Spaghetti Squash Carbonara with Pork Chop and Port Sauce

Ingredients

• Spaghetti squash (halved and seeded)
• Pork chops
• Bacon lardons
• Egg yolks
• Parmesan (grated)
• Red onion
• Shallots
• Garlic
• Port
• Roast gravy stock (diluted)
• Chicken stock (homemade or from a stock cube)
• Olive oil (for brushing the squash and sweating the aromatics)
• Salt (to taste)
• Pepper (to taste)
• Rosemary (to season the squash and flavor the sauce)
• Bay leaf (for the sauce)
• Water (a little to deglaze the lardons; add with the cornstarch if needed)
• Cornstarch (optional, to thicken the sauce)
• Fresh parsley (optional, for garnish)
• Mustard (for garnish)
• Sel fou (for garnish)

Steps

1. 1

   Preheat the oven to 180 °C. Halve the spaghetti squash and remove the seeds. Brush the flesh with olive oil, then season with salt, pepper, and rosemary.

2. 2

   Roast until the flesh is very tender. The cooking time is not specified.

3. 3

   Once out of the oven, scrape the flesh with a fork to separate it into strands.

4. 4

   Mix the egg yolks with the grated Parmesan.

5. 5

   Cook the lardons in a frying pan until well browned, then remove them from the pan.

6. 6

   Deglaze the pan with a little water. Add the resulting liquid to the egg yolk and Parmesan mixture.

7. 7

   Over low heat, return the squash strands and lardons to the pan and add the carbonara mixture. Stir gently until the squash is coated, taking care not to let the eggs coagulate.

8. 8

   In another pan, sweat the red onion and shallots in a drizzle of olive oil.

9. 9

   Deglaze with the port.

10. 10

    Add the garlic, rosemary, and bay leaf.

11. 11

    Pour in the chicken stock and diluted roast gravy stock.

12. 12

    Let infuse for a few minutes, then strain the sauce.

13. 13

    Reduce the sauce until it coats the back of a spoon. If needed, add a little water mixed with cornstarch to thicken it.

14. 14

    Sear the pork chops in a very hot pan for a few minutes on each side, until browned on the outside and juicy inside.

15. 15

    Serve the carbonara squash with the pork chops topped with port sauce. Add fresh parsley, a dab of mustard, and sel fou.

Notes

Quantities are not provided. The squash cooking time and the amounts of port, stock, and roast gravy stock are not specified. The recipe suggests thickening the sauce with water and cornstarch if needed.

Nutrition per serving

• main course
• cream-free
• pork
• spaghetti squash
• port sauce
• pan-fried
• oven