Spanish hard sheeps milk cheese with an ivory-coloured interior & a distinctive sweet moist nutty finish.
Weeknight Manchego & Ham Carbonara Recipe
A wonderful and simple weeknight that celebrates simple El Esparto Manchego and makes the dish shine.
A wonderful and simple weeknight that celebrates simple El Esparto Manchego and makes the dish shine.
This is your ultimate weeknight recipe that is effortless and simple. It relies heavily on the quality of your manchego though, so of course try and hunt down the El Esparto Cave Aged Manchego.
Ingredients:
- 1 egg, plus 4 egg yolks
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 100g / 3.5oz leg ham or bacon, finely chopped
- 400g / 12oz pasta of your choice
- 100gm/ 3.5 oz grated, El Esparto Manchego
Method:
- Whisk manchego, egg, egg yolks and pepper together in a bowl and set aside.
- Place ham in a cold large non-stick frypan over medium-low heat. Cook for 5-6 minutes until crisp. Remove pan from heat.
- Cook pasta in boiling salted water according to packet instructions. Drain, reserving ¼ cup (75 ml) cooking water.
- Add the pasta to a bowl with cheese and eggs, tossing to evenly coat. Add the ham and any rendered fat from the pan to the bowl and toss to coat.
- Add the hot reserved cooking water 1 tbs at a time until the sauce is a creamy consistency.
- Serve with extra Manchego.
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