Tyler Florence's Spaghetti ala Carbonara

Today, I want to try something authentic. I have tried making "carbonara" before but I didn't use the real ingredients. This time I want to follow a recipe to a tee because I usually deviate. Hehe I'm not a good student! I did my best to stick to the recipe, I tell you. But I saw my fresh button mushrooms in the fridge, they were like calling to me to use them for my dish. :D So I added them. Hee hee

Ingredients

• 1 lb dry spaghetti
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 ounces pancetta or slab bacon, cubed or sliced into small strips
• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more for serving
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Cheese baby!

Eggsssss

Fresh parsley

Olive oil

Bacon

Fresh button mushrooms

Directions:

1. Prepare the sauce while the pasta is cooking to ensure that the spaghetti will be hot and ready when the sauce is finished; it is very important that the pasta is hot when adding the egg mixture, so that the heat of the pasta cooks the raw eggs in the sauce.

2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until tender yet firm (as they say in Italian "al dente.") Drain the pasta well, reserving 1/2 cup of the starchy cooking water to use in the sauce if you wish.

3. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a deep skillet over medium flame. Add the pancetta and saute for about 3 minutes, until the bacon is crisp and the fat is rendered. Toss the garlic into the fat and saute for less than 1 minute to soften.

4. Add the hot, drained spaghetti to the pan and toss for 2 minutes to coat the strands in the bacon fat. Beat the eggs and Parmesan together in a mixing bowl, stirring well to prevent lumps. Remove the pan from the heat and pour the egg/cheese mixture into the pasta, whisking quickly until the eggs thicken, but do not scramble (this is done off the heat to ensure this does not happen.) Thin out the sauce with a bit of the reserved pasta water, until it reaches desired consistency. Season the carbonara with several turns of freshly ground black pepper and taste for salt. Mound the spaghetti carbonara into warm serving bowls and garnish with chopped parsley. Pass more cheese around the table.

Egg with the cheese

The egg and cheese mixture

Frying the bacon

Bacon, garlic and mushrooms

Mixing the pasta to the bacon and mushrooms

Tadah!

Source: Food Network

Binignit/Ginataan

During Holy Week, we made Binignit. According to Wikipedia:

"Binignit is a vegetable soup from the Visayas region in the Philippines. The dish [1][2][3] is traditionally made by Cebuanos with slices of Saba banana, taro, sweet potato. The people in the neighboring island Leyte, usually include landang (palm flour jelly balls), langka (jackfruit), anise and thickened with milled glutinous rice in cooking binignit. The vegetables along with pearl sago is cooked in a mixture of water, coconut milk and the local landang and sweetened by muscovado or brown sugar.

The soup is usually cooked and eaten during the Holy Week, especially Good Friday when the Visayans are fasting. It also is a popular afternoon snack. The soup is best served when hot. It is comparable to various "guinataan" dishes in other regions such as Bilo bilo."

Actually, binignit is not only cooked in Visayas but in the whole country. :D We have several variations and names for it, but the common ingredients are banana, sweet potatoes, ube or taro, and coconut milk with sugar.

Ingredients:

• 4-5 pcs langka (jackfruit), sliced thinly
• 6-8 pcs saba (ripe banana plantain), sliced into quarters
• 2-3 medium sized camote (sweet potato), sliced into quarters
• 1 cup sago balls/pearls, cooked in water for about 20-30 minutes
• 1 1/2 cups glutinous rice flour, mixed with water to form pliable round balls
• 500 grams grated coconut (mix with 3 cups water and extract coconut milk)
• 2 cups brown sugar
• 1/4 cup glutinous rice flour
• 4-5 cups water

Langka

Saba baby!

Camote

Cooked sago balls

Glutinous rice balls

Grated coconut

Directions:

1. Cook camote, saba (plantain bananas), and langka in 4-5 cups water.  This will take about 45 minutes to fully cook everything.  In a separate pan, cook the sago balls in water. Set aside.
2. Once the everything is tender, add the coconut milk extracted.  Let mixture simmer for about 20-30 minutes.
3. Add the cooked sago balls/pearls and the glutinous rice balls. Make sure to stir the mixture every now and then to avoid curdling.
4. Adjust the thickness of the soup by adding glutinous rice flour. Add sugar if you wish.
5. Serve hot.

