Courgette Carbonara

Last night a bit naughty and had dinner that included  cream. I don't do well with dairy as a rule (tummy ache in large quantities) and defenitely not a huge fan of lots of cream. However in the afternoon I watched "Jamie at home" and he made a mean Courgette Carbonara that I just thought we had to have.... I showed it to J and of course he screamed yyyyeessss. Off he went and came back with lovely pancetta and other fresh ingredients. he then whipped up a fabulous Carbonara!!! Not a health kick, but oh so naughty and good! Yuuuuummmmmm!!!!

 sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2-3 medium green and yellow courgettes
• 200g penne
• 2 large free-range or organic egg yolks
• 50ml double cream
• 2 good handfuls of freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• olive oil
• 6 thick slices of pancetta
• a small bunch of fresh thyme, leaves picked and chopped, flowers reserved (if you can get hold of flowering thyme)
• optional: a few courgette flowers

Put a large pan of salted water on to boil. Halve and then quarter any larger courgettes lengthways. Cut out and discard any fluffy middle bits, and slice the courgettes at an angle into pieces roughly the same size and shape as the penne. Smaller courgettes can simply be sliced finely. Your water will now be boiling, so add the penne to the pan and cook according to the packet instructions.

To make your creamy carbonara sauce, put the egg yolks into a bowl, add the cream and half the Parmesan, and mix together with a fork. Season lightly and put to one side.

Heat a very large frying pan add a good splash of olive oil and fry the pancetta until dark brown and crisp. Add the courgette slices and 2 big pinches of black pepper, not just to season but to give it a bit of a kick. Sprinkle in the thyme leaves, give everything a stir, so the courgettes become coated with all the lovely bacon-flavoured oil, and fry until they start to turn lightly golden and have softened slightly.

It’s very important to get this next bit right or your carbonara could end up ruined. You need to work quickly. When the pasta is cooked, drain it, reserving a little of the cooking water. Immediately, toss the pasta in the pan with the courgettes, bacon and lovely flavours, 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.)

Get everyone around the table, ready to eat straight away. 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. If you’ve managed to get any courgette flowers, tear them over the top, then serve and eat immediately, as the sauce can become thick and stodgy if left too long.