You might recognize this verdant dish from the cover of the international edition's Spring issue. This vibrant, delicate pasta fuses two Roman classics: carbonara and vignarola, a spring vegetable side dish. It combines a selection of a spring bounty to yield a satisfying, seasonal, vegetarian pasta.
Photo: Riccardo Lettieri, Styling: Beatrice Prada
Linguine alla “Carbonara Vignarola”
Recipe: Sara Tieni
Skill Level: Easy
Time: 50 minutes
Ingredients for 4
3⁄4 lb. linguine
2 cups fresh peas, shelled
2 cups fresh fava beans, shelled
8 zucchini with blossoms
4 large eggs
6 Tbsp. Pecorino, grated
parsley
1 bunch chives
extra-virgin olive oil
pepper
salt
Blanch the peas. To blanch the peas, bring water to a boil and add salt. Fill a large bowl with ice water. Add peas to boiling water for 1-2 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and plunge into ice water for 30 seconds, then drain in a colander. Blanching halts the cooking process and retains color.
Bring water to a boil in a 2 qt. saucepan. Add the fava beans and boil for 5-8 minutes. Drain and remove the skins. Season with olive oil and let cool.
Remove the zucchini blossoms from the zucchini and set aside. Cut into 1⁄8" rounds. Lightly coat a sauté pan with olive oil and sauté for 5-7 minutes over medium-high heat. Add 2 Tbsp. water
if necessary.
Roughly chop the zucchini blossoms. Lightly coat a sauté pan with olive oil. Add blossoms and sear over high heat for 30-40 seconds. Snip chives into 1⁄8" pieces with kitchen shears then finely chop a parsley sprig.
Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites. Beat the egg yolks with 2 Tbsp. Pecorino and 2 Tbsp. warm water. Season with ground black pepper.
Bring water to a boil in a 6 qt. pot, season with salt, and add the linguine. Cook until al dente. Set aside 2-3 ladles of cooking water.
Drain pasta, return to the pot, and season with olive oil. Add the egg yolk mixture in small increments then add another 2-3 Tbsp. Pecorino. Emulsify with 2-3 Tbsp. hot water. Finish with zucchini, legumes, and herbs. Garnish with grated Pecorino to taste. Serve.