Carbonara alla Avocado

A smooth carbonara with avocado and ham - velvet, unctuous and molto bene.

Maybe I make up for the sacrilege of the last post?!
8 oz spaghetti

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
2 eggs
1/4 cup heavy cream

1/4 lb ham, cubed
2 green onions, sliced
dash red pepper flakes
2 cloves garlic, minced

1 ripe avocado, cubed
1 fresh tomato, chopped
palmful fresh parsley leaves, minced

Set 2 quarts of well-salted water to a boil. The water should taste like the ocean. When boiling, add the spaghetti and cook until just al dente.

Whisk together the Parmesan, eggs and cream in a small bowl.

At the same time, sauté the ham, onions and red pepper for about 5 minutes, just to brown up a bit.

Add the garlic and cook another 2-3 minutes.

When the pasta is done, reserve a good cup of pasta cooking water and keep it piping hot. Drain the pasta and toss in a large bowl off the heat. Quickly tip in the ham, avocado and tomato.

Toss with the egg mixture, adding at first a quarter cup of the piping hot pasta water. Toss briskly with tongs to form a creamy mixture - it should be hot enough to see some steam coming off the surface. The eggs should not curdle, since you are now off the heat, but they will help bind together a nice shiny sauce. Add only as much pasta water as needed to get a smooth saucy consistency.

Tip pasta into a large serving bowl and finish with fresh parsley leaves and maybe a bit of extra Parmesan cheese. I like to sprinkle on a bit of Mrs Dash Extra Spicy Seasoning Blend, or more crushed red pepper flakes.

Serves 4.