bacon

Spaghetti Carbonara à la St. Julians Bay (Malta)

St Julians Bay - Malta myyellowfarmhouse.com — The view from one of our favorite restaurants in St Julians Bay (Malta), where I, almost always, ordered Spaghetti Carbonara.

According to food lore, Spaghetti Carbonara is a relatively new addition to Italian cooking.. In fact, one of the theories is that Spaghetti Carbonara came about due to food shortages during World War II. Another theory is that coal miners may have invented the dish. (I’m not buying that theory.) Or… that the black specs of freshly ground black pepper – and you should add a good amount of pepper – resemble coal dust lying atop a bed of spaghetti mixed with eggs and cheese. Actually, who cares where or why the recipe originated? We love it because it’s easy to make and delicious!

Like spaghetti and meatballs, there’s an unlimited number of ways to prepare Spaghetti Carbonara. While living in Malta I found a recipe very much like the ‘Popeye’s Spaghetti Carbonara’ served at our favorite restaurant, to which I added peas simply because that’s how it was served. WHAT??… you’re probably thinking. Yup – peas. And now I have to tell you how the making of the movie Popeye in the small island country of Malta led to a chef naming his version of Spaghetti Carbonara “Popeye’s.

If you’re not familiar with the character called Popeye, you may not know he always eats a can of spinach (yuck..) to give him strength. It seems the chef preferred adding peas, as opposed to Popeye’s spinach, to the Spaghetti Carbonara dish named Popeye’s, and I think he made the right call. Enjoy!!

Spaghetti Carbonara a la St. Julian's Bay, Malta — Popeye Village (Anchor Bay, Malta) for which ‘Popeye’s Spaghetti Carbonara’ was named.

INGREDIENTS Serves 4 – 5, depending upon your appetite ; o )

¾ cup cut-up bacon or pancetta (about 4 ounces) ++ Use kitchen shears!
¾ package spaghetti (12 ounces) ++ I used ‘rigati’ – it has ridges to hold the sauce.
2 tsp. salt
1 Tbs. olive oil
1/3 cup finely chopped onion ++ Optional

2 whole eggs – and – 2 egg YOLKS ++ Take eggs out early – OR – place eggs in a bowl with very warm water.
2/3 cup grated good-quality Parmesan cheese ++ Or Romano …….. Or a combination of both.
½ tsp. salt
lots of freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup WARMED heavy (whipping) cream ++ Optional – but I recommend using it!!
1/3 cup frozen peas ++ Optional

++ Reserve some of the pasta water.

METHOD

Eggs should be room temperature, so either take them out earlier – or place them in small bowl with very hot water.

Following the directions on the box, cook 12 ounces (3/4 of a 16 oz. package) al dente, which means the pasta shouldn’t be too soft. Add 2 tsp. salt to the cooking water.

While waiting for the water to boil and the pasta to cook, cut up the bacon (or pancetta). If using bacon, cook in a skillet over medium-high heat until crisp. If using pancetta , it should be lightly brown but not crisp. Place cooked bacon or pancetta on a paper towel lined plate. Drain skillet of bacon grease and wipe skillet with paper towel.

Add 1 Tbs. olive oil to skillet. Cook 1/3 cup chopped onion over medium heat until cooked through and just beginning to brown. Put onions on the plate with the bacon.

Now it’s time to make the sauce. In a medium bowl whisk together 2 whole eggs – and 2 egg YOLKS, 2/3 cup grated good-quality Parmesan cheese, ½ tsp. salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper. ++ If you chose to include the 1/2 cup WARMED heavy (whipping) cream, whisk that in now. Set bowl aside.

Microwave 1/3 cup peas with a small amount of water (about 3 Tbs.) and cook for 3 minutes.

When spaghetti is ready, drain it – reserving some of the pasta water. Place drained spaghetti back in the pot. Replace pot on turned off burner. Add onions, bacon and peas. Pour on the egg & cheese mixture and stir to combine.

Think the sauce is too thick? Add a bit of the reserved pasta water.

After you’ve plated your spaghetti, remember to add a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper! And there you go – dinner is served!

As you can see below, the sauce should be creamy and stick to the pasta. Unlike Spaghetti Alfredo, the pasta will not be swimming in sauce.

Spaghetti Carbonara a la St Julians Bay (Malta) myyellowfarmhouse.com — Spaghetti Carbonara a la St Julians Bay (Malta)

April 2, 2016April 8, 2016

My Yellow Farmhouse - Cooking with Love!25 Comments

Quick Lunch or Dinner – Hot Open-Faced Sandwiches

Hot Open-Faced Sandwiches – version 1 – Tomato, Bacon & Cheese

Hot Open-Faced Sandwiches – Version 2 – Warm & Puffy Open-Faced Cheese Sandwiches

+++ Update – I bet “Version 2” would really be good with bits of cooked bacon or ham mixed in! Actually, so would a bit tuna,, salami or turkey etc.

Any time of day is a good time for an open-faced sandwich. And a sandwich is particularly good when it’s adorned with melted cheese! These Melted Cheese,Tomato and Bacon Open-Faced Sandwiches – and the Warm & Puffy Open-Faced Cheese Sandwiches – are super easy and yummy.

