Carbonara with zucchini

Separate one egg yolk per person by passing the yolk between the shell halves; a little white left in does not matter.

Add a very small amount of milk, a large amount of pepper and the grated cheese to the yolks; stir smooth.

Trim the root ends of the garlic, crush with the side of the knife, peel and chop, sprouts included.

Chop the fresh sage and rosemary. Do all prep in advance because the final stage is time-sensitive.

Trim the zucchini, halve and quarter it, shave off the seedy core, and cut into pieces the size and shape of penne.

Put a pot of salted water on high heat.

Snip the bacon into a large cold pan, then turn the heat to medium and render the fat, cooking the bacon dark and crispy and building fond.

Boil the pasta a minute or two less than the package says. If the bacon threatens to burn first, take it off the heat.

One minute before draining the pasta, stir the zucchini into the bacon.

Right before draining, stir in the garlic and turn the heat off.

Drain the pasta, catching some pasta water in a glass in the sink.

Fry the pasta briefly in the bacon fat, then deglaze the fond with pasta water until the pan is sloshy.

Take the pan off the burner and wait for the bubbling to stop; stir in the egg mixture constantly.

Return the pan to the heat, stirring constantly, and remove the moment the sauce thickens and goes custardy; too hot and it turns grainy and cannot be fixed.

Adjust with pasta water so it looks a little loose, since it thickens as it cools; stir in the herbs at the last second.