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Spaghetti Carbonara
Spaghetti Carbonara
Carbonara dates back to Rome right after WW2 when American army soldiers were living in Italy. It was said that bacon and eggs were incorporated to the pasta, calling it “spaghetti breakfast.” The preparation of carbonara consists of spaghetti tossed in the fat of guanciale or pancetta. A mixture of eggs, pecorino romano, and black pepper is tossed with the pasta off the heat to prevent the eggs from curdling. Then the pork is tossed back in with the pasta. Other variations of this dish include using bucatini, fettuccine, linguine, or penne pasta; parmesan cheese instead of pecorino; and adding peas, broccoli, mushrooms, leeks, and onions.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1 lb dry spaghetti
- 3 tbsp salt
- 8 oz pancetta or guanciale or bacon; diced
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 3 large eggs beaten
- 4 oz pecorino romano or parmesan; shredded
- 1 tbsp cracked black pepper
- 1 cup reserved pasta water
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil with the salt. Cook the spaghetti according to package instructions 2 minutes shy of being done; reserving 1 cup of the pasta water. Drain the pasta without rinsing.
- In a large sauté pan, brown the pancetta until crispy over medium heat; about 7-8 minutes. Remove from the pan, reserving the fat.
- Toss in the garlic. Cook for 1 minute.
- Add in the pasta, coating with the garlic. Cook for 2 minutes.
- Beat together the eggs, pecorino, and black pepper.
- Turn off the heat and toss in the egg mixture and pasta water; coating the spaghetti.
- Toss the pancetta with the spaghetti.
Vegan Pecan Sweet Potato Bake
Vegan Pecan Sweet Potato Bake
I was recently invited to my good friends Larissa and Irene’s Friendsgiving party and was in charge of making sweet potatoes and mashed potatoes. The catch was that both the side dishes had to be vegan. No problem. I typically make this sweet potato bake with real butter, heavy cream, and add crumbled bacon with the pecan topping. So I substituted real butter with plant-based butter made out of cashew milk and used almond milk instead of heavy cream. I also X’ed the bacon. The sweet potato bake still turned out just as good and was a hit with everyone.
Servings: 12
Equipment
- potato masher
- aluminum pan or baking dish
- nonstick spray
Ingredients
- 5 lbs sweet potatoes peeled and diced
- 8 oz plant-based butter
- 1/2 cup almond milk
- 1/4 cup brown sugar plus more for topping
- 3 tsp salt
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup pecan halves
Instructions
- In a large stock pot, bring water to a boil. Add in the sweet potatoes and boil for 10 minutes until fork tender. Drain.
- Using a potato masher, mash the sweet potatoes. Stir in the plant-based butter, almond milk, brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Using nonstick spray, grease an aluminum pan or baking dish. Pour in the sweet potato mixture.
- Top the mixture with pecan halves. Sprinkle over more brown sugar. Bake for 30 minutes.
Whole Chicken Braised in Coconut Milk
Whole Chicken Braised in Coconut Milk
This is one of my favorite ways to cook a whole chicken. The chicken is seasoned with creole seasoning and seared in a dutch oven, then braised in the oven with coconut milk, lemongrass, and garlic; creating a rich gravy. This gravy is so damn good, I’d drink it by the cup full if I could. You can add fingerling potatoes the last 30 minutes of cooking, or spoon the coconut milk gravy over steamed rice.
Equipment
- cast iron Dutch oven
Ingredients
- 4 lb whole chicken
- creole seasoning to taste
- 6 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tsp ginger grated
- 1 tbsp thyme
- 2 stalks lemongrass finely chopped
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp curry powder
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 medium white onion diced
- 2 cups coconut milk
- 1 cup water
- 1 tsp white pepper
- 2 lbs fingerling potatoes
Instructions
- Season the chicken with the creole seasoning and white pepper. Fill the inner cavity with the half of the garlic, ginger, and 1 stalk of lemongrass. Heat up the vegetable oil in a Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add the chicken to the pot.
- Brown on both sides for 12 minutes in total. Remove the chicken from the pot.
- Sauté the onions, remaining garlic and lemongrass, thyme, smoked paprika, curry powder, and cayenne pepper for 2 minutes.
- Pour in the coconut milk and water; scraping the bottom of the pot.
- Place the chicken back into the pot. Bring to a boil, cover, and place in a 350 degree oven for up to 90 minutes; basting with the sauce every 20 minutes.
- The last 30 minutes of cooking, add in the fingerling potatoes. Let cool before serving.
