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Carbonara alla vignarola

Carbonara alla vignarola

Total Time1 hour
Course: Primo
Cuisine: Lazio

Ingredients

  • 400 g 14 oz rigatoni or other pasta
  • salt

For the vignarola:

  • 100 g 3-1/2 oz guanciale, cut into dice
  • 2 spring onions trimmed and thinly sliced
  • 1 large or 2 small artichokes trimmed and cut into wedges (about 150g/5 oz after trimming)
  • 150 g 5 oz shelled green peas
  • 150 g 5 oz shelled and peeled fava beans
  • A sprig or two of fresh mint
  • olive oil or lard

For the carbonara finish:

  • 5 egg yolks
  • 4 Tbs freshly grated pecorino romano cheese or to taste
  • Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Prep the vegetables

  • Trim and cut the artichoke into very thin wedges, following the instructions in this post. Immerse the wedges in acidulated water until needed.
  • If using fresh fava beans in their pods, remove them from their pods and peel off their skins (see Notes for details). If using fresh peas, remove them from their pods as well.

Prepare the vignarola

  • In a large pan, sauté the guanciale very gently in a drizzle of olive oil (or a small dab of lard) until it has lightly browned and rendered most of its fat.
  • Add the spring onions and sauté for a minute or two, until soft and translucent.
  • Add the artichoke wedges to the pan, mix them with the onion and sauté gently for a minute. Then add a small ladleful of water and let them simmer for 5 minutes or so, until semi-tender.
  • Now add the fava beans and (if using fresh) the peas, season with salt and pepper, mix, and sauté for another minute.
  • Add ladleful or two of water, enough to almost cover the vegetables. Cover and simmer gently for another 5 minutes.
  • Now uncover the pot and add the mint and (if using frozen) the peas, mix, and simmer uncovered until the vegetables are perfectly tender but not mushy. There should still be a fair amount of liquid in the pan.

Cook the pasta

  • Meanwhile, boil the pasta in well salted water until al dente.

Finish the dish

  • Transfer the cooked pasta to the pan with the vignarola. Mix and let them simmer together for a minute or two tossing from time to time so the pasta and vegetables are well mixed.
  • Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks, grated pecorino and black pepper together until you have a smooth paste.
  • Remove the pasta and vignarola from the heat. Wait a few moments for the pot to cool down a bit, then add the egg mixture to the pan and toss together until the egg yolk thickens just enough to form a creamy coating.
  • Serve immediately. Have some additional grated pecorino on the side for those who want it.