Paccheri Carbonara

We love Carbonara. But it's one of those dishes that is either really good or really bad. And some restaurants try to put their own special "touch" to it. It's basically just eggs and cheese, but some places have to put their own touches to it and make it their own. We found a place like that and their version was delicious. So I wanted to recreate it. Close but no cigar. I also don't think their dish was a true Carbonara but they can call it whatever they want, we called it fantastic. But mine didn't come close. We liked, not loved, so it needs more tweaking!

I found a recipe online by Barbara Lynch at Bon Appetit. Then just added what I remember was in the original dish. Mushrooms, peas. I think it must have also had cream, which to me would make it more like an Alfredo but that's a whole new discussion. I didn't use the cream. Next time.

The recipe from Bon Appetit used rigatoni but I used the same pasta the restaurant did, a large tube-shaped pasta called Paccheri, sort of like a big fat rigatoni. This wasn't exactly like we remember but it was still pretty good. The Paccheri is nice because it's big, hollow and hearty and when it's cooked it flattens and grabs a lot of sauce, except mine didn't flatten much because it was really al dente. It needed a tad more cooking time but on the bright side it wasn't crunchy. I also need more work on technique it's been a long time since I made a Carbonara. The sauce was a bit diluted, I added way too much pasta water this time because I was rushing to get dinner on the table and I didn't pay attention. Story of my life. But it was good. Just not great. So next time will be perfect. Maybe.

Paccheri Carbonara
adapted by There's Always Thyme to Cook
Source: http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2012/04/the-silkiest-carbonara, recipe by Barbara Lynch
Printable Recipe

1/4 pound pancetta, cut into 1/3-inch cubes
7 large egg yolks
1 large egg
1 pound rigatoni, paccheri or penne (spaghetti works well, too)
8 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup fresh or frozen green peas
kosher salt
1/2 cup finely grated Pecorino or Parmesan plus more for garnish
1 1/2 - 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper (or you can use a blend of pink, green and black peppercorns)
 
Put the pancetta in a large skillet and place over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until fat renders but the pancetta is not browned, about 5 or 6 minutes. Saute the mushrooms until softened, add the peas and cook for another minute. Pour into a fine-mesh sieve set over a small bowl; reserve drippings. Transfer the pancetta, mushrooms and peas to a large bowl and let cool slightly. Add egg yolks and egg to bowl; whisk to blend.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup pasta cooking liquid.
 
To egg mixture, immediately add the pasta, 2 tablespoons of the reserved pasta cooking liquid, and 1 teaspoon of the pancetta drippings; toss to coat. Working in batches, gradually add the Parmesan, stirring and tossing to melt between batches. Add freshly ground pepper and toss until sauce thickens, adding more pasta water by the spoonful if needed. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
 
Divide into bowls and top with more grated cheese. Serve immediately.

Joining 

 Beth at Beth Fish Reads for her fun Weekend Cooking Party. Every weekend. It's open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share! Go on over and see some fun posts.
 

AND

 Mosaic Monday  at the Little Red House

AND 

 Food on Friday at Carole's Chatter 

 

Tweet

Simpler Times French Toast Casserole

Overnight French Toast casserole is a favorite in our house. Especially this one. Simpler Times Blueberry French Toast Casserole. Always a request from my son and his friends, especially when they were back on break from college. But planning ahead is not really my thing, or theirs, so we sort of skipped the overnight part and gave it abut an hour for the bread to soak up the custard. A little mash and stir helps that along and even with just half an hour to soak, it comes out perfect. This time I even went for the real bacon and not the pre-cooked. No comparison! A pretty perfect breakfast. Tomorrow it's back to the cheerio's!

