‘This is a light vegetarian play on the classic spaghetti carbonara. Instead of a liaison between egg yolks and Parmesan, I’ve used creamy cashew nuts, and to replace the saltiness of bacon I’ve made some salty crispy parsley. And then there are umami flavours coming from the mushrooms. So while it’s not a carbonara as such, it is certainly inspired by it,' says chef Tristan Welch
Tristan began his career working for Gary Rhodes, Gordon Ramsay and Michel Roux Jr, before spending three years working in the Caribbean. As Chef Director at Parker’s Tavern at The University Arms Hotel in Cambridge, Tristan sources as much seasonal, local produce as possible, and reimagines some great British classics.
See more of Tristan Welch’s recipes
Tristan Welch
Tristan began his career working for Gary Rhodes, Gordon Ramsay and Michel Roux Jr, before spending three years working in the Caribbean. As Chef Director at Parker’s Tavern at The University Arms Hotel in Cambridge, Tristan sources as much seasonal, local produce as possible, and reimagines some great British classics.
See more of Tristan Welch’s recipes
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Ingredients
150g cashews
1 tsp smoked salt (we used Maldon)
½ vegetable stock cube
small handful parsley sprig
90g spaghetti
200g celeriac
1 x 200g pack speciality mushroom mix, large ones halved
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tbsp olive oil, plus extra to brush
20g Parmesan shaving - use vegetarian cheese if required
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Get ahead
Make the cashew sauce and the crispy parsley a few hours ahead. Peel the celeriac and store in a bowl of water with a splash of lemon juice to stop it from browning. Pat dry and grate when ready to cook. Prep and measure all the remaining ingredients and get your pans ready.
Ideally begin the day before; this isn’t essential but will give a smoother sauce. Soak the cashews in a bowl of cold water overnight, or for at least 1 hour.
Put the drained cashews, 225ml water, the smoked salt and stock cube in a blender and blend until as smooth as possible. Measure out half the sauce and chill or freeze in an airtight container for another meal (it’s not practical to make a half-quantity as a smaller amount doesn’t blend easily).
For the crispy parsley, tightly clingfilm the surface of a microwave-safe plate, place the parsley sprigs on top and lightly brush with oil. Season lightly with salt and microwave until crispy; about 3-4 minutes. Set aside.
Peel and coarsely grate (or spiralise) the celeriac. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil.
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a frying pan and sauté the celeriac for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and golden. Transfer to a plate. Cook the spaghetti in the salted boiling water, until al dente.
Add a further ½ tablespoon of oil to the frying pan and gently cook the shallot and garlic for 3-4 minutes until softened. Increase the heat, add the mushrooms with seasoning and fry until they start to colour.
Reserve some pasta water then drain the spaghetti in a colander. Add the remaining cashew sauce and the celeriac to the pan you used for the pasta and bring up to a simmer, stirring. Return the spaghetti and toss in the sauce, adding just enough of the pasta water to give a coating consistency.
To serve, divide between two bowls, spoon over the mushrooms, scatter with the Parmesan and garnish with the crispy parsley.
Tristan's Valentine's Day menu
Walnut-crusted goat's cheese toasts with roasted figs Crab-stuffed plaice with cucumber cream sauce Passion fruit soufflé
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We've added fresh mint, peas and broccoli to give this Italian classic a summery twist. There's no weeknight dinner more comforting than creamy, cheesy carbonara. We've added fresh mint, peas and broccoli to give this Italian classic a summery twist.
Carbonara is made with guanciale (cured pork), eggs, Pecorino Romano cheese, spaghetti pasta, and lots of black pepper. Italians don't add extra ingredients like cream, milk, garlic, or onions. Try this recipe if you want to make an authentic, creamy carbonara that comes straight from Italy, where I live.
What not to put in Spaghetti Carbonara? Don't put garlic, cream, milk or butter. It is not needed. It is fine if you want to make a dish with those ingredients, but if you want to learn how to make this dish correctly, use only pecorino, eggs/egg yolks, black pepper, guanciale, and pasta water.
Egg yolks and whole eggs – The egg combined with the guanciale fat is what makes the stunning creamy carbonara sauce that the world is obsessed with. There's no need for cream for a creamy sauce! See section above for why. We use a combination of whole eggs, plus egg yolks for richness.
The golden rule to silky carbonara is to whisk your egg whites so that they're completely incorporated with the egg yolks. This will create a smooth, velvety sauce. As like any pasta dish, including carbonara, cook the pasta perfectly al dente so that it's soft but still firm, with some bite.
Pecorino Romano: This aged sheep's cheese is always traditionally used in the Roman pastas, and its salty, grassy, earthy flavor is absolutely delicious in carbonara. That said, if Pecorino is unavailable at your local grocery store, you can use Parmesan as a non-traditional substitute.
Just guanciale, black pepper, eggs, and Pecorino. A mixture of Pecorino and Parmigiano Reggiano, and a few drops of extravirgin olive oil to help rebdring the guanciale are allowed. Why don't traditional pastas use cream? The reason is that cream isn't used in Italian pasta dishes is that it can be overpowering.
I know only three things if you want to try to keep it “traditional”: use guanciale (not bacon), eggs (no cream), and if the recipe you're using has peas, just omit them. Or leave the peas in if you're into that kind of thing.
that there are only five ingredients: pasta, pork cheek, eggs, cheese and pepper. That's it. A real carbonara does not contain onion, garlic, or cream.
Carbonara is almost always served with spaghetti or linguine, but you can use whatever pasta you prefer. For a more unusual take on carbonara, try spinach fettuccine tossed with warm pasta and fresh baby spinach; you'll get a vibrant, beautiful dish with some additional health benefits.
Pasta cacio e uova, or cas' e ova in Neapolitan dialect, is a simple Campanian dish that can be most easily summarized as "meatless carbonara." Like carbonara, cas' e ova features a silky, temperature-sensitive sauce made with eggs and a mixture of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and Pecorino Romano that coats al dente ...
Like Cacio e Pepe, Pasta alla Gricia and Bucatini all'Amatriciana, Pasta alla Carbonara is a traditional pasta dish that originated in Rome and remains popular there today. This version of pasta alla carbonara isn't totally authentic because it's lightened up with the addition of fresh peas.
There are no peas in the classic carbonara; however, when I was in a little town outside Rome I was served a carbonara with asparagus. And in my restaurants, I always put peas in my carbonara. There's just something about the sonderful taste of peas, creamed pecorino, and guanciale that is wonderful.
So next time you make carbonara and don't have a nice, sour cheese on hand, try adding in a teaspoon of vinegar, whether you're heating up a premade mix or making it from scratch. And if you have sauce leftover, try mixing it with some mochi.
Chicken is an incredibly versatile protein that can work with any kind of sauce or flavor palette. Chicken in a rich, creamy, pasta works perfectly, but so does some cut-up chicken in a red sauce. No matter what kind of pasta you are making, some chopped chicken is a perfect addition.
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Prep time: 35 mins
