SPRINGTIME LEEK CARBONARA

Recipes, food styling & photography Will Bowman & Jane Lyons

	2 whole medium leeks, finely sliced (green part included)
	50g butter
	2 garlic cloves, crushed
	1 teaspoon finely chopped rosemary
	zest and juice of 1 lemon, plus extra zest to serve
	1 cup frozen peas
	1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
	500g dried pasta such as rigatoni, spaghetti or bucatini
	4 eggs, plus two egg yolks, lightly beaten
	100g parmesan, grated
	fennel fronds, roughly chopped
	parsley and finely chopped rosemary, to serve

1.	Reserve approximately 1 cup of sliced leek tops and set aside.
2.	Fry the remaining leeks in butter until soft.
3.	Add the garlic, rosemary and lemon zest and juice and cook for a further couple of minutes then remove from the heat.
4.	Season with salt and a generous amount of cracked black pepper (approximately 1 tablespoon).
5.	Stir in the peas – these will start to cook in the warmth of the pan and continue to cook when the hot pasta is added.
6.	Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil.
7.	While you wait for the water to boil, heat the olive oil in a frying pan over a high heat, add leek tops and fry until they start to turn crispy.
8.	Remove them from the pan and drain on a clean cloth or paper towel.
9.	Season with a sprinkle of sea salt and set aside.
10.	Cook the pasta until just slightly al dente – it’ll cook more when you add it to the leeks so you don’t want it to be overdone.
11.	Drain, reserving 2 cups of pasta cooking water (you may not need that much but it’s good to have on hand to loosen the sauce).
12.	Add the pasta to the leeks with a splash of pasta water, stirring to combine.
13.	Add the egg, parmesan and a splash more of cooking water and stir immediately.
14.	If you want to loosen the sauce, add a little more cooking water.
15.	Serve in warm bowls and garnish with leek tops, fennel fronds, fresh spring herbs and more lemon zest.