Langka, banana and camote cooked in water

Tag dos ang takos

Pizza for Dinner

When I did my grocery shopping last week, I saw some freshly made pizza dough from the baked goods section and thought of having pizza night at home. So I got some pizza sauce, fresh button mushrooms, and ham.  You can actually have this as meatless, by putting more veggies (olives, tomatoes, bell peppers) and not use the ham. :)

pizza sauce

pizza seasoning and cheeses

chopped ham

fresh button mushrooms

Directions:

1. Arrange the pizza by spooning the pizza sauce on the dough and spread it evenly. 

2. Place your desired toppings and shred the mozzarella cheese (I used mild cheddar) on top.

3. Bake for about 15 minutes at 180 degrees celsius or until dough is crisp and cheese is melted.

pre baking

nom nom nom

Banana Cake with Crumble

Since we got back from our vacation, I have been a little sad because I felt like the time I spent with my family was not enough. So I thought of baking instead. And as you know it, I made Banana Cake :)

butter and brown sugar

Ingredients:

• 3 bananas, mashed
• 10 tbsp butter, softened
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3/4 cup all purpose flour + 1/4 cup cake flour *
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ cup unflavored yogurt
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

* can use 1 cup all purpose flour


Crumbs:

• 2½ cups flour
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1½ tsp cinnamon
• 2/3 cup butter, melted
• chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Grease 8" x 8" pan.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine butter and brown sugar. Add the eggs (I used 3 since I was making 1.5 of the recipe) and vanilla, mix thoroughly.

3. In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, and salt). Carefully add this into the butter mixture. Mix in the yogurt.

4. Fold in the mashed banana and chocolate chips slowly. Careful not to overbeat the mixture or else you'll end up with a tough cake! :)

5. To prepare the crumble, just throw everything into a bowl and combine them. It will turn out like this one below:

crumble topping

6. Assemble the cake but pouring the batter into the prepare pan and top with the crumble and add chopped walnuts if you like it crunchy :)

Ready for baking

7. Bake for about 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the middle turns out clean.

Finished product

Chocolate Lava Cake

 Old Gold Dark Chocolate by Cadbury

A cousin of mine was coming for dinner. So I thought of making a fancy dessert, not just because he's coming but because I have been wanting to make Chocolate Lava Cakes for over a month already. :) The dark chocolate in the fridge is already half eaten -- not by me.  Anyway, I hope this will be a good guide for those who want to try this lavish chocolate treat.

Ingredients:

• 5 tbsp butter, softened
• 3.5 oz (100 grams) dark chocolate (I used Old Gold by Cadbury)
• 2 eggs 
• 1 egg yolk 
• 3 tbsp sugar 
• 3 tbsp all purpose flour 
• 2 tsp cocoa powder + more for dusting
• powdered sugar as needed 

Preparation:

1. Melt the butter and chocolate together over a double-boiler to avoid burning. Stir to combine. Once completely melted and mixed together, remove from heat. Set aside.
2. In a bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar until the sugar is dissolved. The mixture will be light yellow in color. 
3. Carefully, combine the warm chocolate into the egg mixture and whisk until combined. Sift in the flour and cocoa. Use a spatula to fold until combined. Spoon into 4 greased medium-sized ramekins.  Tap them to remove any bubbles. Put in the fridge for about 30 minutes. 
4. Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Place ramekins in a baking dish and add water until it is halfway up the sides. Bake between 12-15 minutes.
5. Once done, remove from oven and let cool for about 20 minutes. Flip the ramekins over on your serving plate and wait for the cake to come off.
6. Dust with powdered sugar and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Garnish with berries, mint leaves or cocoa powder. The cakes can be turn out, or served in the ramekins.

Melt the chocolate over a double broiler

Whisking the eggs

Before bakin'

Just came off the ramekins

I know you want me.

