I am a big pasta lover. I put it down to having an Italian name, I am an honorary Italian! In 2015, we visited the Amalfi Coast and it is still my favourite holiday I have ever been on. The food was so fresh and the scenery was spectacular. Sitting outside in the town square having an iced espresso whilst warming our pale Scottish skin in the sun was just heaven. What I would do to go back and relive it all again!

I cook pasta at least twice a week. It is a staple for me, one of those things that you always have in your cupboard in case of a we-don’t-know-what’s-for-dinner night. My favourite pasta to order when out is carbonara – I am a sucker for cream and cheese! Not to mention the salty bacon lardons and fresh parsley.

Over the years, I have tried many a “carbonara” recipe at home and I think I have perfected it this one. Now, I’m not claiming this is a real carbonara because every Italian out there is probably screaming at me, saying I’m now not an honorary Italian after sharing this recipe! But this is my twist, and it is fairly light for a balanced mid-week meal. Super quick and easy, there isn’t really much that can go wrong with this one.

You can do any combo with this, add any veg or flavourings you like (I also like bacon and courgette), but for this recipe, I am doing my Truffle Mushroom combo. We were given some truffle oil from Truffle Hunter for Christmas and it is so versatile and flavourful. I then received black truffle salt for my birthday, which finishes off the dish perfectly! We have the pair of black and white truffle oil and I use them in different ways. The white truffle oil is light and fragrant, good for topping risottos, salads or even truffle parmesan fries. The black truffle oil is a much richer, earthier flavour, making it perfect for recipes like this.

Truffle oil should never be cooked or heated however, it destroys the flavour of the truffle. It is typically a finishing oil. This recipe involves stirring the truffle in after the pan has come off the heat.

Recipe serves 2-3 people (2 hungry people, plus one leftover lunch-sized portion)

Ingredients

• 200g pasta (Tagliatelle or linguine is good for this)
• Knob of butter
• 250g mushrooms, sliced (I like chestnut mushrooms for this)
• 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
• Fresh parsley (I used frozen chopped parsley)
• 3 egg yolks
• 5 tbsp double cream
• 1 tsp truffle oil
• 25g parmesan plus extra for sprinkling on top

Method

1. Cook the pasta in a pan of salted water according to the pack instructions.
2. Add the butter to a large frying pan on a low heat until melted.
3. Add the sliced mushrooms to the butter and fry until softened, approx. 5 minutes.
4. Add the garlic and parsley and cook for a further two minutes.
5. For the sauce, in a jug whisk together the egg yolks, double cream, and a pinch of salt and pepper.
6. Drain the pasta, setting aside a cup of the starchy pasta water for later to make the sauce super silky.
7. In the frying pan with the mushrooms on a VERY low heat, add the pasta and the eggy sauce mix. Add a small dash of starchy water and stir constantly. (By stirring all the time, you are preventing the eggs from scrambling).
8. If the sauce looks a little dry, add a bit more water and keep stirring over the very low heat until the sauce is hugging the pasta, and looks thick and silky.
9. Turn off the heat and add the truffle oil and parmesan. Stir the combine until parmesan has melted.
10. Serve immediately and top with more parmesan, salt and pepper to taste.