Name: Giada's carbonara
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 1 bunch asparagus, ends trimmed, rubber band left on; 450g linguini; 240ml basil aioli, recipe follows; 90g shaved pecorino; 1/2 tsp salt; 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper; 60g butter; 4 to 6 large eggs; Salt and freshly ground black pepper; For the Basil Aioli; 1 clove garlic, minced; 2 large egg yolks*; 2 tsp mustard; 1 tsp lemon juice; 50g finely chopped fresh basil leaves; 1/2 tsp salt; 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper; 1/8 tsp cayenne; 100ml vegetable oil; 100ml extra-virgin olive oil

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the asparagus and cook for 3 minutes. Transfer the asparagus to a bowl of iced water and let sit until cool, about 5 minutes. Remove from the water, remove the rubber band, and cut into 1/2-cm pieces.

Meanwhile, add the pasta to the large pot of salted water used to cook the asparagus and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta into a large bowl. Add the Basil Aioli, cut asparagus, shaved cheese, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine and place on a long, rectangular serving dish.

Place the butter in a medium frying-pan over medium-high heat. Add the eggs and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Fry the eggs to your liking. Place the eggs on top of the pasta and serve immediately.

Basil aioli:

Combine the garlic, egg yolks, mustard, lemon juice, basil, salt, pepper, and cayenne in a food processor and run the machine to mix. With the machine running slowly drizzle in the vegetable and olive oil. Basil Aioli can be kept, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Makes 240ml
Prep Time: 5 minutes