Pasta Carbonara

Pasta carbonara one of my all time favorite pastas is easy,  fast and very filling.  I know that most Italians say that there should absolutly not be any heavy cream in a real carbonara but I also know that in some regions in Italy they use it and as I'm not Italian I use heavy cream in my carbonara because I thnk it tastes better.

This time I used pancetta which I think has a lot of taste but if you can't get a hold of that you can use regular bacon.  We drank a 2007 Chianti which I felt suited the dish perfectly.

I tend to do pasta dishes when I do not have a lot of time to cook.  Like I've written before, they are fast and tasty as well as kid friendly.  I have been working a lot during the last two weeks and therefore I haven't been blogging so much but I am now back to my regular schedule more or less so I hope to blog a bit more.

250 g pancetta 

1 bunch parsley

1 shallot

2 gloves garlic

pinch of red chili

2 dl white wine

3 dl heavy cream

3 egg yolk

2 dl shredded parmesean

salt & pepper

Dice the the pancetta, the shallot, garlic and chili.  Place these items in a hot pan and let sear for a minute or so.  Pour in white wine.  Let it cook.  In a bowl mix the egg yolks with 1 dl parmesean, 1 dl heavy cream and put aside.  Add the rest of the heavy cream to the pan and let it cook up a bit.  Add the cooked pasta into the sauce pan and then the rest of the parmesean and parsley.  Toss it around and remove it from heat and quickly pour in the egg mixture.  When you pour in the egg mixture give the pasta a quick toss and then serve... if the eggs starts to boil then you will have scrambled eggs (that's good too but not in a carbonara).  Done!  

Vegetarian of the week: Gnocchi

To make your own gnocchi might be a little complicated the first time but once you learn how the consistency of the dough should be then it is pretty easy.  It takes a bit of time  but it is so worth the effort. It is difficult to eat store bought after having eaten fresh made gnocchi, whether you make it or eat it at a restaurant.  I also think it is one of those meals that you will be proud of once you've made it.  Today I made arugula gnocchi but you can make plain or whatever herb or spice you'd like.  I served mine with eggplant parmesean but it could be served on it's own or with a fish or some kind of steak or whatever you are in the mood for and the eggplant is also something which can be it's own dinner if served with something else... Today we went all vegetarian.

INGREDIENTS (4 servings)

Gnocchi

8-10 potatos

2 egg yolks

3 dl flour

1 glove garlic

1 bunch arugula

1/2 dl olive oil

salt n pepper

Gnocchi Sauce

1 shallot

2 gloves garlic

2 slices red chili

10 cherry tomatos

1 tbl butter

2 dl white wine

Eggplant Parm

2 small eggplants (aubergine)

3 eggs

1 dl shredded parmesean

1 bunch basil

1 tbl lemon zest

1 dl flour

1 dl water

salt n pepper

gnocchi ONE

gnocchi TWO

Start by peeling and then boiling the potatos.  Drain the water when the potatos are soft.  Mash them thoroughly.  Let them cool.

Meanwhile get started on the eggplant parmesean so begin by slicing the eggplant.  Whisk the three eggs with parmesean and flour, chopped basil, water and lemon zest.    Dip the eggplant slices into the egg/cheese mixture and fry them in olive oil until golden brown.  Approximately 2 minutes on each side.  Put the eggplant to the side while preparing the gnocchi and when you have approximately 10 minutes left then put them in the oven to reheat.

Back to the gnocchi.  Mix the arugula with the garlic and olive oil using a hand mixer or blender.  Place this mix into a food processor with the egg, potatos and the flour... if you don't have a food processor you can do it by hand but you need to be quick like an old Italian because if you work it too much it will get sticky.  Then when blended roll it out on a floured surface and proceed to make gnocchi as shown in images above which say "gnocchi ONE" and "gnocchi TWO".  Drop the gnocchi into boiling salted water.  When they pop up to the surface the are done.  Take them up and drain them.  Toss them in some olive oil.

To make the sauce, chop up the garlic, chili and shallot.  Slice the tomatos and put everything in a hot pan with olive oil, let it sear for one minute.  Add white wine, butter and then add the gnocchi.  Toss it with some parmesean, salt and pepper.  Done!

Pasta a la Vongole

It doesn't get much easier or better then this!  This is a great weekend meal... it is festive and great tasting and it is very quick to make which frees up your time for other weekend activities.  If you are eating a spaghetti and meat sauce dinner fair enough but if if you are eating something a little nicer then I think that it is worth the money to get a better pasta.  Most people think pasta is pasta but I disagree.  The taste and the consistency of a good pasta as well the capacity to pick of flavors is not comparable to the average pasta (in my opinion).  

Shellfish is very easy to work with, much easier then many think.  Basically you just rinse and cook, you will know when it is ready because it will open.  Today I used vongole clams which are my favorite shellfish for pasta.  We drank a wine that was perfect for the meal.  A Soave Classico 2007 which was recommended by my co-workers.  The wine was full of flavor and it made the food taste even better which is what a good wine should do.  

PASTA A LA VONGOLE

1 kilo vongole clams

4 dl white wine

2 gloves garlic

1 diced shallot

1 bunch parsley

3 tblsp butter

dash olive oil

pinch of diced red chili

Rinse the clams, in a bowl with running water for about 5 minutes.  Lift the clams up so all the water and sand falls off.  Put them in a hot pan with olive oil and 1 tablsp butter, the onion chili and garlic.  Let it  simmer two minutes then pour in wine and let cook for three minutes.  Add the rest of the butter and pasta.  Toss with parsley, salt and pepper.  Done.

Obviously, cook the pasta in a side pot during the time you are preparing the clams.  The time it will take to do this depends on the pasta.