Spaghetti Carbonara with Mushrooms and asparagus.

Before Charlie left this morning, he told me he was working late and then going out for dinner so I ate alone... well if you don't count Java.  I don't mind sharing. She has good table manner - most of the time.  Biggs isn't interested. He never is.

I had Spaghetti Carbonara with mushrooms, asparagus and some sourdough French bread.

ROASTED ASPARAGUS MUSHROOM CARBONARA

Tip Hero  Posted on Facebook by Carol Spodobalski

Serves 6 to 8  Prep Time: 10 minutes  Total Time: 50 minutes

INGREDIENTS

• 1-½ pounds asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces

• 8 ounces mushrooms, quartered

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• Salt and pepper, to taste

• 1 pound dry spaghetti

• 4 large eggs

• 8 ounces bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 cup Parmesan, grated

• Freshly cracked black pepper

• Sea salt, to taste

DIRECTIONS

1 Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit (220 degrees Celsius).

2 Place the asparagus and mushrooms on a sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and toss gently to evenly coat.

3 Roast the vegetables in the preheated oven for 20 to 30 minutes, until the vegetables start to caramelize, stirring halfway.

4 While the vegetables are roasting, bring 6 quarts of generously salted water to a boil. Add the pasta, stir, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until al dente. Reserve ½ cup of the cooking liquid before draining the pasta.

5 While the pasta is cooking, add the bacon to a large sauté pan and cook over medium heat. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until golden and crispy, and most of the fat has rendered off. Turn off the heat and drain all but 1 tablespoon of the rendered fat.

6 In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, Parmesan and a generous amount of the fresh cracked pepper until well-combined.

7 Return the sauté pan to medium heat. Add the garlic, and sauté for 30 seconds, until fragrant.

8 Add ¼ cup of the reserved cooking liquid to the sauté pan. Toss in the spaghetti and heat for a few minutes until the bubbling has subsided and much of the water has evaporated.

9 Remove the pan from the heat and add the egg mixture to the pasta while quickly stirring. Continue stirring until the egg mixture has thickened, adding additional cooking liquid if the sauce is too thick.

10 Season with black pepper and sea salt to taste. Gently toss the spaghetti with the roasted asparagus and mushrooms, and serve immediately. Garnish with additional Parmesan cheese, if desired.

NOTE

• Stirring while mixing the eggs and pasta is very important! If the pasta and eggs are not mixed quickly enough, the eggs will scramble and the sauce won’t be creamy.

Recipe adapted from Closet Cooking