Lilly Higgins: Easy carbonara

Pasta is one of the ultimate convenience foods. Students, busy parents and everyone in between rely on it, as it is cheap and filling. It is not the most nutritious of foods, but it does have its place on the weekly meal planner.

I spent a few months as a nanny to four gorgeous children in New York after I did my Leaving Cert. I never had to cook for them, but whenever I was asked to get the dinner it always involved ringing for takeaway or opening a box of macaroni cheese.

It was no shock to me that American children were eating the most futuristic food I had ever seen. All I had to do was open the box, tip it in the pan and add milk. Then, after a few minutes of furious bubbling, their dinner was ready: little curved macaroni tubes coated in a creamy, salty cheese sauce.

They ate the whole lot and were no worse off for it, as far as I could see. So many kids eat pasta with pesto, butter or cheese for at least one meal a week. Add some grated raw carrot, some shredded leftover roast chicken or some tuna and surely it’s a balanced meal? It all depends on the quality, of course.

There are so many different types of pasta available. I usually get the organic wholemeal, spinach pasta or fresh egg pasta. My own pasta maker sits idle in the spare room, but I can’t get rid of it because I know some day I will have time to make fresh pasta again.

Spelt pasta is fantastic too, as it’s easier for smaller tummies to digest. My own kids won’t eat pasta. I think they sensed how easy it was for me to cook it at an early stage, so now they only eat stuffed cannelloni or fresh tagliatelle with meatballs. Lasagna is another acceptable way to serve pasta in my house.

I love carbonara but have not had it in years, so I whipped this simple version up for dinner one night. It is made with minimal ingredients and relies partly on the starchy cooking water.

Due to the generous amount of cheese, the sauce is silky smooth and completely different to any ready-made version. Instead of relying on cream I have used eggs and the starchy cooking water from the pasta, so make sure to hold some back when draining it.

Spaghetti measures are a useful piece of kitchen kit. Spaghetti is notorious for being difficult to judge by eye, so getting a gadget that measures out portion sizes is handy.

Use freshly grated Parmesan for this – the Parmesan“powder” is no substitute for the real thing and has an artificial cheesy tang. Grana Padano or pecorino are great cheeses for this dish too.

A traditional carbonara would never have peas, but I’m adding them here for a pop of colour and to include some form of vegetable.

Asparagus would be delicious served with it too. Some carbonara recipes only use the yolks of the eggs but I have kept them whole for the added protein.

EASY CARBONARA: SERVES 4-6

Ingredients
450g dried spaghetti
300g smoked rashers, finely diced
250g frozen petits pois
4 eggs
100g finely grated Parmesan, and extra to serve
½tsp Dijon mustard
Black pepper

Method
Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Add the spaghetti.

Fry the rashers in a frying pan over a high heat until crisp. Set aside on a paper towel.

Place the peas in a bowl and cover with boiling water so that they defrost but remain fresh and green.

In a large bowl whisk the eggs, finely grated Parmesan, mustard and pepper. It will have the the consistency of thick batter.

When the pasta is done, drain it quickly but keep about 100ml of the cooking water. Add this reserved water to the egg mix and whisk steadily until it is smooth. Add the cooked spaghetti and combine well to cook the egg. Add the peas and cooked rashers, then taste. Add more Parmesan or black pepper if necessary. Serve right away in warm bowls.