Linguini with Mushroom Carbonara Sauce

I've never heard of or seen a vegetarian version of carbonara sauce, which is really strange to me - how hard is it to just leave out the bacon? I guess the bacon is the main element, but it seemed pretty obvious to me to replace it with mushrooms, which are frequently used as a substitute for meat. I first made this a few years ago as a little experiment and clearly it worked. And since I was desperately craving it last week, I decided to make it last night. I won't lie and say it's good for you, but it certainly does make you feel good when it's freezing cold in your apartment!

Mushroom Carbonara
(serves 1)

Scant ¼ pound dry linguini
2 teaspoons butter
½ small shallot, minced
1 small garlic clove, minced
¾ cup sliced crimini mushrooms (I used 4 large criminis and 1 chanterelle)
¼ teaspoon chopped fresh sage
2 tablespoons dry white wine
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons heavy cream
2 tablespoons (packed) freshly grated parmigiano reggiano cheese
Large pinch of salt
Lots of freshly ground black pepper – about 10 grinds

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Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Add the linguini and cook according package directions.

In the meantime, melt the butter over medium heat in a medium sauté pan. Add the shallots and garlic and cook until soft but not browned, about 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms, sage, and wine, and cook until the wine has cooked off and the mushrooms are soft, about 5 minutes. When the mushrooms are soft, turn off the heat but leave the pan on the burner.

In a small bowl, mix together the egg yolk, cream, cheese, salt, and pepper.

When the pasta is done, remove it from the water with tongs and transfer it to the pan containing the mushrooms. Pour the egg mixture over the pasta and toss well. Let the pasta stand for a minute so that the sauce can thicken, then transfer to a plate and serve immediately.