When I was studying abroad in Nantes, France, I took the opportunity to do some traveling around Europe, as many of you know already. For spring break that year, some friends and I went to Italy where I discovered my favorite pasta dish of all time - Spaghetti Carbonara. Turns out they have it in France too, I just hadn't been paying attention. It quickly became my default order any time I happened to see it on the menu. When I got back from France, it became something of a personal quest to learn how to recreate it. I started with some recipes I found online and then adapted them to my liking. Here you go:
Ingredients:
1 pound spaghetti
8 ounces bacon, cut into 1-inch segments
3 large eggs
3/4 cup grated parmesan
1/2 cup half and half
garlic salt
Coarse salt & freshly ground pepper
Directions:
1) Cook spaghetti according to package directions in a large pot.
2) In a large skillet, cook bacon until crisp but not burnt (I sometimes have to start over with the bacon, oops!) then transfer to a paper towel lined plate.
3) While pasta is cooking, whisk together the eggs, parmesan and half-and-half. Season with the garlic salt as you prefer - the amount of garlic is something of a personal preference. Or you can use actual garlic and cook it with the bacon. It's entirely up to you. It's good both ways.
4) Once pasta is done, drain well but do not rinse. Transfer to a large bowl and immediately add the egg mixture. Stir rapidly - the heat from the pasta will cook the eggs but if you don't stir it, you end up with scrambled eggs instead of a creamy sauce.
5) Add the bacon, season with salt and pepper to taste, and toss to combine.
I hope you enjoy it as much as I do - it's pretty rich and you will have leftovers if you're only cooking for two people. Sometimes I try to split it but 1.5 eggs is a little hard to measure. :-)
Showing posts with label pasta. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pasta. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Friday, October 9, 2009
Macaroni & Cheese (and eggs)
For my inaugural post, I think I'll go with a recipe that has family roots. It came from my dad, who assured me that it was a family staple back in the day. It certainly was a fixture in my childhood and I still make it all the time. I've brought it to work several times for lunch and one of my coworkers asked for the recipe. Since it had never actually been written down before, I had to improvise. Here is what I was able to come up with. Feel free to modify as you see fit:
Ingredients:
1 lb rotini pasta
3 cups grated mozzarella cheese
3 cups grated other cheese (I usually use a colby jack or something orange)
3 large eggs
1/2 cup milk (or so)
dill (LOTS)
salt & pepper to taste
Note: You'll need a large pot with a a cover that seals well to make sure this turns out ok.
Cooking Instructions:
1. Cook rotini according to package directions in a large pot.
2. While pasta is cooking, combine the egss and milk and beat well, the same as you would for scrambled eggs. Add salt & pepper as you see fit.
3. To the egg mixture, add more dill than you think you could ever possibly need. Seriously, add a lot of dill - it needs to be enough to season the whole dish, not just the eggs.
4. Once the pasta has finished cooking, drain well but DO NOT rinse. Return it immediately to the pot it cooked in and remove from heat. Add the egg mixture and stir around a couple of times to mix well - don't stir too much or you'll end up with scrambled eggs. Cover the pot.
5. Let the pot with the pasta + eggs sit for about 5 minutes so the eggs can cook. Stir once about half way through to make sure the eggs aren't just sitting on the bottom, but resist the urge to check on it a lot - that releases too much heat and the eggs won't cook all the way. No one wants salmonella.
6. Add the cheese to the pasta + egg mixture and stir well. Turn on VERY LOW heat if the pot has started to cool. Re-cover and cook for 5 more minutes or so or until the cheese is all melty and gooey.
7. Enjoy!
Typing this out has made me very hungry for mac. I always have the ingredients in my cupboard if I can help it, so I may need to make it when I get home... Yum!
P.S. - There really is no such thing as too much dill, per the original chef.
Ingredients:
1 lb rotini pasta
3 cups grated mozzarella cheese
3 cups grated other cheese (I usually use a colby jack or something orange)
3 large eggs
1/2 cup milk (or so)
dill (LOTS)
salt & pepper to taste
Note: You'll need a large pot with a a cover that seals well to make sure this turns out ok.
Cooking Instructions:
1. Cook rotini according to package directions in a large pot.
2. While pasta is cooking, combine the egss and milk and beat well, the same as you would for scrambled eggs. Add salt & pepper as you see fit.
3. To the egg mixture, add more dill than you think you could ever possibly need. Seriously, add a lot of dill - it needs to be enough to season the whole dish, not just the eggs.
4. Once the pasta has finished cooking, drain well but DO NOT rinse. Return it immediately to the pot it cooked in and remove from heat. Add the egg mixture and stir around a couple of times to mix well - don't stir too much or you'll end up with scrambled eggs. Cover the pot.
5. Let the pot with the pasta + eggs sit for about 5 minutes so the eggs can cook. Stir once about half way through to make sure the eggs aren't just sitting on the bottom, but resist the urge to check on it a lot - that releases too much heat and the eggs won't cook all the way. No one wants salmonella.
6. Add the cheese to the pasta + egg mixture and stir well. Turn on VERY LOW heat if the pot has started to cool. Re-cover and cook for 5 more minutes or so or until the cheese is all melty and gooey.
7. Enjoy!
Typing this out has made me very hungry for mac. I always have the ingredients in my cupboard if I can help it, so I may need to make it when I get home... Yum!
P.S. - There really is no such thing as too much dill, per the original chef.
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