Ingredients
Pasta
- Durum Semolina 14 oz
- Organic Eggs 3 (51/2 oz)
Assembly
- Pancetta 1 cup, chopped or Slab Bacon cut into matchsticks
- Asparagus 1 bunch, trimmed and cut into 1-inch segments
- Parmesan 2 cups, grated, plus extra for sprinkling
- Egg Yolks 8 large
- Salt and Black Pepper to taste
Cook it
Pasta
- Make a well in the semolina. Add eggs and combine to make a smooth dough. If it’s too wet, add a tablespoon of semolina at a time. Knead to get a smooth dough. Set aside to rest for 30 minutes.
- Roll the pasta dough through a pasta machine, starting at the thickest setting and gradually reducing the thickness one notch at a time. Pass the dough through each setting twice for an even texture, until 1–2 mm thick.
- Using a sharp knife, slice it into your desired width — about 6 mm for tagliatelle, 3 mm for fettuccine, or 1–2 mm for tagliolini. If your pasta machine has an attachment, use that. Toss the ribbons lightly with semolina to keep them from sticking.
Assembly
- Bring a saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and boil for 3–5 minutes, until just al dente. (The pasta will cook a little more in the carbonara sauce.) Drain, reserving 1 cup pasta water.
- Heat pancetta (or bacon) in a large frying pan over medium-low heat until just crispy. Add pasta, asparagus, Parmesan and half of the reserved pasta water. Toss until cheese melts. If needed, add more pasta water to loosen. Remove from heat. Stir in egg yolks carefully so they blend in but don’t get hard.
- Toss to coat pasta, then cook gently for 30 seconds over low heat to thicken and until sauce lightly adheres to the noodles. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat promptly so as not to make scrambled eggs!
- Using tongs, twirl pasta onto plates. Sprinkle with Parmesan and serve.
Excerpted from Niagara Wine + Food: Signature Recipes from Ontario’s Iconic Terroir by Magdalena Kaiser. Photography by Rick O’Brien and Stephen Dominick. Copyright © 2026, Magdalena Kaiser. Republished with the permission of Figure 1 Publishing. Niagara Wine + Food Cookbook is available at wineries, bookstores and online. Check IG @niagarawineandfood for details.
