CARBONARA WITH CURED HAM & ASPARAGUS

You can’t beat a carbonara – but most people make it incorrectly, with the addition of cream, or Parmesan in place of Pecorino, or not enough pepper. This one’s wrong too – it has asparagus in it – but it’s a delicious alternative! Look out for guanciale, a strongly flavoured cured pork made from pig’s cheek, which is similar to pancetta. As with most pasta dishes, everything comes together at the last minute, so be prepared.

Serves 4 as a starter, 2 as a main

Put the pasta on to cook in a large pan of well- salted boiling water (or follow the packet instructions). Set a large heatproof bowl atop the pasta pot to warm. Fry the guanciale or pancetta in the oil in a wide pan over a high heat until it has blistered and browned on the outside – I like it to be soft on the inside. Take this pan off the heat, but keep it warm.

When the pasta is about 1 minute from being cooked, remove the bowl from the pan and add the sliced asparagus spears to the pasta. In the warm bowl beat together the eggs, 100g (3½oz) of the Pecorino Romano and the pepper. When the pasta is cooked and slightly firm ( al dente), drain and add it to the pan of guanciale, tossing to combine. Transfer this mixture to the cheesy egg mixture in the bowl, then stir vigorously until the sauce is thick and luscious. Serve immediately, with the remaining grated Pecorino on top. 250g (9oz) spaghetti, fresh or dried 125g (4½oz) guanciale (from Italian delis) or pancetta, cut into 1cm (½in) lardons 1tbsp extra-virgin olive oil 1 bunch asparagus, stalks removed, spears cut into 5-10mm (¼-½in) diagonal slices 3 large eggs 125g (4½oz) Pecorino Romano cheese, grated 1 rounded dessert spoon of freshly ground black pepper