Carbon-Horror

In a bid for essay procrastination I went foraging for lunch today, but when I got there the cupboard was....well, almost bare.

Luckily I always have pasta and peas in, two things I buy but never use, so with the addition of a few other odds and sods this bastardised version of carbonara was born.

No it's not authentic. But it is quick. And cheap. And surprisingly yummy.

Just don't make it for anyone you plan on kissing- unless you or they have a thing for garlic.....

CARBON-HORROR

You will need:

* Pasta ideally spaghetti but I used some weird, oversized tube-y stuff today
* Garlic finely chopped one clove or two?!
* Ham chopped, or mushrooms if you're a veggie
* Frozen peas
* Cream double or single, whatever you have to hand usually works
* Cheese parmesan if you're fancy, cheddar if you're not...
* One egg yolk, beaten optional. Not one for the preggo's out there
* Black pepper to taste

1. Cook pasta in boiling water (I don't add salt because ham is usually pretty salty)
2. Drain pasta and using the same pan- oh yes, minimal washing up- heat some olive oil or butter depending on what you have to hand.
3. Add garlic and ham, stir for a couple of mins until garlic is cooked but not coloured. If it goes brown, that was too long....
4. Add peas, a grind of black pepper and a big splash of cream and stir, stir, stir.
5. As soon as the peas are tender i.e no longer frozen, add pasta. Stir some more.
6. Take off the heat and once cooled slightly so your eggs won't scramble, stir in the beaten yolk.
7. Dish up, sprinkle with grated cheese, shovel into mouth like you haven't eaten in weeks.

Delicious, semi-nutritious and super quick (and did I mention cheap?!)