Bucatini all'Amatriciana

It was our last day in Rome, and I knew exactly what I wanted to eat for dinner:  bucatini all'amatriciana.  I had read that, along with spaghetti carbonara, it was another pasta specialty of Rome.  Bucatini is a long, hollow pasta, kind of like a very narrow straw.  Cooking it all'amatriciana means pairing it with a tomato, guanciale, and pecorina based sauce.  I really wanted to try this fun new shape of pasta, and after having tasted what guanciale can do for carbonara, really wanted to taste it in a tomato sauce.

It was only late afternoon, way too early for a proper Italian dinner, but we had to catch the shuttle back to our hotel, so we found a sidewalk cafe in between two gelaterias we wanted to try:  Grom and Giolitti.  The restaurant's menu advertised a special for bucatini all'amatriciana along with bruschetta and a drink.  Ces and I decided to share the special, and I ordered a Fanta, which in Rome was much more like an Orangina than the disgustingly artificial Fanta we have in the States.

The bucatini came out, and we tucked in.  To say that we liked it would be a gross understatement.  It was so good, I totally forgot to take a picture of it.  I didn't even take down the name of the restaurant, and sadly, I can't seem to find it on Google Maps even though I know exactly where it is.  The bucatini was as fun to eat as I imagined, and the taste of the sauce haunted me all the way through customs in America.

I knew I had to try to make it back home, and luckily I had found a box of bucatini at a grocery store in Rome for only 89 cents.  There were a couple of different packages of bucatini at the Fiumicino airport going for €4-5, and I was almost tempted to pick up another package.  Thankfully, I didn't, because I managed to find two brands of bucatini being sold at Wegmans, and for much cheaper!  Isn't Wegmans the best?

Bucatini all'Amatriciana (adapted from Bon Appétit)
makes 4 servings

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 oz. thinly sliced guanciale, pancetta, or chopped unsmoked bacon
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup minced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 28-oz. can peeled tomatoes with juices, crushed by hand
Kosher salt
12 oz. dried bucatini
1/4 cup finely grated Pecorino (about 1 oz.)

Heat oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Add guanciale and sauté until crisp and golden, about 4 minutes. Add pepper flakes and black pepper; stir for 10 seconds. Add onion and garlic; cook, stirring often, until soft, about 8 minutes.

 
Add tomatoes, reduce heat to low, and cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens, 15-20 minutes.  If desired, purée the sauce in a blender or with an immersion blender. 

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Season with salt; add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, for 9 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup of pasta cooking water.

Add drained pasta to sauce in skillet and toss vigorously with tongs to coat. Add 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water and cook until sauce coats pasta and pasta is al dente, about 2 minutes. (Add a little pasta water if sauce is too dry.) Stir in cheese and serve.

Updated:  Wow.  I just heated some leftovers up in the microwave for lunch today, and dare I say, it was even better?  Whatever loss of texture there might have been in the bucatini from the nuking was more than made up for by the guanciale regaining the crispness it had lost while simmering in the sauce.  Wow.  I can't wait to make this again just so I can eat it as a leftover!

Three years ago:  Homemade Dulce de Leche and Dulce de Leche Ice Cream
Four years ago:  Bulgogi Dumplings

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Spring Onion And Cabbage Kurma/Curry

          As I had written earlier, I have not cooked much with spring onions, except using it in fried rice and noodles. Only recently I have tried to use it in other dishes, this Spring Onion and Cabbage Kurma being one of them. Spring Onions pair very well with cabbage and the fennel seeds and coconut paste gives a nice flavor. This kurma goes very well with pilafs and rotis or even with some plain rice, try this if you like spring onions, you can also try out this dal/ lentils with spring onions..

Need To Have

• Chopped Spring Onions - 11/2 cups
• Shredded Cabbage - 11/2 cups
• Tomatoes - 2 medium
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Red Chilly Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
• Coriander Powder - 1 teaspoon
• Salt - to taste

To Grind

• Grated Coconut - 1 tablespoon
• Fennel Seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
• Cashews - 2

Method

          Add the tomatoes to boiling water. When the skin starts splitting, remove cool, peel the skin and grind it.

          Grind together all the ingredients given under ' to grind '.

