Try salami in pasta carbonara

By Susan M. Selasky/Detroit Free Press

When a recipe begins by telling me I probably have most of the ingredients on hand, I'm sold.

Most recently, it was a recipe in the March issue of Martha Stewart's Everyday Food magazine. The variation on the traditional pasta carbonara dish used crispy salami instead of pancetta or bacon as a topper. And guess what? I just happened to have the exact amount of salami called for.

The other ingredients - eggs, olive oil and Parmesan cheese - also are staples in my kitchen, and many others.

This recipe reminded me of one I made years ago in which salami was deep-fried and used as a garnish. It was the first time I'd fried salami, and I remember thinking, “Who fries salami?” But it was different - and delicious. In today's recipe, salami supplies a salty note.

This recipe isn't super saucy. Reserved pasta water thins the sauce enough so it just coats the pasta. Using the pasta water also adds flavor.

I added asparagus to the recipe because I had some nice thin spears on hand. It's one of my all-time favorite vegetables, and it made me think of spring. Thick spears of California asparagus should be arriving in grocery stores soon.

It's easy to just toss the asparagus in with the pasta during the last minute or so of cooking. This cooks the asparagus just briefly, so it still has a little snap when you bite it. Since asparagus takes to all kinds of flavors, it was a perfect match for this dish.

The whole thing came together in about 35 minutes, including waiting for the pasta water to boil.

Spaghetti Carbonara with Asparagus and Crispy Salami

Serves: 4 (generously) / Preparation time: 10 minutes

Total time: 35 minutes

2 large eggs

3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (plus more for serving)

1/4 cup fat-free or regular half-and-half

3/4 pound dry spaghetti

1/2 pound trimmed asparagus, cut into 2- inch pieces

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 pound salami, cut into 1/4-inch-wide strips

3 cloves garlic, peeled chopped 1/4 cup white wine

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1/2 cup chopped parsley for garnish

In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, Parmesan cheese and half-and-half . Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Add the spaghetti and cook until al dente. Add the asparagus during the last minute of cooking. Carefully scoop out 1 1/2 cups of the pasta cooking water and set aside. Drain the pasta and asparagus and give them a brief rinse.

While the pasta is cooking, in a large skillet heat the olive oil. Add the salami strips and cook until crisp, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook about 1 to 2 minutes or just until fragrant. Stir in the white wine and cook until it's almost evaporated.

Return the pasta to the cooking pot with the heat off. Quickly stir the egg/cheese mixture into the hot pasta, tossing to coat. Add enough of the reserved pasta cooking water to thin out the sauce if needed. (This is not a super saucy dish.) Stir in the salami/garlic mixture and season with salt and pepper.

Serve in individual bowls, garnished with parsley, if desired. Serve more cheese on the side, if desired.

Adapted from EveryDay Food magazine, March 2012 issue.

Tested by Susan Selasky in the Free Press Test Kitchen.

328 calories (43 percent from fat), 16 grams fat (5 grams sat. fat), 32 grams carbohydrates, 16 grams protein, 746 mg sodium, 152 mg cholesterol, 6 grams fiber.