Zucchini carbonara - almost as good as watching Indiana Jones

I am lucky enough to live at a house where there is a really mean vege garden.  Whilst some of the plants leave me a trifle uninterested (silverbeet - I mean, it's fine, but I think I still have a while before I fully understand why people allow it to take up so much of their gardens), the others are just the ticket to make you want to rifle through the fridge and spend the days making meals.  At the moment the zucchini plants are doing a roaring trade, so much so that I couldn't keep up for a while.  Fortunately Clara and Egardo (hope that's the correct spelling, Kush?) were nearby, for the ol' garden swapski.  I digress, right, zucchini...

This is a recipe I got from a friend in Paris, tweaked a little to suit the NZ shopper.  The original used smoked pancetta, so if you are able to get that, sweet.  If not, bacon is absolutely fine.  It's a great dish in summer because whilst the crème fraîche and eggs are fairly rich, the zuccs and lemon zest bring it back down.  Salad on the side, glass of white or G&T and you're cooking with gas.  Enjoy!  xx A

Zucchini carbonara

Serves 2

2 large eggs

30ml crème fraîche

25g finely grated parmasan
2 tsp olive oil
60g finely sliced bacon
1/2 red onion, sliced
1 zucchini, julienned (very thinly sliced)
grated zest of 1 lemon
chopped herbs, to serve (sage or thyme are nice)
spaghetti/fettucine/linguine – enough for 2


1. Beat eggs with crème fraîche, most of the parmasan and a grind of black pepper.
2. Heat oil in pan and fry bacon until your doctor starts pursing their lips (crisp). Add onion, fry for further two minutes.
3. Cook pasta until al dente. Meanwhile, add zucchini to the bacon/onion and allow to wilt.
4. When pasta is cooked, drain it, reserving a little of the water. Add pasta and a little water to pan with zucchini etc. Toss to combine.
5. Remove from heat, pour over egg mixture. Gently combine, allowing sauce to thicken slightly. Serve immediately with remaining parmasan, lemon zest and chopped herbs.