SPAGHETTI CARBONARA

SPAGHETTI CARBONARA

DINNER AT HOME

This was our first attempt at making homemade Pasta with Carbonara Sauce.  We were fortunate to take a cooking class in Tuscany, Italy where a Michelin Star Chef from Rome showed us her family recipe for this Italian classic.  The Carbonara Sauce came out great and the entire family loved it.  Our only disappointment was that we rolled the pasta out too thick.  Next time we will be sure to roll the dough out into thinner strips.  This was a fun family effort that had everyone in the kitchen rolling pasta.  Click link below to view our Tuscany cooking class at La Parolina Ristorante.

http://greateatshawaii.blogspot.com/2014/08/tuscan-cooking-class-at-la-parolina.html

https://greateatshawaii.blogspot.com/2020/11/carbonara-with-caviar.html

https://greateatshawaii.blogspot.com/2020/08/spaghetti-carbonara.html

SPAGHETTI CARBONARA

TWO EGGS, FLOUR AND WATER.  THE CHEFS RECIPE ACTUALLY CALLS FOR HALF REGULAR FLOUR AND HALF SEMOLINA FLOUR.  COULD NOT FIND SEMOLINA SO WE USED ALL PURPOSE.
NEXT TIME WE WILL USE 50% ALL PURPOSE AND 50% SEMOLINA FLOUR

TWO EGGS AND FLOWER

MAKE A LITTLE VOLCANO OF FLOUR AND THEN CRACK TO EGGS AND PLACE ON TOP

THE FLOUR ABSORBS THE EGGS.  ADD WATER AS NEEDED

NOW COMES THE HARD PART.  YOU MUST KNEED THE DOUGH UNTIL IT FORMS A NICE BALL

FINISHED BALL OF PASTA DOUGH

COVER DOUGH FOR 30 MINUTES 

AFTER 30 MINUTES COVERED THE DOUGH RISES A BIT

CUBED PANCETTA NOW NEEDS TO BE COOKED

BEAT TWO EGGS IN BOWL FOR THE CARBONARA SAUCE

FRESH PASTA ROLLED INTO SPAGHETTI

WE MADE OUR PASTA A BIT TOO THICK

THE SECRET IS TO USE A DOUBLE BOILER SYSTEM TO HEAT THE EGGS.
KEEP HEAT ON LOW SO EGGS DO NOT SCRAMBLE.  HEAT UNTIL EGGS BECOME FOAMY

PANCETTA GOES INTO HOT PAN

FRESH SPAGHETTI MADE AT HOME

COOK THE PANCETTA 

ADD FRESH PASTA TO BOILING WATER

1 CUP EACH OF PECORINO ROMANO AND PARMIGIANO REGGIANO CHEESE

MIX EGGS WELL IN DOUBLE BOILER

FRESH PASTA COOKS IN JUST MINUTES AND FLOATS TO THE TOP

PANCETTA, EGGS AND PASTA ARE READY TO GO

ADD FRESH COOKED PASTA TO PANCETTA

MIX PASTA WITH PANCETTA

ADD THE TWO CHEESES AND FRESHLY CRACKED PEPPER

ADD PASTA WATER 

PASTA, PANCETTA AND CHEESE ARE NOW READY FOR THE EGGS

POUR IN THE FOAMY EGGS

MIX EVERYTHING TOGETHER AND YOU ARE READY TO PLATE THE DISH

GREAT TASTING SPAGHETTI CARBONARA AT HOME

SECOND ATTEMPT AT THIS RECIPE WE PULLED OUT THE STAND MIXER 

 NOW THIS IS THE WAY TO MAKE THE PASTA PERFECT EVERY TIME!

POURED THE WHIPPED EGGS ON THE PLATE PRIOR TO ADDING THE PASTA

 ADDED THE FRESH COOKED PASTA TO THE PANCETTA

 MIXED AND ADDED THE TWO CHEESES

 THE SECOND VERSION LOOKED MUCH BETTER THAN THE FIRST

THIRD TIME EVEN LOOKING BETTER!

CUISINE SOLUTIONS RED BEET SALAD FROM COSTCO

CUISINE SOLUTIONS RED BEET SALAD

DINNER AT HOME

I love fresh Beets and when I saw a package of bright red slices with Parsley and Red Onions at Costco they had to be on my dinner table that night.  I opened the 32 oz package to find what looked like rejected Beets marinated in Olive Oil.  The Beets were all in pieces and some actually looked smashed.  There were only a few whole slices in the bag.  This made the presentation terrible which in some way ruined the dish.  The flavor of the Beets, Olive Oil and Spices was good but the fact that all of the Beets were broken into pieces made this a dish I would not purchase again.  

CUISINE SOLUTIONS RED BEET SALAD

RED BEET SALAD FROM COSTCO.  CHECK OUT THE PHOTO SHOWING LARGE SLICED BEETS

PACKAGE OF BEETS IN PLASTIC BAG

OPENED THE BAG TO FIND BEET MUSH AND VERY FEW WHOLE SLICES

SERVED WITH SOME FRESH HAWAIIAN FISH AND MASHED POTATOES

MOST OF THE BEETS IN THE PACKAGE WERE SMALL PIECES OR SMASHED

KIRKLAND ITALIAN SAUSAGE AND BEEF LASAGNA

KIRKLAND ITALIAN SAUSAGE AND BEEF LASAGNA

DINNER AT HOME

I like having a few precooked meals from Costco on hand for those nights when you need a quick meal for the family.  When I saw the beautifully layered Lasagna photo at Costco I grabbed it without hesitation.  At around $17 for two 3 pound trays I figured we could not go wrong as long as it tasted good.  Well the product tasted great and I will make sure we buy more of this Lasagna to keep in the freezer.  The Lasagna when first taken from the oven seemed a little oily but after letting it rest a few minutes and cutting it the oil absorbed into the pasta.  While I had dreams of the Lasagna looking like the photograph on the package, my portion came out looking like a blob.  After one bite I did not care about the look of the pasta.  It tasted great and filled me up.  My entire family liked this Lasagna.  My wife God Bless her gave the second package to a deserving family who's Mom is battling Cancer.  Cooking the Lasagna is a breeze.  Simply remove from the carton and cut two slits in the plastic covering.  Bake at 375 degrees for around 50 minutes.  Then remove the plastic cover and bake another 10 minutes until golden brown.  Oven temperatures may vary so keep an eye on the Lasagna when baking.  The ground meat should reach a minimum temperature of 160 degrees before serving.   Let the Lasagna rest a few minutes before cutting.

KIRKLAND ITALIAN SAUSAGE AND BEEF LASAGNA

TWO 3LB PANS OF LASAGNA FROM COSTCO

SEPARATE PACKAGES AND COOK ONE OR BOTH

SIMPLY PUT TWO SLICES IN PLASTIC COVER AND BAKE IN OVEN AT 375 DEGREES FOR 50 MINUTES.  REMOVE THE PLASTIC FILM AND BAKE ADDITIONAL 10 MINUTES UNTIL GOLDEN BROWN.

FINISHED LASAGNA

CHEESY AND MEATY LASAGNA


THIS LASAGNA IS SO GOOD!

THE BEST FROZEN LASAGNA ON THE MARKET!

KIRKLAND ITALIAN SAUSAGE AND BEEF LASAGNA

THE LASAGNA DID NOT LOOK GOOD WHEN CUT BUT THE FLAVOR WAS EXCELLENT

LEFTOVERS MAKE FOR A VERY FAST AND TASTY MEAL