Spicy Chorizo Carbonara

This is not, obviously, an authentic carbonara.

Done in 40 minutes

Serves 2

Dish by Hugh Woodward

Ingredients

What you'll need:

2 tbspolive oil

200gcooking chorizo

3 tbsptomato paste

300gcherry tomatoes

1 tspsea salt

4egg yolks

2whole eggs

30gparmesan, grated

1 tsp, plus more for garnishpul biber

350grigatoni

But then again, who cares? Life is boring if you just stick to the safe and the familiar - go out there and give this tasty spicy carbonara recipe a try.

Method

Heat a large saucepan over a medium heat and add the olive oil. Chop the chorizo into small disks and fry, moving around frequently, until it releases its oil.

Remove the cooked chorizo with a slotted spoon leaving the oil behind. Add the tomato puree and stir it into the red oil until completely combined, then add the whole cherry tomatoes.

Cook them down until they start to burst from their skins but are still mainly whole, roughly 10 minutes. Season to taste.

In a bowl, whisk the eggs and egg yolks along with the grated parmesan, pul biber and pepper. Set aside.

Cook the pasta until done to your liking, making sure when you drain it you reserve around 250ml of the pasta water. Straight away pour around half of this slowly into the egg mixture to temper it, whisking as you do so.

In a saucepan, toss the pasta through the tomato mixture with the chorizo. Place it over a very low heat and add the egg mixture, stirring constantly, cooking it out until it has thickened up.

Serve, scattered with more pul biber and parmesan.

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Hugh Woodward

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Hugh's culinary life began aged 14 when he cooked spaghetti hoop burritos to impress girls. Since then his colourful career has taken him to performing in Skegness, making cheese in Peckham, running a wine bar on Columbia Road and reluctantly working in a (briefly) Michelin Starred restaurant. He likes fish, things cooked on charcoal, cheap dinners and London's rich cultural tapestry of food shops. When he's not cooking or eating he can be found mudlarking by the river Thames, buying bits in flea markets and hanging out with his cat Keith.