Creamy Carbonara Pasta

We have been eating pasta in tomato-meat sauce for succeeding occasions.  So, my taste buds craved for something different. I am not a big fan of pasta in white creamy sauce but we have an overstock of spaghetti noodles at home and we have bacon sleeping in the freezer.  So, I decided to make use of these ingredients together with other vegetables and spices that we have at home.

A little bit of history, Carbonara was derived from the Italian word, carbonero, which means charcoal.  The carbonara pasta was first made as meal for the charcoal workers in Italy.    In America, the spaghetti in creamy white sauce was referred to as coal miner’s spaghetti.    

Italians use raw eggs instead of milk to create traditional carbonara dish.  I prefer milk over raw eggs.  

Here, you don’t have to be a charcoal miner to enjoy this creamy carbonara pasta.  

Creamy Carbonara Pasta

Ingredients:

300 g. spaghetti noodles

200 g. bacon, cut into small slices  

120 g. mushroom pieces and stems

400 ml. evaporated milk

3 tbsp butter (about 2 medium slices)

2 tbsp Olive oil (pomace or pure)

2 tsp extra virgin olive oil

½ tbsp. salt

½ tbsp. ground pepper

½ tsp dried oregano

Grated parmesan cheese (optional)

Evaporated milk and mushroom pieces and stems

Bacon gives carbonara its smokey meaty flavor 

Chopped garlic and onions are a must!

How to Cook Carbonara:

Noodles:

Cook pasta noodles until al dente.  Set aside.

Bacon:

Fry bacon slices until caramelized but not brown.  The bacon is done when the fats are transparent or clear.  Set aside.

Cream Sauce:

1. Drizzle olive oil in a pan.  Sauté garlic and onion until onions wilt a bit.  Put 2 slices of butter and continue to stir until butter melts.

2. Pour the evaporated milk. Stir and let it simmer for 3 minutes over low heat. 

3. Put mushroom stems and pieces and simmer for 2 minutes over low heat.

4. Put the fried bacon slices, stir well and let it boil for 5 minutes over low heat.

5. Season with salt and pepper then sprinkle with dried oregano. Stir well for 1 minute.

6. Garnish with extra virgin olive oil.  Simmer a bit. Turn off stove.

Creamy carbonara sauce 

Pour the noodles over the cream sauce.  Mix and toss well.

You may sprinkle parmesan cheese if you like.

Voila! Creamy carbonara pasta!

Hi-ho! Hi-ho!  I could imagine Snow White’s seven dwarfs anticipating a meal of carbonara spaghetti after a long day’s mining work. 

The folks at home did not do any mining work but they emptied the casserole where the creamy carbonara pasta has been.  Nothing but just the odor of the creamy sauce could be traced. 

Creamy Carbonara Pasta, You’re So Beautifood!

Baked Rigatoni

Rigatoni is an over-sized macaroni that goes best with chunky tomato-meat sauce. The size of each rigatoni tube (1 1/4" L x 0.75" W) may be overwhelming but you can conquer it.  You may cook it the way you would an ordinary pasta dish—toss the pasta and sauce and voila! Or you may bake it.

Italian Rigatoni

My version is accidental Baked Rigatoni.   I wanted to cook it the traditional pasta way, no oven involved.  It was my first time to use rigatoni tubes in my pasta dish and I underestimated the cooking time, it was too "al dente", a little hard to the bite.  But since I already tossed in the tomato-meat sauce, I cannot separate anymore the rigatoni to further boil it.  So, I thought of a remedy, and eureka!  Bake it! And so I did.  And it turned out better than the traditional way.

Here’s the recipe.

Baked Rigatoni

Ingredients!

500 g. Rigatoni

400 g. Hunt’s Diced Tomatoes

620 g. Hunt’s Mushrooms Spaghetti Sauce

400 g. Minced Lean Pork (or beef)
250 g. sausages, julienned (cut diagonally)

200 g. Pitted green olives

100 g. Capers

4 tbsp. Pomace Olive Oil

3 tsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 tsp. Dried Oregano

1 tsp. Dried Basil

1 tbsp. Salt

4 tbsp. Brown sugar

2 tsp. Black Pepper- ground  

MSG- optional

Shredded Cheese- optional

Cook It!

Rigatoni

Boil the rigatoni until almost al dente (approximately 3 minutes to being firm to the bite).  Drain water and set aside in a casserole.

Boiled Rigatoni

Tomato-Meat Sauce

1. In a skillet over low heat, saute chopped onion and garlic in pomace olive oil until onions are caramelized.

2. Turn the heat to medium and put in the minced lean pork and continue to sauté until meat turns brown.

3. Put in the pitted olives and the capers and sauté more for 3 minutes.

4. Pour in the diced tomatoes and stir continuously for 5 minutes under low-medium heat.

5. Pour in the mushrooms pasta sauce and continue to stir for 5 minutes under low-medium heat.  Add 4 tsp hot water if mixture gets too thick to avoid burning at the bottom.

