Beautiful Zucchini Carbonara

Beautiful Zucchini (Courgette) Carbonara

Adapted from 'Jamie at Home' by Jamie Oliver

Ingredients

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 medium zucchini
250g penne
2 free range organic egg yolks
50ml double cream
2 good handfuls of freshly grated Parmesan cheese
olive oil
6 slices of pancetta or smoked bacon, sliced
a small bunch of fresh thyme

Method

Put a large pan of salted water on to boil. Halve and slice the zucchini on an angle (so they are roughly the same size as the penne), discarding any fluffy middle bits. Add the penne to the pan and cook according to the packet instructions.
To make the carbonara sauce, put the egg yolks into a bowl, add the cream and half the Parmesan, and mix together with a fork. Season lightly and set aside.
Heat a large frying pan, add a good splash of olive oil and fry the pancetta or bacon for a few minutes. Add the zucchini slices and two big pinches of black pepper to give it a bit of a kick. Sprinkle in the thyme leaves, give everything a stir, so the zucchini become coated in the lovely bacon flavored oil, and fry until the are lightly golden and the bacon is crisp.
When the pasta is cooked, drain it, reserving a little of the cooking water. Immediately, toss the pasta in the pan with the bacon and zucchini, then remove from the heat and add the creamy sauce and some of the pasta water. Stir together quickly, sprinkle with the rest of the Parmesan and serve (do not put back on the heat or the eggs will scramble).