Thursday, January 7, 2010

Creamy Carbonara

I haven't been posting for a while now, sorry. I was just caught up in the Yuletide rush thus I forgot to do my responsibility to this blog, but I'll make it up and I'll start with the dishes I cooked up last Christmas (Noche Buena) and New Year (Media Noche) celebration. Shall we begin?

Note: Pardon the kinda dry photo of the Carbonara, it took me a little while before I made the shot and the electric fan was switched on high, but I swear it is a Creamy Carbonara *grins*.


Ingredients:
  • spaghetti noodles (1k)
  • all-purpose cream (2 tetra packs)
  • evaporated milk (1 big can)
  • condensed milk (1 regular can)
  • cheese (1 pack), sliced, cubed or grated
  • ham, cubed
  • bacon, slice thinly
  • mushrooms (1 big can), sliced
  • pepper
  • fish sauce
  • butter (1/2-3/4 of a bar)
  • oil
  • water


Procedures:
  • Cook the spaghetti noodles as instructed on the packaging. Set aside.
  • Heat the pan and pour a little oil, just so the butter won't burn. Put the butter and let it melt and heat up a little.
  • Put the sliced bacon and fry it on low heat, let the oil and juices of the bacon mix with the butter.
  • Add the small ham cubes, fry on medium heat until it's cooked (if you want the bacon and ham crispy, you can go ahead and fry those on high heat).
  • Add some fish sauce and ground pepper (as many or as little as you want). Saute, until you smell that salty and bacon-y aroma.
  • Add the all-purpose cream, the evaporated milk and the condensed milk, one after the other while continuously stirring. Add a little water and then simmer it on low heat.
  • Before the sauce reach its boiling point, drop the cheese and stir continuously to prevent the cheese from sticking at the bottom of the pan and to make the melting process faster.
  • Put the sliced button mushrooms, incorporate it with the sauce and bring it to a boil.
  • Taste test the sauce and make the necessary adjustments, also, check its consistency, if you want it thicker, you can dissolve a little amount of flour in water and add it on the sauce, be sure to mix it evenly.
  • If everything's to you're liking, then you're ready to serve.
  • You can put the spaghetti noodles in one big bowl or cauldron, pour the carbonara sauce and make do with one tossing, this will work well if you don't have any extra sauce or if you're in a hurry. If you wanna make it more gourmet, I suggest, you plate the spaghetti noodles and pour the carbonara sauce on top, garnish with some grated cheese and fresh basil and you're good to go.

Happy cooking! Happy eating! Happy New Year!

2 comments:

Catherine said...

This looks delicious- so creamy and yummy!

Enchie said...

wow, its looks good so creamy :)