Carbonara is a symbol of Italian cuisine, prepared with a few ingredients like guanciale, pecorino romano, egg yolks, pepper, and of course pasta. For the upcoming Carbonara Day on April 6, which celebrates this simple yet special dish every year, I prepared a South Tyrolean version. I hope the purists don’t mind.
My version includes Speck Alto Adige IGP instead of guanciale and the addition of fresh asparagus, giving it a spring touch. A creamy dish like the original and just as tasty. Try it, you’ll like it!
- Difficulty: Easy
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 4 people
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 12.7 oz spaghetti
- 3.5 oz white asparagus (fresh)
- 2.8 oz Speck Alto Adige IGP
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 6 egg yolks
- 2.3 oz pecorino romano
- to taste pepper
- to taste salt
Steps
To prepare carbonara with speck and asparagus, bring plenty of water to a boil in a large pot. Salt the water and add the spaghetti.
Meanwhile, peel and wash the asparagus, remove the hard and woody end parts, and cut them into slices about 0.4 inches thick. Set aside.
Remove the rind from the speck and cut it into thin strips. Heat a pan with the oil and sauté the speck and asparagus for 4-5 minutes. When well browned, remove from heat and set aside.
In a small bowl, mix the yolks with the pecorino romano and pepper to taste.
Drain the spaghetti al dente, keeping some of the cooking water aside. Place the spaghetti in the pan with the speck and asparagus and mix. Add a little of the cooking water. Then pour in the yolk and pecorino mix and stir again to combine everything well.
Serve your carbonara with speck and asparagus immediately.
