Penne alla Carbonara

This is how a proper Carbonara should be. This is a rustic pasta dish that comes from Rome although its origin is questionable as some Italians say it came from the Umbria region, some say it comes from the Lazio region and some say that it was invented by an inventor from Naples from the Campana region. Anyway, whatever the provenance it is a very tasty dish and a very quick and easy way to flavour your pasta. We used penne but spaghetti go very well with this type of sauce as well. If you do not have pecorino Romano you may use Grana padano or Parmegiano Reggiano. Make sure you use free range eggs so you get a lovely yellowy colour. The original recipe uses guanciale which similar to pancetta only that guanciale comes from the cheek of the pig (guancia means cheek in italian hence the name) and pancetta comes from the belly of the animal (pancia means belly in italian hence the name). Give it a go! For 4 people you will need...

• 300g penne
• 4 egg yolks + 1 whole egg
• 100g grated pecorino Romano
• 150g Guanciale or pancetta, diced

How to...

1. Start by cooking the pasta al dente. 
2. Cook the guanciale or pancetta in a hot pan (no oil is required as guanciale and/or lardons have enough fat on them) until crispy.
3. When the pasta is cooked, drain it but leave a little cooking liquid with the pasta to avoid having a dry pasta dish. Cover and set aside.
4. Start making the sauce by whisking the egg yolks and one whole egg in a bowl. Whisk until they are combined well. Add the cheese and combine well with the eggs. Now add the guanciale or pancetta. Mix again and add everything to the cooked pasta.
5. Mix slowly until all the pasta is covered with the sauce and serve.

Enjoy!!

R&A

Conchigliette con legumi, pancetta e pomodoro - Small shell shaped pasta with pulses, bacon and tomatoes

End of the month, everyone is on a tight budget, so I just opened our kitchen cupboards and roved around the kitchen shelves and scanned all the available ingredients and made up something in my head. This is the result. It is a cross between a thick soup and a pasta dish. With cold weather around us it turned out to be a real heart warmer for us. The quantities here are for 4-5 persons as it  is very hearty, so you can make it for your holiday dinners maybe, if not adapt the quantities as you like. So here it goes,

• 200g concighliette [shell shaped pasta]
• 100g bacon steak, diced
• 100g mixed dried pulses [lentils, split peas, barley etc], soaked in water for about 12 hours or overnight
• 1 can chopped tomatoes
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 small dried chilli, chopped or 1/2 tsp chilli flakes
• ½ teaspoon sugar
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
• ¼ teaspoon dried marjoram
• ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
• Vegetable oil
• 1 mozzarella ball [125g], diced
• Fresh basil leaves

How to...

1. Cook the soaked pulses in water first by boiling them for about 15 minutes and then simmering them for about 45-50 minutes or until soft. Set aside when done.
2. Fry the onion, garlic and pepper on a medium heat until soft, stirring constantly.
3. Add the bacon, herbs [not the basil leaves], black pepper, chilli and sit well.
4. Cook until bacon is cooked well.
5. Add the chopped tomatoes, sugar and simmer on medium heat for about 30 minutes. Stirring frequently. In the meantime cook the pasta.
6. Add the pulses and cook for 5 minutes. Mix well.
7. Add the pasta to the pulse/tomato mixture and incorporate well. 
8. Ladle into bowls. Sprinkle with the diced mozzarella and hand torn fresh basil leaves.

Enjoy!!!!!
R &A