Vegetarian Pasta Carbonara

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Once boiling, add pasta.

At the same time, cut zucchini into sticks around 1/3 inch thick.

In a large frying pan, sauté zucchini in olive oil on medium heat for 5 to 8 minutes, until zucchini are browned on both sides. Add garlic and saute for about 1 minute. Add cherry tomatoes and a pinch of salt and turn off the heat.

To create the sauce, put egg yolks, Pecorino cheese, 1/8 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper into a large bowl. Whisk everything together for a few seconds. The result should be a pretty thick compound.

Once the pasta is almost ready, take 3 tablespoons of boiling pasta water and add them to the bowl with the cheese and eggs. The hot boiling water will pasteurize the yolks making them safe to eat while the starchiness released from the pasta will help to create a creamy sauce.

When the pasta is ready drain it and add it to the frying pan with the zucchini and tomatoes. Toss for 1 minute on medium heat.

Finally, turn off the heat and add your eggs and Pecorino mixture to the pan. Gently toss everything together. If the sauce is too thick you can add some more pasta water.

Garnish with freshly ground black pepper and, if you like, some toasted pine nuts and drizzled olive oil.