Simpler Times French Toast
Source: David/ Lakeguy (GW Cooking Forum), original recipe by Chef & Innkeeper Cindy Belford, Simpler Times Inn
adapted by There's Always Thyme to Cook
Printable Recipe

1 whole Challah or Brioche cut in 1" cubes
5 eggs
1/2 cup sugar (original recipe called for 1 cup, I used 1/2 cup)
1 teaspoon nutmeg
3 cups milk or half & half
3 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
1 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar

Put bread cubes in large bowl. Whip eggs, sugar and nutmeg until light in color and thick. Add milk, stir and pour over bread. Cover and place in fridge overnight, if you can't make it ahead, let it soak for at least an hour and mix the bread well in the custard mixture.

In the morning, mix 1 cup blueberries and 1/2 cup pecans into the bread mix and put into a greased pan; sprinkle rest of the blueberries on top, then the pecans. In pan, melt butter and brown sugar until bubbly. Pour mixture over blueberries and pecans.

Bake at 325 degrees for one hour or until puffed. Serve hot with syrup.

Joining

Food on Friday at Carole's Chatter

Tweet

Best Breakfast Eggs!

Jamie Oliver said "forget coffee, a little gnaw of chili in the morning will wake you up!" and boy, was he right. I'm up! I'm wide awake! But I still needed my coffee. Jamie called these Beautiful Breakfast Tortilla's, I'd call them Best Breakfast Eggs. These were really the best! Not to mention quick and very easy. Nice way to start the day. Now if I could get someone else to do the dishes and wash the pans I'd be all set.

 

Beautiful Breakfast Tortillas
Source: Jamie's America by Jamie Oliver, you can find the original recipe here and watch him make it!
adapted by There's Always Thyme to Cook
Printable Recipe

1 ripe avocado, halved, pitted, peeled, and diced
2 limes
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 medium-sized tomato halved and diced
1 fresh green chile, seeded and minced (I used pickled jalapeno rings, chopped)
a small bunch of fresh cilantro, leaves picked and chopped
a handful of freshly grated Manchego or Cheddar cheese
4 corn or flour tortillas (I used flour)
6 large eggs
3 scallions, trimmed and sliced very thin
a good pat of butter
chile sauce (as hot as you want!), to serve (I used Sriracha)

Mix the avocado with the juice of 1 lime and a good pinch of salt and pepper, and put aside. Arrange the tomato, chile, cilantro leaves, and grated cheese on a plate, to top eggs after they cook.

Reheat the tortillas in a hot dry pan for about 20 seconds on each side until warmed through. Wrap them in aluminum foil to keep them warm while you start the eggs.

Beat the eggs in a bowl with the minced scallions and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Melt the butter in a large frying pan on a medium heat and pour in the eggs. Lightly tip the pan as the eggs cook, and when you see a layer forming on the bottom of the pan, sweep a rubber spatula around so you large pieces of cooked egg surrounded by the custardy egg. Stir gently, keep an eye on it for a minute or so until the eggs are starting to scramble but are still loose, remove from heat and gently stir again. The eggs should be loose, do not overcook!

Get 2 plates and lay a warm tortilla on each one. Divide the scrambled egg between them, top with the chopped tomato, avocado, and chile. Sprinkle the cilantro and grated cheese on top. Lay another tortilla on top, and drizzle over some chile sauce. Cut your remaining lime into wedges to squeeze over the dish and serve.

There's a Jamie Oliver party going on at I Heart Cooking Clubs. This time it's Mad about Herbs! Stop by and see what's cooking!

And see what's cooking this weekend over at Beth at Beth Fish Reads for her Weekend Cooking Party. Every weekend. It's open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share!

 

Be sure to check out Kristi loves Books for the May edition of "Whip Up Something New!"

Whip Up Something New @ It's all about me!

*** I think Blogger is still having some issues, so if you can't comment, you can always email and let me know. It's been intermittent on some blogs the past few days. You may want to occasionally check this link...
Known Issues for Blogger

Originally I was able to leave reply comments on my blog, but then the comment box disappeared. I changed the setting to  "pop out" or full page comments and that seems to have worked. For now anyway. If you still have trouble, please let me know!  ***

THANKS!

also joining 

 Food on Friday at Carole's Chatter 

 

Tweet