My sweet Sardinian Airbnb host Lucia concocted the most delicious vegetarian carbonara for me on my second night in Cagliari – as sacrilegious as this may be to Italians to forego pancetta, or to even call to carbonara without meat.
She also shared a few secrets and tips, which I hesitated to divulge, but why refrain from sharing a good thing?
You can also follow a simple carbonara template like this and make it your own with zucchini [or vegetable of choice] in place of pancetta.
makes 4-6 servings
ingredients
*rough estimates
1-2 medium zucchini, shredded or chopped into small chunks [about 1/2-1 cup]
1 garlic clove, smashed
2-4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 servings of linguini pasta [sub farro linguini for a whole wheat version, or gluten-free]
2 large organic eggs
1/4-1/2 cup parmesan [sub a clean vegan version]
1 Tbsp warm water
1/2-1 tsp salt [plus more for pasta water]
1/4 tsp nutmeg
instructions
Bring water to just below a simmer in a large saucepan.
Shred or thinly chop zucchini into small chunks – as one would do if using bacon/pancetta.
Heat a medium-large pan on low/medium heat and add olive oil.
Smash garlic clove and add to pan for several minutes until fragrant.
Add zucchini to the pan with the garlic and stir occasionally to cook through.
Crack eggs into a large glass bowl – which will be the serving bowl – and whisk a bit, then whisk in parmesan, 1/2-1 tsp salt, and nutmeg until well combined.
Add 1Tbsp warm water from the pasta pot to egg mixture and whisk, making sure not to scramble the eggs.
Bring the water to a boil, add 1-3 Tbsp salt, and add pasta until cooked.
Place the glass bowl with the eggs on top of the pot for 30-60 seconds once pasta is almost done – like a double boiler – and whisking gently to lightly warm the egg/parmesan mixture.
Strain the pasta and place back in the pot reserving a small amount of the water so it doesn’t stick, then stir in zucchini mixture – keeping or removing the garlic clove as you prefer.
Pour the pasta/zucchini mixture into the bowl containing the egg/parmesan mixture and use tongs to coat the pasta/zucchini – folding it together from the bottom of the bowl – until it creates a creamy sauce.
Top with a bit of salt and pepper to taste; serve warm with Sardinian Cannonau red wine.
sardinian secrets:
- Add a pinch of nutmeg to the egg mixture for ultimate flavor.
- Add a bit of warm water to the egg mixture to thicken.
- Add zucchini [what would be the pancetta] mixture to pasta, then pour that into the bowl with the egg/cheese mixture and use tongs to coat.
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