Yields: 4 medium sized lava cakes

Oriental Stir Fried Chicken

Originally, I was aiming for Kung Pao Chicken. Hee hee But I didn't have sesame oil and bell peppers. I still followed around the same marinade though - rice wine, distilled vinegar, sugar, light soy sauce and cornstarch. Instead of bell peppers, I used celery. The husband is my judge, and he said it was great. :D

Ingredients:

• 300 grams chicken breast, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 onion, sliced
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tsp cornstarch
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 2 tbsp rice wine
• 1 tbsp distilled vinegar
• 6 pcs dried chilies, chopped
• 150 grams celery, cut into small pieces
• 100 grams cashew nuts, chopped and roasted

Rice wine, distilled white vinegar, garlic and dried chilies

Directions:

1. In a bowl, combine sugar, cornstarch, soy sauce, rice wine and vinegar. Mix well and add the chicken breast. Let it stand for about half an hour.
2. Using a pan, heat the oil. Saute onion and garlic. Add chili peppers and celery. Mix in chicken together with it's marinade. Cook thoroughly for about 10-12 minutes.
3. Remove from heat and pour a serving on a cup of rice. Top with roasted cashew nuts.

Dinner's ready!

Baked Meatless Pasta

It was the husband's birthday yesterday and I'm supposed to abstain from something I like because it's Ash Wednesday. So I thought of preparing something nice but without meat. Since I need to use my tomatoes and cream, I decided to make a creamy tomato pasta.

Ingredients:

• 200 grams fettuccine pasta, cooked as instructed
• 100 grams button mushrooms, cut into quarters
• 10 cloves garlic, minced
• half an onion, sliced
• 2 large tomatoes, chopped
• 1 can tomato sauce/spaghetti sauce
• 1/3 cup melting cheese, shredded
• 1/4 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
• 2/3 cup heavy cream
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• dried basil
• thyme
• oregano

Directions:

1. Cook pasta as instructed. Drain and set aside. Prepare 9" baking dish.
2. Fry garlic and set aside as topping. Saute onion and mushrooms. Add tomatoes.
3. Add tomato sauce. Season with salt, pepper and herbs.
4. Mix in heavy cream. Add half of the shredded cheddar cheese and adjust taste.
5. Carefully add the cooked pasta into the sauce. Mix well until well combined.
6. Pour pasta onto the prepared baking dish. Top with shredded cheese and toasted garlic bits. 
7. Bake for about 15 minutes at 150 degrees Celsius or until cheese melts.

Sorry for the low quality photo

The Husband's Birthday - Pineapple Carrot Cake

Way back in high school, I can vividly remember my Nanay baking a carrot cake. Being estranged to veggies back then, it felt weird having a cake with veggies! I mean, cakes are supposed to be just made of sugar, eggs and flour! 

When I met my co-worker who was gaga about carrot cakes, I thought, "Why not give it a shot?" The first bite reminded me of home. True enough, having a slice made me feel the warm love of my Nanay. Cheesy! It's weird that I'm being serious here. Don't forget the artery-clogging cream cheese that leaves a smile on my lips after every bite :)

Before I forget, the reason I made this cake is because, it's the husband's birthday. Happy birthday my every loving, husbandry! :)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 2 cups shredded carrots
• 1 can (8oz) crushed pineapple

Frosting:

• 1 pack 8oz. cream cheese
• 1/3 cup confectioner's sugar
• 1 tbsp butter, melted
• 3 tbsp milk

Directions:

1. Preheat oven at 170 degrees Celsius. Grease two 9 inch pans. Set aside.
2. Sift the first 5 dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon) Set aside. 
3. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs, sugar, vanilla and oil. Carefully add the dry ingredients into the mixture. Fold in the shredded carrots, crushed pineapple and chopped walnuts. Continue to beat until well combined.
4. Divide the batter into the two prepared pans. Bake for about 45 minutes and when the top turns golden brown. You can check by inserting a toothpick in the middle of the cake and if it comes out clean, the cake is done.
5. Un-mold the cakes into cooling rack and let them cool for about 20 minutes.
6. Prepare the frosting by beating the softened cream cheese in a bowl. Add the sugar carefully and the butter as well. Adjust sweetness according to your preference and if you like it a bit runny, add milk.
7. Arrange the cake on your preferred container. Place the first layer and spread an even layer of the frosting. Add the second layer and frost all the way to the bottom.
8. You can decorate the cake with additional chopped walnuts or with festive carrot candies.

before it goes into the oven

Frosting was too runny!

