Broccoli carbonara

The inclusion of broccoli is a 'ring-in' addition to a classic way with spaghetti. I actually prefer to use penne for this variation as it seems to compliment the weight of the broccoli pieces.
 
Ingredients
salt
250 g penne or pasta of choice
350 g broccoli, head cut into small florets and stems peeled and cut into thin rounds
3 free-range egg yolks
2 tablespoons pouring cream
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
75 g streaky bacon, cut into thin strips
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
 
 
What to do:
Preheat oven to 100°C and put an ovenproof serving bowl inside to warm.
Fill 2 large, heavy-based saucepans with lightly salted water and bring to the boil over high heat. Drop penne into one and boil for about 12 minutes or until al dente.
Drop broccoli into second pan. When water returns to the boil, cook for 2 minutes exactly and then scoop broccoli with a brass skimmer or slotted spoon into a colander resting over a large mixing bowl.
Put egg yolks, cream and parmesan in a bowl. Lightly whisk and set aside.
When pasta has 3-4 minutes cooking time left, heat olive oil in a large, heavy-based non-stick frying pan over medium heat and saut bacon. When bacon starts to crisp, tip in broccoli and toss to heat through.
Drain pasta in a colander, reserving a spoonful of cooking water. Immediately add pasta to broccoli and bacon mixture. Toss to mix well. Add reserved pasta water to egg mixture. Remove frying pan from the heat, then tip in egg, cream and cheese mixture and shake to thicken. Immediately transfer everything into the heated serving dish and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve at once.
This recipe is from Stephanie Alexander's Kitchen Garden Companion (Penguin Lantern 2009).