Zucchini Carbonara

There's nothing like enjoying a variety of international applications to your garden bounty! Anyone for Italian tonight? This one was a winner with my 15 month old, and my mother who was out for a visit. I found a recipe on the internet, and altered it according to our taste. The mushrooms are my addition, and I omitted the capers. This dish was pretty rich due to the cream and yolks, and the salty prosciutto - the capers would have been overkill in my opinion.

Zucchini Carbonara Recipe
Ingredients
• Spaghetti: 1 lb
• prosciuto or pancetta 6 – 8 slices roughly chopped (bacon can be substituted in a pinch)
• egg yolks: 2
• Parmigiano-Reggiano or other hard Italian cheese, grated: 1 cup
• Olive oil, extra-virgin: 3-4 tablespoons
• Pepper, freshly ground: 1/2 tablespoon
• Salt
• 1-2 medium zucchini
• 1 small onion
• Chopped basil
• ½ cup sliced mushrooms
• 2 tbsp fresh garlic
• 1/3 cup of heavy cream
Begin by boiling a large pot of water to cook your spaghetti in. Add a pinch of salt and drop your pasta. It generally takes about 10 – 12 minutes. Meanwhile, cook the vegetables in olive oil (garlic, zucchini, onion, mushrooms, but not the basil). Throw in your chopped prosciuto or pancetta. Add salt and pepper to taste. Turn that down on low, and start making your sauce base as follows: In a large bowl, possibly even in the one you’ll be using to serve your pasta, beat the egg yolks and cream. Add grated cheese. When the pasta is ready (al dente), use tongs to transfer it into your serving bowl. Toss it around in the cream and egg mixture. Add pasta water to make a thinner sauce. Throw in your veggies, mix well, then add the fresh basil. Sprinkle some extra cheese on top, and drop a fresh cluster of basil leaves right in the middle (it’ll make it purdy!)

*note concerning the egg yolks: We use farm fresh eggs, so the yolks are a bit richer. You may use 3 instead of two store bought egg yolks.