OK I know this isn’t traditional carbonara sauce as I have used mushrooms in place of pancetta or bacon and I have also gone off the beaten track by using macaroni instead of spaghetti. The technique is the important thing with this recipe.

Speaking of technique although you could just throw some mushrooms in but as you will see in this recipe I have an easy process which will turn those white mushrooms into something a little special. Let’s get cooking!

Ingredients

Serves 2

• 2 x Large white mushrooms
• 3 x Large chestnut mushrooms
• 1 x Small white onion (or the equivalent in shallots)
• 1 x Large garlic clove
• 150ml x Single cream
• 100g x Parmesan (plus as much more as you like for garnish!)
• 1 x Egg yolk
• 200g x Pasta of your choice
• Olive oil
• Salt & pepper

First off let’s transform the white mushrooms. Slice fairly thinly and place in a dry frying pan on a low to medium heat and sprinkle a pinch of salt over them. We want to dehydrate the mushrooms to intensify the flavour and to give them a wonderful meaty texture.

Keep the mushrooms turning and after about 15-20 minutes they should have considerably reduced in size.

Remove from the pan.

Finely dice the onion and garlic and ass to the pan with a good gulg of olive oil (about 2-3 tablespoons). Fry for a minute or two while you chop your chestnut mushrooms into eights then add them to the onion and garlic.

Fry off until the mushroom is tender then remove from the heat and add your dehydrated mushrooms.

Cook your pasta as per the instructions.

While it’s cooking grate the parmesan and mix the cream and egg yolk together in a bowl.

When the pasta is cooked, remove from the pan and drain and immediately. Put the empty pan back on the heat and add the contents of your frying pan. Allow to warm through as the pasta drains for a minute or two maximum.

Add the pasta back to the pan along with the parmesan and the cream egg yolk mix, add a pinch of salt and pepper and stir thoroughly.

Serve immediately. Feel free to top with more cheese!

That rich cheesy sauce will have two different mushroom textures and flavours. I find having the dehydrated mushrooms adds a bit of chew and makes the dish that little bit more interesting and delicious.

You can of course make this with pancetta or bacon and finish with spaghetti for a traditional version, but why not try it this way? Go on if you’re making it for a veggie you can always fry some bacon on the side to add to your plate, either way I know you’ll love it!

Remember to share in the comments if you try this recipe, I would love to know what you think of my carbonara sauce.

Michael Robinson

Author information

The Food Curator

The Food Curator (AKA Michael Robinson) is an aficionado of all things food and bon viveur based in London. A passion for cooking and dining has driven him to put fingers to keyboard to bring you his thoughts on the world of food. When not writing, eating or cooking he has a love of American muscle cars. Pop on over to my Facebook page and let's start a Facebook food revolution together: http://tinyurl.com/thefoodcurator

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