I do not claim that my Spaghetti Carbonara is "authentic". I add cream, mushrooms and peas without apology. But I do claim that my Carbonara is full of flavour, contributes to your '5 a day' and can be ready in under 15 minutes. A perfect speedy weeknight dinner if ever there was one.
Meanwhile put 200g Spaghetti into a medium size saucepan with 100g Frozen Peas and a good few spoons of cheap Fine Salt.
Pour the now boiling water over the pasta and peas and put on a high heat until boiling. Turn down the heat a little so it is a gentle rolling boil. Stir the pasta every now and again whilst cracking on with the rest of the dish.
Finely chop 80g Shallot and add to a frying pan with 250g Smoked Bacon Lardons and 1 tbsp Olive Oil. Fry on a medium heat stirring regularly.
Whilst the bacon is frying, slice 250g Closed Cup Mushrooms into thin slices and add them to the bacon pan. Continue frying and stirring regularly until the mushrooms and bacon are cooked through and a little browned.
Take the bacon and mushrooms off the heat or turn it right down if they are browned and ready before the pasta is cooked and the eggs whisked.
While the mushrooms cook and the pasta continues to boil, Separate the yolks from 2 Eggs and set the whites aside for another use. Crack the remaining 2 Eggs into a bowl along with the yolks.
Add 8 tbsp Double Cream to the eggs along with 50g Grated Mozzerella or Cheddar, 1 tsp Sea Salt Flakes. Whisk until well combined.
When the pasta is cooked to your preference, remove a couple of tablespoons of the cooking water and add this to the bacon and mushroom pan.
Strain the pasta and peas. Add to the frying pan along with the egg, cream and cheese mixture.
Make sure the frying pan is on a very low heat or if there is a lot of retained heat, take it off the heat entirely periodically whilst stirring everything together. You do not want the eggs to cook through too fast and scramble.
The dish is ready when the sauce is hot and slightly thickened with the cheese fully melted - only a minute or two at the most.
Split the cooked pasta between two dishes and grate roughly 20g Parmesan over the dishes and snip 2 tsp Fresh Chives over the top.