Lemon Citrus Pudding

Over the weekend, we ran out of snacks so I thought of making this pudding. It's very similar to a lemon bar except for the flaky crust which is loaded with butter. :)


Ingredients:

• 4 eggs, separated
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• 2 tbsp butter, softened
• 1 1/4 cups white sugar
• 3/4 cup sifted all purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup milk

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Grease 8" baking dish. Set aside.
2. In a bowl, beat egg yolks, lemon juice, lemon zest and butter until it thickens. In another bowl, mix sugar, flour and salt.
3. Alternately, add milk and the dry ingredients into the yolk mixture. Beat well every after addition of ingredients.
4. In a bowl, beat egg whites until stiff. Fold this into the mixture carefully.
5. Pour batter into prepared baking dish. Place a bigger pan with water inside the oven and set the baking dish here. Bake for 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Almost similar to a lemon bar

Baked Eggplant with Cheese

Last week, I thought of making a Greek veggie dish for the husband. While I was at the grocery, I decided to make something with eggplant. Then I realized I still have some leftover feta cheese at home, so I just tried to look up for some nice recipe guides online.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb eggplant (the oval shaped, dark skinned type)
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• sea salt
• coarsely ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup cheese (feta or mozzarella)
• 2/3 cup tomato puree
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 1 medium-sized bell pepper, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• paprika
• garlic powder

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Grease a 9 inch pan. Set aside.
2. In a pan, saute onion, garlic and bell peppers. Add tomato puree and paste. Season with salt, pepper, paprika and garlic powder. Let simmer for about 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
3. Using a mandoline, slice the eggplant thinly. Coat each side with olive oil.
4. Arrange the eggplant slices on the pan. Season with salt and pepper. Top with crumbled cheese and the tomato sauce.
5. Bake for about 40 minutes or until the eggplant becomes tender.

Whole Wheat Banana Muffins

I know. :) This is the second time I'm posting about banana muffins. The husband is not happy about it. You see, he doesn't like bananas. I, on the other hand, love it. So, he doesn't have a choice because I'm the baker in the house and he's not :P

My sister actually gave me this recipe to try. Since it's the 16th of the month, my tot just turned 2 years and 5 months today and I want to celebrate it with the muffins I made. Hehe I know it's a pretty lame excuse. I want to make muffins. Period.

Ingredients:

• 1 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup margarine, softened
• 2 eggs, separated
• 3 bananas, mashed
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven at 180 degrees Celsius. Grease muffin trays. Set aside.
2. In a bowl, cream butter and 3/4 cup sugar. Add egg yolks. Mix in mashed bananas.
3. Using another bowl, dissolve the baking soda into the buttermilk.
4. In a separate bowl, mix dry ingredients like flour and salt.
5. Alternately add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk into the butter mixture. Add the chocolate chips.
6. Whisk the egg whites together with 1/4 cup sugar. Do this until the egg whites reach stiff peaks.
7. Carefully fold the egg whites into the banana batter. Make sure you fold it, and not mix or else you'll lose the essence of your stiff peaks. :)
8. Bake for about 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Soft peak

An indication that it has reached stiff peaks

With M&M's topping

Fudge-y Brownies

I was craving for fudge brownies earlier today and thought of making one. Oh the convenience of having my own oven! :) Good thing I was able to come across a recipe online that doesn't need a lot of ingredients. I have all the needed stuff in my pantry - yehaa!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter/margarine, softened
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/2 cup sugar (can opt to use brown)
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Grease 9x13" pan. Set aside.
2. In a bowl, cream butter and add the cocoa powder. Carefully add the sugar.
3. Mix in the eggs one at a time. Add vanilla extract.
4. Slowly add the flour and add ons you want such as nuts or marshmallows.
5. Pour mixture into prepared pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Check once done if toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
6. Turn upside down on cooling rack. Let cool for about 20-30 minutes. Cut into squares.

At least, not much cracks

Guide: http://vegetarian.about.com/od/desertrecipes/r/fudgebrownies.htm