Skinny Carbonara

When I think of Italian cuisine, I think of comfort food. And when temperatures go down at a dangerously low level, is there anything nicer than pasta in a white creamy sauce with garlic bread? I am drooling already dreaming of spaghetti carbonara...yet cooking Italian is a challenge for me. How can I enjoy a great dish without feeling guilty and having second thoughts about it and yet preserving the unmistakable taste of  the original?  I am not into hardship and magic diets (that don't work and make you sick ://), but it really pays to try, sample, test, and adjust recipes to suit your needs.

This is my version of skinny Carbonara, usually made with all the good things :) - eggs, full-fat cream, butter, and cheese. I will keep none of them, but I promise I won't alter its creamy taste and delicate consistency.

Skinny Carbonara  

Type of cuisine: Italian/Low Fat

Ingredients 

(for 2 persons)

half a packet of pasta (spaghetti no.7)

a handful of blanched sweet peas (fresh or frozen)

4-5 cloves crushed garlic 

a small branch of fresh rosemary

2 slices of cured ham

3/4 of a cup of low-fat cream (15% fat)

1/4 of a cup of warm water

1/2 cube of organic chicken/vegetable cube dissolved in warm water (or a pinch of salt)

2 tbs of olive oil 

Method

Boil the pasta in salty water.

Blanch the sweet peas.

In a small bowl mix the cream with the warm water and dissolve the vegetable or chicken cube. 

Slice the ham finely, crush the garlic.

Fry the garlic and rosemary in olive oil, add the ham and then the cream. Let it simmer for a couple of minutes. Don't oversimmer as the cream will break. However, if that happens, you can easily fix it by adding more cream to it. :) 

Drain the pasta and mix it with the sauce. 

Easy peasy, right? No need for eggs, butter, or double cream and still it's a gorgeous creamy dish that is very light on your system, especially if you decide to cook it for dinner. 

Generally, I am weary to order carbonara when I go out, but at home it's a different story. Finally, it's an amazing dish that goes well with garlic bread and a glass of red. 

As you may have guessed, my garlic bread is also in low-fat category: I brush it with a paste of crushed garlic, extra virgin olive oil and Italian herbs. Delicious. *drool*