Monty Don, the 71-year-old presenter of BBC's Gardeners' World, has revealed his recipe for what he calls the 'ultimate' carbonara, featuring an unexpected ingredient from his garden: finely chopped parsley. The traditional Italian dish typically includes cured pork, hard cheese, and eggs, but Don opts for linguine instead of spaghetti, uses finely chopped bacon and Parmesan, and adds parsley for flavour.
Don's Carbonara Method
Sharing his technique on Samuel Goldsmith's Good Food Podcast, Don explained: 'Parsley, chopped finally.' He detailed the process: 'One egg per person - and one extra egg. When the pasta is cooked, add it to the bacon. Then add the egg, take it off the heat, add the cheese and stir it round.' He warned against letting the egg scramble, adding: 'Put it on the plate - it will go on cooking on there. Add lots of salt and pepper then off you go.'
Social Media Reaction
The recipe sparked debate on Instagram, with users divided. One commented: 'Stick to gardening.' Another said: 'I love you Monty, but that's not carbonara.' A third agreed: 'We love you Monty, but this is not carbonara.' However, supporters defended him: 'Monty is allowed to add parsley. He knows plants!' and 'This is the way he likes/cooks it. He didn't say this was the traditional way, so why all the negativity?' Another enthused: 'Perfecto! That's how I make it.'
Don on Gardening Mistakes
Separately, Don addressed a 'nonsense' misconception about his gardening expertise. Speaking to the i newspaper, he said: 'This myth that I am somehow the perfect gardener is nonsense. I make mistakes all the time. Literally every day. I've grown sweetcorn all my life. I know how to do it – I've done it hundreds of times with success. Last year, they were fantastic. This year, they've not germinated. I don't know why, because they were perfectly good seeds. But something has gone wrong.'