          Heat some oil, add the spring onions and saute for a minute. Then add the shredded cabbage, saute for another 5 minutes, till it's almost cooked.

          Add the tomato puree, turmeric, red chilly and coriander powders and salt and mix for 2 to 3 minutes. Now add the ground paste, 1 cup water, bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer it for 5 more minutes. Serve it warm, garnished with some spring onions ( green part only ).

Note
You can add some cooked peas or chickpeas to the kurma to make it more nutritious.

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Spaghetti Carbonara for One

Our first stop in Rome was the Piazza Navona, known for its beautiful Bernini fountains, artists plying their wares, and the overpriced cafes lining the square.  Even though we were hungry, I didn't want to just settle for a potential tourist trap, so I asked one of the artists for his recommendation for lunch.

Him and his friends pointed us towards Ristorante Corallo, just a couple of blocks away from the piazza.  He mentioned that it was better than "baffeto" which at the time I thought meant "buffet" but later on realized was a reference to Pizzeria Baffeto, often listed as one of the best places for pizza in Rome and right around the corner from Corallo.

I really wanted to try a pizza in Rome, which is known for having an ultra-thin crust, so I ordered a pizza margherita to share.  Seeing another Roman specialty on the menu, I suggested that Ces order the spaghetti carbonara for us to share as well.  The pizza was good, although I noticed a distinct lack of basil.  It came without basil when I ordered it from a different restaurant the next day, too, so I guess that's just how pizza margherita is served in Rome.

I knew carbonara meant a bacon and egg sauce, but I was unprepared for how it would actually taste.  It was oh so silky and creamy without actually containing any cream, but the highlight was definitely the bacon.  It tasted different from the bacon I was used to having back in the States.  I knew I had to try to recreate the dish at home, but lamented to myself that I probably wouldn't be able to find the same type of bacon there.

After a little more research, I found out that the type of meat used was actually guanciale, made from cured pig jowl vs. traditional bacon, which is made from pork belly.  Luckily in Boston, there are quite a few places that carry guanciale including Formaggio Kitchen and Savenor's.  If you can't find it, you can try substituting pancetta, and if you can't find that, bacon.

On a recent night, I was really craving some spaghetti carbonara for myself so I googled "single serving carbonara" and this was the first link returned.  It looked simple enough and made a pretty tasty dish, but I modified it just a little the second time I made it so it was more like what I remembered tasting in Rome.

There's a lot I like about this recipe:  it falls under the category of comfort food and comes together rather quickly with a minimum of ingredients, most of which you probably already have on hand.  You do need to serve and eat this immediately, but since you're just making it for yourself, that's not a problem!

Spaghetti Carbonara for One (adapted from Greg's Food)
makes 1 serving, duh

2 slices guanciale, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 serving uncooked spaghetti (for me that's a between a dime and a nickel's circumference of pasta)
1 teaspoon olive oil 
1 egg
1 tablespoon fresh grated parmesan, plus more to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
Chopped parsley (optional)

Bring a pot of salted water to boil.  In the meantime, chop the guanciale and mince the garlic.

Once the water has reached a rolling boil, add the spaghetti and cook for 9 minutes, stirring occasionally so the pasta doesn't stick to itself.

Add the guanciale to an unheated saucepan and place on medium heat.  Once some fat has rendered out and the guanciale is starting to look translucent, add the olive oil and minced garlic.  Continue to cook until browned but not burnt, lowering the heat if you have to.

In the meantime, break an egg into a large soup bowl.  Add the tablespoon of parmesan cheese and whisk until well mixed.

Once the spaghetti is done, use a pasta scoop to transfer the pasta to the saucepan with the bacon and garlic in it, letting most of the water drain off while you do so.  Lower the heat under the saucepan and toss the pasta around to cover it with the hot grease.

Whisk the egg and cheese again real quick and then carefully add the contents of the saucepan into the bowl.  Start tossing the spaghetti with the egg mixture to cook it without curdling.

Once the sauce comes together, add salt and pepper to taste and top with any guanciale left in the saucepan and additional parmesan and/or parsley if you like.  If the sauce is too thick for your liking, add a little of the pasta water to thin it out.  Serve immediately.

