Spaghetti alla Carbonara (the real kind!)

I watched this recipe on Gary Rhodes's programme, Rhodes across Italy, in the episode where he visited the Lazio Region. This recipe is, for me, much more delicious than the British version of carbonara, and feels much lighter to eat! It is also much, much quicker to make, but is also filling and delicious. Perfect for a mid-week supper!


Some Guanciale (this is pork cheek, has a very intense flavour and much more delicous than pancetta, which the Italians do not use for this dish! If you cannot find it, use pancetta, it is really no big deal. The Food Police won't be knocking at the door if you do!)
1 egg yolk
1 egg
Spaghetti (of course)
Black pepper
Roughly 3 level tablespoons, each, of Parmesan cheese and Pecorino cheese
(And no creme fraiche in this recipe either!)


Put on a pan of water until it boils and cook the spaghetti. Use a dry pan to fry the guanciale, it has enough fat that you do not need any oil. When it is lovely and crispy, remove them from the pan.
Crack one whole egg and add one egg yolk to a bowl and whisk together. (Don't worry if the mixture is thick, it is supposed to be like that).
Add both the parmesan and pecorino cheese and combine. Season with pepper.
When the spaghetti is cooked, reserve about a ladle and a half of the cooking water, drain the spaghetti but do not shake out all of the water so it sticks together.
Add the spaghetti to the pan you fried the guanciale in, and add the egg mixture. Stir, so that the mixture coats the spaghetti, you need to work quickly so you do not scramble the eggs. Use about a ladle full of the cooking water, to begin with, to the loosen the spaghetti and add more if you need to. The spaghetti should have a silky smooth texture.
Serve with the pieces of guanciale on top, and a sprinkling of parmesan cheese on top.

Delicious!

Tip: Pecorino is quite salty so you should not need to add any salt.

x

It's Chocolate Week!

So those who know me will not be surprised to see that my very first post is about chocolate! The word 'chocoholic' does not even begin to describe me because my love of chocolate goes above and beyond any human understanding. In fact, I love chocolate so much that this January, I went cold-turkey and decided to not eat chocolate for a whole year!
Why? You might ask! Because I had ballooned to an unhealthy weight and my mid-section was starting to look like a rather hideous looking chocolate cake! Not attractive! But my chocolate abstinence does not mean I cannot celebrate chocolate week, so I am sharing with you the recipe for the chocolate pots my sister makes for my mum!

This is a recipe from one of my favourite chefs, Jamie Oliver:

Ingredients:

1/2 pint of single cream
200g dark chocolate (70% cocoa)
2 egg yolks
3 tbsp brandy (we used cointreau because we didn't know my mum had some in the cupboard already)
20g butter

Gentle warm the cream in a pan.
Break the chocolate into pieces and add to the cream. Gently melt to a smooth consistency.
Add the egg yolks and alcohol and combine.
Add the butter to the mixture. (Make sure it is not too hot or the whole thing will split!)
Pour into ramekins and refrigerate to set for at least 2 hours.


Not a difficult recipe and super delicious. The pot should have a lovely smooth texture and deep chocolatey flavour, with a little warmth coming through from the alcohol. Remember to keep everything on a gentle heat or you risk either splitting the mixture or scrambling the eggs (like my sister did once, which resulted in her swearing off ever making this recipe again! It was entirely her fault for not listening to me when I told her to turn the heat down. Ssssh don't tell her I said that!)


Enjoy! x

Hello!!

I decided to start this blog on the advice of my sister and one of my friends, who, knowing how I obsessively watch food programmes, read recipes, and cook almost every day, kept asking me why I had yet to start one up! So, here I am!

I'll mostly be posting about food that I make (of which I will try and post pictures), but I will also include my thoughts on visits to restaurants, and cookery shows!

Enjoy!

Nelema! x