Spaghetti “Carbonara” with Duck Prosciutto, Fava Beans & Ramps

Life is full of priorities so this will be a quick post. Why? You see that egg yolk… well it’s one of those priorities i’m talking about. That egg yolk needs the heat from the pasta to evenly coat it, along with the parmesan, in order to create a luxurious finish and mouth feel. So by the time it touches the bottom of the bowl i have to be done writing so i can fully focus my attention on the swirls of my fork.

That doesn’t leave us much time for socializing, does it?

This variation on spaghetti alla carbonara gets a little help from our ducky friends. If you plan on making your own duck prosciutto i recommend following the recipe in Charcuterie by Michael Ruhlman. It’s very good and a solid introduction to curing your own meats. You can also order duck prosciutto from d’Artagnan if you’re in a pinch but that’s half the fun.

Gahhh!!.. I need to write faaaster.

You can render the fat of the duck prosciutto and cook the ramps in it to start. Or put that tub of duck fat you hide in the back of your refrigerator to good use. Fava beans make a fine accompaniments to this pasta too. Toss it all around happily if you’re in a good mood or angrily if you’re pissed…

err.. i.. i gotta go!

  • Spaghetti “Carbonara” with Duck Prosciutto, Fava Beans & Ramps

  • serves 4
    • For the carbonara:
    • 1 duck prosciutto (cured duck breast), thinly sliced
    • rendered duck fat (or about 3 tablespoons duck fat)
    • 16 ramps, cleaned
    • 1 cup fava beans, cleaned and blanched
    • 1 pound dry spaghetti
    • 1 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated
    • 4 eggs, separated
    • salt and black pepper, freshly ground
    • For the carbonara:
    • Bring 6 quarts of water to a boil and add 2 tablespoons salt. Cook the spaghetti, until al dente. Drain the spaghetti, reserving some of the pasta cooking water.
    • In a large sauté pan, render  the duck fat. Add the ramps and saute until wilted, about 2-3 minutes. Add the slices of duck prosciutto and the fava beans and cook a little longer.
    • Toss in the cooked spaghetti and heat, shaking the pan, until warmed through, add 1/2 cup to 1 cup cooking water and cook about 1 minute. Add the grated cheese, egg whites, salt and black pepper and toss until fully incorporated.
    • Divide the pasta with ramps and fava beans among 4  serving bowls. Make a nest in the center for the egg yolk and drop an egg yolk into each serving, season with more freshly ground black pepper and grate additional cheese over the top. Serve immediately.
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  • http://feedetgastro.wordpress.com Becci

    This kind of food porn on a Sunday is blasphemous

  • http://www.lescasserolesdenawal.fr Les Casseroles de Nawal

    Mon Dieu tes Photos sont Terriblement Alléchantes cette fois encore !
    Quant à “l’indécence” de cet oeuf coulant, un ravissement pour les Pupilles à défaut des Papilles !

  • http://myboyfriendcooksforme.blogspot.com my boyfriend cooks for me

    mmm…egg yolk oozing into pasta…excuse me, need to clean the drool off my computer…

  • http://cookingyourdream.com Sarka

    Wow! This is fantastic! Your cooking and photography skills are phenomenal. I’m drooling all over my keyboard. I so much LOVE spaghetti carbonara and the addition of ramps and fava beans sounds wonderful.

  • http://ciaochowlinda.blogspot.com Ciaochowlinda

    Wow, what a sensation. Love that egg dripping down over the pasta.

  • http://kitchen-em.blogspot.com/ Kitchen M

    At first, I was like… “why is he posting the same photo twice..?” then I realized that it wasn’t! I see it, I see it. The yolk is running down! LOL. Looks amazing as always.

  • http://www.lululuathome.com lululu

    I was expecting to a prolonged recipe for this dish. But the fact is it’s incredibly easy to make!
    Awesome dish! Awesome image!

  • http://cilantropist.blogspot.com The Cilantropist

    Love this post, and love this dish. I am a big fan of carbonara, and my boyfriend was just telling me that in Europe they often serve a steaming plate of pasta like this with the egg on the side, very similar to your dish. Great photos!

  • http://cafecampana.com Mark @ Cafe Campana

    This looks great, I love how the egg yolk is precariously balanced on top of the pasta.

