Easy Carbonara

Mmmm...Deliciously creamy. We had this for dinner tonight. Make sure to achieve the right flavour by balancing the amount of cream, egg and salt.


what goes in:

farfalle (or other pasta), 200g
bacon or ham, 7 slices, finely sliced.
frozen petit pois(green peas), 1 1/2 cups
2 eggs
double cream, 200ml
fresh mint leaves
salt
freshly ground pepper
parmesan


1. Boil pasta in water.

2. Whip double cream and eggs (ratio 1 egg: 100ml cream)in a big bowl till smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

3. Stir-fry bacon till its oils are released. Meanwhile add frozen peas to boiling pasta in the last two minutes. Drain and add the lot to the pot of cooked bacon. Immediately pour in cream and egg mixture and stir around to get sauce into pasta. The residual heat from pasta will cook the carbonara sufficiently. DO NOT overcook. Flame should be turned off or on low when cream is added.

4. Serve with chopped mint leaves and parmesan.

Bon Bon "Spaghetti" Bolognese

A must-have staple at any restaurant. Someone told me that this should only be served with "angelhair" pasta and nothing else,...no, not even spaghetti. Hmmmm...

What goes in:

evoo
bacon, 5 slices
garlic, 5 cloves
fresh rosemary leaves, 2 stalks
one large white onion
dried oregano leaves, 2 heaped T
minced beef, 450g
sherry cooking wine, half bottle (this makes the difference!)
7 large fresh tomatoes
one fresh chilli, finely chopped OR tobasco sauce
a handful of fresh basil
Parmesan cheese, grated
angelhair pasta

1. Boil angelhair.

2. Heat evoo and add ingredients one by one in the above order (except basil and parmesan). Remember to add ingredients individually to enjoy each layering of aroma. This is an important part of the experiential process for the chef....TAKE IT ALLLL IN....Ahhhhhhh....

3. Once the meat sauce has simmered sufficiently (say about 30-40 mins), ladle some pasta onto a plate, top it with the sauce and throw some basil & parmesan over it. Voila!