Four years ago:  Kale Chips

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Beans Saute With Garlic

          I have not been blogging regularly in the past weeks, a little busy with other things, will try to catch up soon. In the meantime, trying to keep things going here with some posts from draft. Today's recipe is a very simple one with fresh green beans, an easy stir fry in Gujarati style. This dish is extremely flavorful with the  added garlic and goes very well with both rice and rotis, serve it along with some dal ( lentils ) for a complete meal..

Need To Have

• Green Beans - chopped, 1" pieces, 2 cups
• Garlic - 2 cloves, chopped
• Red Chilly Flakes - 1/2 teaspoon
• Sugar - 1/4 teaspoon
• Black Pepper Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Mustard Seeds - 1/4 teaspoon
• Salt - to taste

Method

          Boil some water, add the beans to it, leave for about 4 minutes, remove and add immediately to some cold water, then drain and keep.

          Heat some oil, add the mustard seeds, when it starts spluttering, add the chopped garlic and saute till it turns golden.

          Now add the chilly flakes, beans, sugar and salt, keep cooking on low heat for about 7 to 8 minutes. Add the pepper powder, mix and serve.

Note
You can also use frozen cut beans to make this dish.
The cooked beans should be soft and not crunchy.

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Keksici od badema

        Oblik raditi po zelji,okrugli ili ovako polumjesec kao ja...
Mogu biti veci ili manji oblici,sve zavisi koliko zelite da ih brzo uradite i kakav oblik da imaju.


Za kolacicie je potrebno:

60gr badema
(badem proprziti u rerni i isjeckati )
250gr neslanog maslaca
3 zlice secera u prahu
2 zlice likera,po zelji
1 zlica rendane korice limuna
oko 300gr brasna,mozda koji gram vise
1 zlicica mljevenog kardamoma

**secer u prahu za valjanje kolacica

    Umutti omeksali maslac i secer u prahu ,pa dodati sve ostale sastojke.
ako je tijesto mekano ,staviti ga malo u frizider da se maslac u tijestu malo prohladi i stisne,pa ce se i smjesa malo stvrdnuti.
Od tijesta odkidati komadice i praviti oblike,po zelji..u mojem slucaju,polumjesece.
staviti kolacice na pleh za pecenje(ne morate postavljati papir jer su kolacici masni,nece se zalijepiti za pleh)ako se plasite da ce se kolacici zalijepiti,ipak stavite papir za pecenje.

kolacice peci na 200c oko 10-ak minuta,da budu peceni ali da zadrze svjetlu boju.

kolacice ohladiti ,pa ih uvaljati u prah secer.
ako kolacice valjate u secer dok su jos topli,postoji mogucnost da se lome..ja sam hladne valjala u secer.

Mogu stajati do 5 dana u dobro zatvorenoj kutiji.

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Rosemary Honey and Lemon Frozen Yogurt

I'm back, both figuratively and literally!  I got back last week from a 2 week vacation to Europe.  My friend, Ces, and I went on a Celebrity cruise to Italy, Greece, and Turkey and then stayed an extra couple of days in Rome.  Being on a cruise, we definitely ate our fill, but the most memorable food I ate was all in Rome.

Before we had left for the trip, I had looked up the best gelato in Rome to make sure that we didn't waste any space in our tummies on inferior product.  We tried San Crispino when we were at the Trevi Fountain and Grom near(ish) the Pantheon, but the one that blew me away was Gelateria del Teatro, in between Piazza Navona and Ponte Sant'Angelo.

I chose the Rosemary Honey and Lemon and Sicilian Almond flavors and could not stop raving about them while we made our way to the Vatican.  I love almond flavored anything, and this was the first time that I had tasted an ice cream that really captured the pure almond flavor without tasting buttery or artificial.  And the rosemary was an unexpected first note that mellowed out with the honey and lemon in a way that was completely and perfectly balanced.  Ask Ces; I think I actually stopped walking several times because I was just enjoying the gelato so much.  It was so good we went back for a second round after returning from the Vatican!

