creamy carbonara w’ peas & basil

With Miss G’s first birthday fast approaching I cannot believe how quickly the past year has flown by.

It feels like only yesterday I was cradling a teeny tiny newborn in my arms amazed by the perfect rows of adorable little toes in front of me.  And in what seems like a flash Miss G’s carseat suddenly faced forward and she was zooming around the house in her walker.

Looking back over our first year together I feel grateful for many things.  I’ve appreciated every smile, cuddle, kiss, playtime, trip to the park and bike ride and I am also forever grateful for the discovery of baby led weaning.

I have always adored food and cooking so when spoon feeding purees to Miss G. became tortuous I was so worried that we were going to endure a lifetime of food battles with a fussy eater on our hands.   But after a frantic search of the web I was delighted to find the wonderful world of baby led weaning.

Ever since, mealtimes have been an absolute joy.

Being in charge Miss G. laps up every food opportunity and greedily devours the food in front of her like the happy hungry growing little girl she is.

And for me I adore watching her explore and experience different foods. Watching her succeed at the tricky task of self feeding and seeing her confidence bloom fills me with so much joy and happiness.

Today was the perfect example.

Whilst nibbling away at her lunch of creamy carbonara with peas and basil I couldn’t help but smile as Grace picked at her peas, manoeuvring each one into her mouth with such an intense look on her face.  The intensity turned to joy the moment the teeny tiny pea was being munched on and I could see just how happy Miss G was with herself.

Baby led weaning has been a wonderful adventure for us but I would love to hear all about your blw experiences so please feel free to share your tales and stories below!

To create a beautiful bowl of creamy carbonara with peas & basil simply…

Begin by placing the prosciutto on an oven tray lined with baking paper.  Pop into a 180 degrees celsius (350F) preheated oven and roast for 5 minutes or until the prosciutto is golden and crisp.

Remove, allow to cool slightly and roughly chop.  Set aside.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to the boil.  Add pasta and cook for a couple of minutes.  Add peas and cook until the pasta is aldente and peas are tender.

In a small jug place the eggs, egg yolks, parmesan and cream a whisk to combine.

To assemble place the pasta, peas, prosciutto, basil and creamy sauce in a large bowl and mix to combine.

Serve with a little extra grated parmesan and torn basil leaves.  Enjoy x

creamy carbonara w’ peas & basil

INGREDIENTS

6 slices prosciutto

500 grams short pasta (such as calice, penne, rigatoni or fusilli)

1 cup peas

250 ml cream

2 eggs plus 2 egg yolks

3/4 cup parmesan, grated

1 cup basil leaves, torn

METHOD

Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius (350 F).  Place prosciutto on an oven tray lined with baking paper and bake for 5 minutes or until the prosciutto is golden and crisp.  Roughly chop and set aside.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to the boil.  Add pasta and cook for a couple of minutes.  Add peas and cook until the pasta is aldente and peas are tender.  Drain and set aside.

In a small jug place the cream, eggs, egg yolks and parmesan and whisk to combine.

To assemble: place the pasta, peas, prosciutto, basil and creamy sauce in a large bowl and mix to combine.  Serve with a little extra grated parmesan and a few extra torn basil leaves.

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