Pasta Carbonara - A Little Taste Of Italy, Very Simple For You To Prepare At Your Home

If you are looking for a classic Italian dish then this is the one for you. It is fairly easy for anyone to cook if you just follow the directions. To make it the traditional way you will need to use prosciutto or pancetta which is Italian bacon. I prefer to use good American bacon most of the time just because I like the flavor of our pork products. However if it is going to be the classic Italian dish then the other type of pork fat needs to be used.

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Ingredients list: 1 lb of bacon if you are going to prepare the US version, 1/4- 1/2 lb of pancetta or prosciutto, they both have a very strong flavor so use sparingly depending on your tastes. 1 lb of linguine, 2-3 eggs, 1/4-1/3 cup of Italian parsley fresh if available, a really good parmesan cheese grated, salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.

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1. Cut your pork products into lard-on strips, or 1/4" strips and then saute/render your pork product that you desire in you dish. You want to get the pieces crisp but not too done. Remove the cooked pork with a slotted spoon and pat dry and hold for later.

2. You will get your water going for your pasta. Follow the instructions on the box for your pasta. Just remember to salt your water. Stir in the pasta and make sure it is fully covered with the water. Cook until done but not overcooked. You will still want some bite to the pasta or al dente- firm to the bite. You can bite into the pasta, look at the center and you will see whether it is done or not by noticing the center. If it is not the same color all the way through then it is still not done. Practice makes perfect on this step. But you will definitely now if it is overcooked, it will be mushy and will fall apart on you.

3. You will first want to have a separate pot of simmering or close to boiling water. You will want to add the eggs to this water only for about 20-30 seconds to kill any bacteria such as salmonella. Remove from the water and rinse and then immediately break into bowl. Beat the eggs very well or thoroughly in a mixing bowl that you can serve this dish in.

4. When the pasta is fully cooked, drain it and try to remove all excess water. Do not rinse!

5. Put the drained pasta into the serving dish with the eggs and toss the pasta into the egg mixture. The heat from the pasta will cook the egg mixture. Just make sure you stir well, but be careful not to cut your pasta.

6. Add your pork products, parsley and cheese at this point and give it another toss. Plate it up, pour yourself and guest some wine, and break bread together.

This is a very classical Italian dish as I stated before. Just take precautions when preparing the egg mixture. And I hope that you enjoy this dish, if you like you can use bacon or sausage and eat for a breakfast meal served with danish or some type of bread. Ciao!

Pasta Carbonara - A Little Taste Of Italy, Very Simple For You To Prepare At Your Home

Chef Shelley Pogue, a Cum Laude, Le Cordon Blue graduate and research and development chef for Vertical Sales and Marketing, San Ramon, CA.

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The Best Little Pasta Dish In Texas, Great Possibilities, And You Can Add Your Own Favorites To It

Basil pesto is one of the easiest types of sauces to make. There is very little preparation for this sauce and it packs a ton of flavor. There are several different types of basil that you can get at your local market. There is cinnamon basil, Thai basil, lemon basil and Genovese basil just to name a few. Genovese is considered to be one of the best to make pesto the old Italian way, and if it is available it is the one to use. Basil has many medicinal uses as well, but this recipe is for a great flavor addition on your favorite type of pasta. This dish should take less than 30 minutes from start to finish.

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You will need to come up with a grocery list, so you can get all of the ingredients in hand, to make this great dish.

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Items list for the Basil Pesto: 2 cups fresh basil leaves, 4 cloves garlic, crushed , 3/4 - 1 cup of pine nuts, 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese shredded, 3/4 Romano cheese shredded, 1 cup of good quality olive oil, pinch of salt and black pepper, T/T. You will also need one pound of your favorite pasta, penne pasta, farfalle pasta (bow tie) or fettuccine if you wish. 1/4 cup of heavy cream optional.

1. I start my water at this point to get ahead of the game, and I use a generous amount of salt in the water for the pasta. Depending on the pasta you use it would be best to follow the directions on the box. Just make sure you add salt the water, it is important.

2. Get out your food processor or blender at this point. Add your washed basil, garlic and pine nuts at this time and blend.

3. While blending you need to start incorporating the olive oil at this point, in a slow but steady stream.

4. Stop the food processor and add cheese, salt and pepper. Blend again and then taste for seasonings. Add more salt an pepper if it is needed. I remember while attending Culinary school, I was asked by one of my chef instructors: Did you forgot your salt extractor today? You can always add more of any ingredient, but you can not take it out!

5. Remove all of the pesto from the food processor, and hold until you are finished. I will put it into a container that I can keep in the refrigerator, so I will have it for a week or two. And that way you are not continually transferring to many bowls to clean.

6. I would add my pasta to the boiling water at this point and prep the rest of my ingredients at this point. If I were going to add a salad with this dish I would get if made at this point. It will not take long to wash your lettuce and get ingredients ready for dinner with your family.

7. I like to add artichokes, bacon and sun-dried tomatoes to this dish just to give it some flare. I also take some extra pine nuts, and roast them to add them to the finished dish as well. To roast your pine nuts you can do it in a over or over a stove top burner. You just have to watch them to make sure they do not get too much color. They will taste very bitter, or burned if this happens. You can add any ingredient to your pasta dish that you prefer. I am sure some Kalamata black olives would be tasty on this dish as well. This is what makes it your dish, every ones taste buds are a little different. If you are wanting to have a special dinner for loved ones or guests. You can offer them a wide variety of ingredients to add to there own dish in the center of the table. It will make them feel very special, and offer them the ingredients to make it their own dish.

8. The pasta is probably ready to be drained at this point. Do not wash the pasta, and return it to the same pan. I would start to add in some of the pesto starting with 2-3 tablespoons and turn the pasta with tongs if you have them to mix in the pesto. Continue until the desired amount of pesto is on the pasta. Add salt and pepper to taste and then serve.

9. If you are not concerned about the fat content: Then go from step 7 to step 9 In a separate bowl add a couple of tablespoons of the pasta water to the the 1/4 cup of heavy cream to the, add the 2 Tbsp of pesto and mix. Drain the pasta, but do not rinse. Put the pasta back into the same pan and pour the cream pesto mixture into the pot and turn with a wooden spoon of tongs. Make sure there is a good covering of the mixture on the desired pasta. You can also add more cheese at this point if you so desire.

10. Set the table and get ready to dig in. After I put the portion on to my plate I would then add my artichokes, bacon, sun-dried tomatoes, and pine nuts. Or you can put yours on a nice serving platter in the middle of the table with a piece of basil garnish and everyone can serve themselves.

I hope that you enjoy this dish. Making a basil pesto sauce is very easy and it taste great. I hope that you will find those ingredients that you really love and incorporate them into this dish to call it you own.

The Best Little Pasta Dish In Texas, Great Possibilities, And You Can Add Your Own Favorites To It

Chef Shelley Pogue, a Cum Laude, Le Cordon Blue graduate and research and development chef for Vertical Sales and Marketing, San Ramon, CA.

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