With the addition of a green salad, cold slaw, potato salad or sliced avocado drizzled with balsamic vinaigrette, both the Melted Cheese,Tomato and Bacon Open-Faced Sandwiches and the Warm & Puffy Open-Faced Cheese Sandwiches are perfect for an easy dinner.

(1) Melted Cheese, Tomato and Bacon Open-Faced Sandwiches – Uses toaster oven – or toaster and broiler

Recently I went through I time where I was kind of “addicted” to these sandwiches. I like to spread a bit of mayonnaise on these babies once they’re heated up. And that’s part of why my cholesterol is so high – my total fascination with all things mayonnaise.

HOW TO — Lightly toast two English Muffins – cut in half. Place a ripe & juicy tomato slice on top of each of the halves of English muffin. On top of the tomato, place a few slices of cooked bacon. Place a slice of Swiss cheese – or any cheese of your choice – on top of the bacon. (I like to sprinkle on a bit of oregano on top of the cheese but you can sprinkle on anything you like.)

Turn toaster oven to BROIL and broil until cheese is melted. ++ Make sure you keep your eye on your sandwiches, broilers seem to wait until your back is turned, then they immediately burn your lunch! Recipe makes 4 sandwiches.

2 – Warm & Puffy Open-Faced Cheese Sandwiches – OR – Appetizers Uses toaster oven – or toaster and broiler

++ UPDATE – – – I highly recommend grating the cheese using a block of cheese. The pre-shredded cheese sold in the diary section doesn’t have the same taste as freshly grated cheese & the sandwiches don’t ‘puff up’ in the same way.

++ For Sandwiches – These sandwiches are rich and filling – and would be great for a brunch as well as lunch. If you add a salad, you’ve got a quick dinner idea! It’s pretty cool how the filling puffs up a bit as it heats up. Recipe makes 6 open-faced sandwiches.

++ For Appetizers Prepare as usual. Once they come out of the broiler, cut each English muffin into 1/4’s and there you go – a delicious hot appetizer!!

Ingredients

1 egg
2 cups hard cheese, grated – such as Cheddar (You can use pretty much any time of hard cheese, except for cheeses with a very strong flavor. Mozzarella – or any other type of soft cheese – is not recommended.)
1/8 cup mayonnaise
a few sprinkles of Mrs. Dash
sprinkle on a little Paprika – for color
3 English Muffins, cut in half to give you 6 halves – toasted

In a bowl, mix until well-blended; 1 egg, 2 cups grated hard cheese, 1/8 cup mayonnaise and a few sprinkles of Mrs. Dash & Italian Seasonings – or any seasonings you like.

Lightly toast 6 English Muffin halves. Spread egg/cheese mixture evenly on top of the toasted English muffins or toast. Broil until cheese mixture is hot and bubbling. It doesn’t get much easier than that! Enjoy!

April 16, 2013August 1, 2014

My Yellow Farmhouse - Cooking with Love!11 Comments

Bacon and Egg Cups

These are easy and fun to make – in fact, the kids or grandchildren might want to help make them!

Don’t worry if you don’t have maple syrup. They’ll still be excellent but I do highly recommend making these Bacon and Egg cups with maple syrup ’cause it gives the bacon a real flavor boost. I know I always included the maple syrup when we had our own “maple sugar shack” on our farm in Quebec, Canada. (I’ll have to post a photo of it someday…)

This recipe makes six but you can make 12 just as quickly, which is great when cooking for a crowd. Plus the Bacon and Egg Cups are baked in the oven, so you can enjoy your coffee – or Bloody Mary – while they’re cooking!!

PS – The next morning I heated a few up in my microwave for about 30 seconds – they were still delicious!!

Makes 6 Oven at 400 F 15 – 20 minutes – keep an eye on them!

May 2013 — I made these with my grandchildren at our home in the Pocono Mountains and decided that 3 Tbs. of butter and 3 Tbs. of syrup was just tooo much. Of course, as always – it’s up to you. Add as little or as much as you like!

My son asked us to make these using SPAM and, because it was his birthday, his wish was granted. The “SPAM and Egg Cups” were really good with cut up and fried SPAM instead of bacon!! (I know SPAM is sometimes laughed about but it’s basically just cut up pork with spices. It tastes like ham – what’s not to like?!)

Ingredients

6 slices bread without crust (Use thinly sliced bread.)
1 1/2 Tbs.butter, melted – previously was 3 Tbs.
1 1/2 Tbs. maple syrup – previously was 3 Tbs.
3 strips bacon, cooked until crisp and then crumbled
6 eggs
salt & pepper

Grease 6 muffins tins or spray with Pam. Cut crusts off bread, flatten down a bit with your fingers. Press one piece of bread into each of the 6 muffin cups. Mix 1 1/2 Tbs. melted butter with 1 1/2 Tbs. maple syrup and brush the mixture onto the bread. Sprinkle crumbled bacon into bread cups. Break an egg into each cup and sprinkle with salt and pepper. (Actually, I made these with one piece of crumbled bacon per serving – instead of a half a piece. A few of the eggs “overflowed” the muffins cups due to the extra bacon, so I just cleaned up the extra with some paper towel.)

Bake at 400 F for 15 to 20 minutes, until eggs are set and bread is toasted. After 15 minutes, keep an eye on them because you don’t want to over cook ’em – the yolks should be a bit runny. Enjoy!