By JENNIFER MATHEWS
Ina Garten's Pro Tip For Deliciously Light Carbonara
Carbonara is an immensely rich pasta that includes fatty cured pork, eggs, and cheese. While it’s unusual, thanks to chef Ina Garten, there is such a thing as "light carbonara."
Traditionally made with guanciale, eggs, black pepper, and Parmesan, Garten’s carbonara has a light creamy sauce and uses julienned spring vegetables, which make it even lighter.
The veggies are cooked in boiling water along with the pasta. Garten blanches snow peas, shelled fresh peas, and asparagus and uses the reserved pasta water to make a creamy sauce.
She finishes the dish off with lemon zest, fresh chives, and scallions, which is one of the factors that result in a delicious yet lighter version of the classic Roman dish.
Traditionally, carbonara's sauce is made by emulsifying egg yolks with starchy pasta water without any cream, but Garten's version uses some heavy cream to bind the sauce together.
The use of heavy cream makes the recipe more forgiving. Although Garten uses early springtime veggies to make the dish lighter, any in-season veggies at any time of year will work.