  • http://www.tallcloverfarm.com tom | tall clover farm

    If I hadn’t seen the broken yolk in photo 2, I wouldn’t have believed photo 1 showed a real egg yolk perched on the peak of the pasta mountain.

    This looks great, though I admit I’ll go low-brow with bacon and peas. Sometimes it’s all about what’s in the fridge and garden at time of reading.

  • http://www.clumbsycookie.blogspot.com clumbsycookie

    The yolk felt like a clock ticking all the time! I wanted you here longer man! Next time put no yolk and stay longer with us. But I do have to say that yolk looked great, crowing that dish!

  • http://bunkycooks.com bunkycooks

    Oh, my! This looks unbelievable. Stop reading these comments and hurry up and get the yolk before it all drips into your bowl of pasta!

  • http://eleanorhoh.blogspot.com Eleanor Hoh (WokStar)

    I love “ducky friends”. I have yet to attempt cooking duck from scratch. What’s the secret?

  • http://thespinningplate.com Angela

    I always make my carbonara with prosciutto! Glad I’m not alone. For me it’s more about the egg yolk and the salty cure on the meat than the bacon fat. We seem to share this priority. But I’ve never made it with duck prosciutto, which I’ve never even tried…

    This looks spectacular. As always.

  • http://www.thetasteoforegon.com Charles

    Another gorgeous hit! Now on my to-so list.Thanks for the Ruhlman Charcuterie tip, I may make my own ducky prosciutto.

  • http://www.hungryhammeredhome.com/2010/05/we-ate-their-little-heads.html Stacey

    Dude. You nailed it.

  • http://www.ouichefnetwork.com Oui, Chef

    Zen – I’ve never seen such a beautiful and “formal” presentation of carbonara…one of my all-time favorites. I’d never thought to perch a raw yolk after plating….genius! This is a dish that I will absolutely make. Thanks – S

  • http://www.theardentepicure.com/ Magic of Spice

    Beautiful photos. Sounds very interesting, and looks wonderful!

  • http://www.youtube.com/linnlar Linn @ Swedish home cooking

    What a great picture and what an amazing recipe it sounds like! I will have to try that sometime.

  • http://www.notquitenigella.com Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella

    Oh you are so tempting me to make my own duck proscuitto! 😮

  • http://manggy.blogspot.com Manggy

    No comment on Ruhlman, but this pasta does remind me of the carbonara Mario Batali (comic book guy) has in his new book. I drool on it every time I see it. I probably have to buy that book on the shelf with the drool in it.

  • http://culinary-studio.com Eddie@CulinaryStudio

    I love carbonara, especially with ramps. I’ll have to cure my own duck prosciutto and give this a try. Beautiful photos!

  • http://sayangkuazura.blogspot.com/ Azura

    its a beautiful dish andwhen I shut my eyes the rich melting golden yolk just melt behinds my tongue.I love u as a friend but I hate you as a chef, it’s jealousy really! xxxxxx

  • http://tastycolours.blogspot.com/ Magdalena

    Hello! Your beautiful and tasty – looking dish is a great variation of traditional carbonara. Very interesting recipe – congratulations !

  • http://www.sensiblecooking.org sensiblecooking

    That certainly is priority, to indulge in luxurious carbonara. My mouth is watering just looking at that pic.

  • http://schmanna.com/blog Schmanna

    O my sweet lord that egg yolk.. i’m sold!! i’ll have to make this now. great photos btw.

  • http://www.learnfoodphotography.com Neel | Learn Food Photography

    This is just amazing plating…

  • http://cookingwithkait.blogspot.com Cooking with Kait

    I’m drooling over this dish. The egg yolk making it way down the strands of spaghetti is mouth watering. I can’t wait to make it.

  • http://www.kitchenbutterfly.com Kitchen Butterfly

    Stunning step-by-step make me hungry photos. Love carbonara………especially tarted up like this

  • http://joylicious.net Joy

    perfection is the only word to describe this wondrous dish.

    get in my belly, now!

  • http://www.foodhuntersguide.com The Food Hunter

    great blog you have here!

  • http://www.roadbikemag.com/forum/member.php?u=12219 Yamaha Lover

    My whole problem is my lips move when I think.

    Sent from my iPad 4G