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Carbonara

Carbonara is a very popular Italian, tasty and easy to prepare dish. Some cooks like to prepare it with smoked bacon, others with the cured but not smoked bacon, known as pancetta. I, personally, prefer it with unsmoked "pancetta" or bacon. It is very important not to overcook the pasta, as you will be cooking it a little longer in the pan with the sauce. The pasta should be (al dente) a bit chewy.

Ingredeints for 4 people:
* 5 oz pancetta (streaky bacon will do if you cannot find pancetta, but I noticed most supermarkets now carry it in the delicatessen department), very small cubes
* 1 TBSP butter
* 3 eggs
* 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
* 1 TBSP Paprika
* 1 1/2 to 2 TBSP parsley, chopped
* Salt
* 1 lb penne or spaghetti
* 300 ml whipping cream

Read through once befor cooking:

MELT the butter over medium heat in a pan large enough to eventually hold both the pasta and the sauce.

AS soon as the butter is melted, add the diced bacon and cook till crisp and light brown.

AT the same time bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil.

ADD the pasta and stir to separate with a wooden spoon or fork. Cook till done.

MEANWHILE, in a bowl, beat 2 eggs and 1 egg yoke along with the Parmesan.

ADD 1 T parsley to bacon with the cream and Paprika. Stir.

WHEN pasta is done, drain (reserve a few tablespoons of the cooking liquid) and add to the pan with the butter and bacon mixture when the Paprika has desolved.

TURN the heat on to very, very low and add the egg/cheese mixture, stirring continuously for a couple of minutes until eggs are heated through. (They will lose their glassy appearance.)

SPRINKLE with the remaining parsley.

REMOVE pan from heat, and serve immediately plates.


HINT: if mixture is too dry add a little of the pasta water at a time, stirring as you do so.

Also If you dont have a large pan use the pot you boiled the spaggeti in.

Wines: both Red and White wine match this dish but red is more eligently suited.

SPAGHETTI BOLOGNESE


Spaghetti Bolognese - Bolognese sauce usually features at least two different kinds of meat, the meat is usually minced, not ground, and milk or cream in some measure is added at some point. This is our adaption of the Bolognese recipe. For a quick meat sauce with ground beef, see Simple Meat Sauce or try the more classic Bolognese Sauce with milk and nutmeg.


Ingredients
* 3 Tb olive oil
* 3 TB butter
* 1 large onion, finely chopped
* 2 stalks celery finely chopped
* 2 carrots finely chopped (size of a wooden match head)
* 2 bay leaves
* 1/2 tsp dry oregano (more to taste) 1 tsp fresh
* 1/4 cup red wine (optional)
* 1 14 oz and 1 28 oz can tomatoes (36 oz all together)
* 14 oz tomato sauce - homemade, or commercial, Hunts or similar
* 1 lb good quality beef, minced
* 1/4 lb ground pork or Italian style pork sausage broken up in small pieces
* salt
* chili pepper or pepperoncino, small piece (more to taste)

Read through once befor cooking:

IN an earthenware pot or the heaviest, deepest pot you have, heat the oil/butter. Add the chopped onion and saute briefly over medium heat until just translucent. Add the celery, carrot and optional hot pepper and cook gently until softened, about 2 - 4 minutes.

ADD the minced beef and the pork sausage, breaking it up with a fork. Add salt to taste, stir, and cook only until the meat has lost its raw, red color. Add the wine, turn the heat up to medium high, and cook, stirring occasionally, until all the wine has evaporated.

ADD the tomatoes, the oregano and the bay leaves and stir thoroughly. When the tomatoes have started to bubble, turn the heat down until the sauce cooks at the gentlest simmer, just an occasional bubble. Cook, uncovered, for a minimum of 3 to 4 hours, stirring occasionally. Taste and check for salt. (If you cannot keep an eye on the sauce for such a long stretch, you can turn off the heat and resume cooking it later on. But do finish cooking it in one day.)

USING FRESH TOMATOES: Plunge in hot water, peel and de seed as much as possible, simmer in a little water, covered, until soft, then process briefly to a coarse sauce consistency before adding.

HINT: you can refrigerate for up to 3 days. Freezes well. You can make extra portions for later.

Wines: Red Wines that are not to fruity but are smouth with a nice aftertaste work realy well with this dish