This recipe got a few thumbs up at home and from the Instagram crowd last week. I promised I would post. See my fresh pasta recipe for the pasta side. This next bit is easy. You need to keep chicken stock. I roast a chick a week usually and use the stock for everything. Boil a huge pan of water. Pasta needs cooking in a pan twice the size of the pasta amount. It needs space... don’t we all! To feed 2 or 4 people
You need:
1 pack or 1/2 pack smoked streaky bacon or pancetta
100-200g peas
A block of really good Parmesan
Chicken stock
olive oil
salt and pepper
I put my handful or two of frozen peas in at the same time as ten pasta.
When you drain the pasta after 1-2 minutes if fresh. Keep some of the pasta water back in the pan. Add the chicken stock.
Fry the smoked back or streaky bacon / pancetta, snipped up separately. Add to the sauce. You can also fry garlic and mushrooms with the bacon.
Add bacon to the sauce. Put the pasta back into the pan. Add a glug of olive oil. Stir it with the stock, pasta water and bacon. Grate in Parmesan and gently coat. You can add an egg yolk at this point to make it more like a creamy carbonara. Tear some fresh basil for the top. Spoon on to plate. Make sure you spoon out all the good bits from the bottom of the pan.