I knew I had to try to make the rosemary honey lemon flavor when I got home so I pulled out Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home and searched for a honey flavored base but didn't find one.  So I tried using her ice cream base, substituted honey for the sugar, and steeped the mixture with rosemary and lemon peel before thickening it.  It ended up tasting way too sweet for me, and I think the honey kept it a little softer than I would have liked.  I decided to try making it again with less honey and using the frozen yogurt base to lighten it up a little and give it a little more tang.  I was really pleased with this version; it's not an exact duplicate of the gelato from Rome, but I think it's just as good!

Rosemary Honey and Lemon Frozen Yogurt (based on on the Frozen Yogurt Base from Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home)
makes about 1 quart

1 1/2 cup whole milk
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup honey plus more, to taste
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
Zest from half a lemon
1 1/4 cup Greek yogurt (I used 2% low fat, but I think nonfat and regular would work fine)

Mix about 3 tablespoons of the milk with the cornstarch in a small bowl to make a smooth slurry.  Whisk the cream cheese in a medium bowl until smooth.  Fill a large bowl with ice and water.

Combine the remaining milk, cream, honey, and corn syrup in a 4-quart saucepan, bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat, and boil for 4 minutes.  Remove from heat, add the rosemary and lemon zest, and let steep for 20 minutes.

Remove the rosemary and zest with a slotted spoon.  Taste the mixture; if it's not sweet enough, add some more honey (I ended up adding about another tablespoon).  Gradually whisk in the cornstarch mixture and return the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat.  Cook, stirring until slightly thickened, about 1 minute.  Remove from heat.

Gradually whisk the hot milk mixture into the cream cheese until smooth.  Add the yogurt and blend well.

Pour the mixture into a 1-gallon Ziploc freezer bag and submerge the sealed bag in the ice bath.  Let stand, adding more ice as necessary, until cold, about 30 minutes.

Pour the frozen yogurt base into the frozen canister and spin until thick and creamy.

Pack the frozen yogurt into a storage container, press a sheet of parchment directly against the surface, and seal with an airtight lid.  Freeze in the coldest part of your freezer until firm, at least 4 hours.

Four years ago:  Black Sesame Ice Cream

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Eggless Donuts

          This month, for our Eggless Baking Group, we had to make Eggless Donuts. Initially I thought of skipping it, since there was a lot of travelling and I hardly had a chance to cook anything, leave alone donuts. At the same time, I didn't want to miss it too, so finally I made it today morning, clicked and edited the pictures in the afternoon and posting it in the evening, all on the same day. Once again, I am happy I have joined this group, otherwise the lazy me would have easily postponed it for some other time. This time, I have used yogurt/ curd as a replacement for egg, and made the basic glazed donuts, they turned out really soft and fluffy and everybody loved it..

Need To Have
For The Donuts

• All Purpose Flour/ Maida - 5 cups
• Active Dry Yeast - 1/4 oz
• Powdered Sugar - 1/2 cup
• Vegetable Shortening - 1/3 cup
• Warm Milk - 1 cup
• Yogurt/ Curd - 1/2 cup
• Salt - 1 teaspoon
• Warm Water - 1/4 cup

For The Glaze

• Confectioners Sugar - 2 cups
• Butter - 1/3 cup
• Vanilla Extract - 11/2 teaspoons
• Hot Water - 4 tablespoons

You can check the original recipe here.

Method

          Add the yeast to the warm water and leave it for 5 minutes or more, till it foams up nicely. Take the flour, yogurt, sugar, salt, vegetable shortening, adding the 1 cup milk, little by little, make a soft dough.

          Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover and leave it for an hour, till it has doubled in size. Punch the dough, place it on a floured surface, knead it lightly and roll it out, 1/2" thick.

          Cut out donuts from the rolled dough, leave them covered for another hour, till they rise one more time.

          In the meantime, to make the glaze, warm the butter, add the sugar and vanilla extract and mix, add the 4 tablespoons hot water, little by little, till you form a thick glaze, not a watery one.

          Heat some oil for deep frying, add the donuts, fry on both sides and drain them. When it's cold enough to handle, dip it in the glaze and place it on a wire rack till the glaze dries up.

Note
I got 38 medium sized donuts.
When you make the glaze, it should be really thick, otherwise it'll not dry up, it'll be wet and sticky ( learnt it from experience ).
Fry the donuts on low heat ( the oil temperature should be around 175 C ).

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