Penne Carbonara With White Asparagus - cooking recipe

Ingredients

600 g white asparagus, with the woody ends cut off
1 tsp sugar
1/2 None lemon, juiced
400 g penne pasta
150 g smoked streaky bacon, cut into cubes
1 tbsp olive oil
4 None eggs
1 pinch ground black pepper
100 g Parmesan cheese, grated

Preparation

Bring 12 cups of salted water, seasoned with lemon juice and sugar, to a boil in a large pot. Cook the asparagus over a medium heat for 8 mins or until just tender. Retaining the cooking liquid, remove the asparagus from the water and chill with cold water. Cut the asparagus diagonally into roughly 1 in. pieces.
Bring the cooking liquid back to a boil, add the pasta and cook according to the package directions. Heat the oil in a frying pan, fry the bacon until crisp and remove it from the pan. Whisk the eggs in a large bowl and season to taste. Stir in 3 oz of cheese and the bacon.
Drain the pasta and immediately stir it, along with the asparagus, into the egg and cheese mixture. Stir it well so that the egg is cooked and the pasta covered. Serve it immediately on plates, sprinkled with the rest of the Parmesan cheese.