Pasta with Brussel Sprouts, Bacon & Pecorino

This pasta is delicious. Somewhat a carbonara, but with charred brussel sprouts, as well as pecorino, in addition to the bacon. I loved it. (Kids? Not.)

Separating brussel sprouts is... surprisingly boring. And it takes a long time. I ended up removing the easy-to-get outer leaves, then finely chopping the cores. It worked out well. My husband complained that I was burning the sprouts, but the recipe really does call for them to be charred so I wasn't worried. It really did give good flavor.

I saw this recipe at Smaskens, who in turn got it from Bon Appetit, and I guess I made something slightly in between.

Pasta with Brussel Sprouts, Bacon & Pecorino
500 g fresh brussel sprouts, leaves separated, the rest shredded
140 g bacon, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
150 ml cream
4 egg yolks
good handful grated pecorino (plus extra to serve)
500 g pasta
salt
black pepper

Cook the pasta according to package instructions. Meanwhile, start the sauce by heating up a frying pan. It should be really hot. I didn't add any oil. When it's really hot, add the sprouts. Stir-fry for a few minutes - they should get quite a lot of color and soften a little. (They won't release much liquid though, so don't expect that.) Remove to a bowl.

In the same pan, fry the bacon until crisp. Add the garlic and fry for a minute or two. Add back the sprouts, and set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk the yolks with the cream and the pecorino. Add a pinch of salt and a little black pepper.

When the pasta is done, reserve some cooking water. Drain the pasta, and add it back to the pan. Mix in the sprouts and bacon, and then the cheesy yolk mixture. Toss well. Add more pasta water if you want it to be saucier - I added about 250 ml.

Serve right away, and top with extra pecorino.