetables in this dish if you like. Parsnip and celery root cut into thin strips work great. Although it’s rare in the original versions of the dish (as are mushrooms), you can use broccoli, green beans and peas. The harder and more aged the cheese, the better. Besides Pecorino and Parmesan, Grana Padano and similar varieties, or cheese blends, will do.