Cheese and Pears

Archive for May, 2010

Pasta Carbonara

Posted on May 18, 2010 08:05:02 PM

Pasta carbonara is a very fascinating thing, let’s start with the ingredients for 4 people:

• 320g spaghetti (this is the typical type of pasta for the carbonara)
• 100g bacon, diced
• Salt and pepper
• 3 eggs
• extra-virgin olive oil
• 50g of grated Parmesan cheese. The ideal cheese should be Pecorino, which is made from sheep’s milk and has a sharper taste than Parmesan.

Heat the olive oil in a frying pan, then add the bacon and gently stir fry until the bits are golden and crispy. Set aside and let them cool down.

Lightly beat the eggs in a small bowl, and add the salt and pepper.When the bacon is at room temperature add it to the eggs.

While you’re cooking the spaghetti according to the packet instructions, take a few minutes to remember the one and only truth about “carbonara sauce”, and repeat it as a mantra: carbonara sauce doesn’t exist. At least if, by “sauce” we mean a separate entity, which we mix into the pasta.

The reason why there is no such thing as sauce for carbonara, is that, what you pour on the spaghetti are just lightly beaten eggs, which will immediately start to coagulate with the heat of spaghetti.This is why the secret of the Italian pasta carbonara is all in a good timing, so follow me.

Pour the spaghetti in the colander, let gravity do its job, but just when all water has been drained, put the colander on top of the saucepan, for five seconds, then pour the spaghetti back in. You will need a little bit if the cooking water or the pasta will be too dry, but not too much. This is why the timing is so important.

Add the eggs, and stir until they are completely curdled. Add the Parmesan and serve. If you’re not sure of what you’re doing, collect part of the cooking water in a separate bowl, drain the spaghetti completely, then add the water one tablespoon at the time until it’s not too dry.

There are four different parties when it comes to the spaghetti carbonara recipe. First, there is the smoked vs the unsmoked bacon. In the latter case you would use guanciale,which is made from the pig’s cheek. Then there is the cream vs cooking water party.

Whereas I’m fairly neutral when it comes to bacon (being in Ireland I would definitely go for the smoked one), I have no quibble about saying that I’m a proud member of the cooking-water-party.

Vegetable Frittata Recipe

Posted on May 6, 2010 06:02:37 PM

Cheese and Pears is back after a long time with a vegetable frittata recipe. I have to confess one thing: I have hardly cooked recently, and my sweet-half (I’m not sure if this is proper English, I’m translating from Italian dolce-metà) has taken over the duties in the kitchen, and I think that for while from now, I’ll be bathing in her own light, until this lazy spell goes away.
Frittata is the Italian equivalent of French Omelette or the Spanish tortilla, but with differences, the main one being that unlike the French or the Spanish, we don’t make it a matter of national pride.
Typically, it’s all in one piece, but you may also find who would call frittata what actually are scrambled eggs. Also, the typical recipe for frittata includes vegetables and/or salami.
In Veneto, the region where I’m from, frittata is the traditional dish of a trip to the countryside you would do with family or friends on the 25th of April, the day of St Mark’s, who is also Venice’s patron saint. Incidentally, the same day we also celebrate Italy’s liberation from nazi-fascism (in 1945).

Anyway, enough Italian history for dummies and back to the Italian frittata recipe. The one we (she) made was baked in the oven, here are the ingredients:

• 6 whole eggs
• 6 asparagus
• 1 zucchini, chopped
• 1 red pepper, sliced
• 1 onion, chopped
• Zest of half lemon
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Boil the asparagus for 15 minutes in salted water then drain, let them cool, and chop them.
Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and add the zucchini and the onion. Sauté at low-medium heat for 10-15 minutes. Take the frying pan off the heat, and set aside too cool down.
Preheat the oven at 180° C, 350° F.
In a bowl, break 6 eggs, add salt and pepper, and the lemon zest, and lightly beat them.
Add the asparagus, zucchini and onions, and peppers to the eggs in the bowl, and stir. Place a piece of ovenproof paper on a baking pan or tin and pour the egg mix . Ideally, for a baked frittata recipe like this, you should end up with a thickness of at least one cm.
Bake it for about 20 minutes, or until all the egg has coagulated. If this frittata with vegetables is not too thick, if it’s cooked on the surface, it means it’s also cooked inside. If you’re not too hungry you can wait a little more until it’s golden brown on top.

It’s also great for the day after lunch box, between two slices of toasted brown bread.