6. Put in brown sugar, salt and pepper and stir continuously under low heat for 2 minutes.

7. Sprinkle with oregano and basil then stir continuously under low heat for another 2 minutes.

8. Lastly, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and swirl for a minute.

Mixture of minced lean pork, sausages, olives and capers smells so good when sauted 

Diced tomatoes over the sauted meat, olives and capers

The steaming tomato-meat sauce

Toss It!

1. Gradually pour the tomato-meat mixture over the rigatoni until everything is covered with the sauce.

2. Toss and mix, ensuring every rigatoni tube is coated with the tomato-meat mixture.

Put the excess tomato-meat sauce in a tightly-capped canister and store in the refrigerator for use within 3-5 days with any pasta noodle for sudden pasta cravings. 

Bake It!

1. Pre-heat oven to 150 degrees F for 5-7 minutes.

2. In a greased 9x11 baking dish,pour the tossed rigatoni and tomato-meat dish. You may sprinkle shredded cheese on top if you want.

3. Cover the baking dish with a foil and bake for 20 minutes at 175 degrees F.

Enjoy!

Now you have a different kind of pasta dish for you and your loved ones.

Baked Rigaotni ready for the taking!

Baked Rigatoni, You’re So Beautifood!

Riste d’ Aubergine Lasagne with Bacon and Creamy Bechamel Sauce

One veggie that goes best with lasagna is eggplant.  Organic or regular eggplants may be grilled, mashed or flaked then mixed with staple vegetables like tomatoes, onions and mushrooms.  In France, the famous way of cooking eggplants is Riste d’Aubergine, in which eggplant mixture is simmered for 3 long hours to extract the flavors.   Unless, you have that luxury of time, you may opt to buy bottled Riste d’ Aubergine which is made in France.  In the Philippines, bottles of Riste d’ Aubergine are usually found in the imported section of Rustan’s Supermarket.  I think these could also be found in duty free shops.

French Riste d' Aubergine

As a post- New Year celebration, I baked lasagna (for the first time!).  I usually cook all kinds of pasta except lasagna.  But some 2 months ago, when I saw this Casino Riste d’ Aubergine 650g. bottle, which was on sale at 50% off, I bought it with the thought that aubergines go well with lasagna.  Notwithstanding that I have nil experience in baking lasagna, I just bought it, with a side-thought that “bahala na (leave it to the stars), I can do it”.

Surprise of all surprises!  I baked my first lasagna and it was a huge success!  When it comes to cooking and baking, I noticed that I am blessed with “beginner’s luck”.  When I baked my first cream puffs some 2 years ago, it was also a success.  I was able to create a choux pastry, and it did not deflate when I baked it.  That’s the baker’s dilemma with cream puffs, they tend to deflate.  So much for cream puffs.  My béchamel sauce was also a first and it was good.  I remember Audrey Hepburn in the classic movie, Sabrina, she went to Paris to study baking and one of her tests was to make a béchamel sauce.  When I was watching the DVD, I thought béchamel sauce is complicated to prepare.  But I did it!

My whole family loved my lasagna dish, which I called Riste d’ Aubergine Lasagne with Bacon and Creamy Béchamel Sauce.   A lot of my friends requested for the recipe when they saw the pictures I posted in Facebook and Instagram.

Here’s the recipe and I hope you’ll be blessed with beginner’s luck with Riste d’Aubergine.

Riste d’ Aubergine Lasagne with Bacon and Creamy Béchamel Sauce

Ingredients:

650 g bottle  Riste d’ Aubergine (any French or Spanish brand or you can make your own)

1 big head garlic, chopped

1 big onion, chopped

Salt

Brown sugar

Pure olive oil

Extra virgin olive oil

Dried Rosemary

250 g bacon (preferably with little fat and honey maple syrup but regular bacons will do)

500 g lasagna noodles (any French or Spanish brand cooked al dente)

Bechamel Sauce:

5 tbsp salted butter

5 tbsp all purpose flour

250 ml all purpose cream

250 ml evaporated filled milk

1 tsp brown sugar

Ready to bake!

Let’s Do It:

Lasagna Noodles

1.    Cook lasagna in boiling water with 1 tsp vegetable oil and 1 tsp salt until al dente (firm to the bite).  Set aside.

Bacon

In a large flat pan, lay the strips of bacon over low to medium heat, wait until the strips are fried in their own oil.  Let them sizzle until they turn medium brown.  Set aside.

Frying the bacon

Riste d’ Aubergine Sauce

1. In the same pan, add 2 tbsp pure olive oil to the bacon oil.  Saute the chopped garlic and onion until onions are transparent.
2. Pour the Riste d’ Aubergine Sauce and simmer for 5 minutes over low heat, stir occasionally. 
3. Add 1 tsp of salt and 3 tsps of brown sugar, stir for a minute.
4. Sprinkle with approx. 1 tsp of dried rosemary.
5. Drizzle 2 tsps extra virgin olive oil over the mixture, stir and simmer for another 2 minutes.
6. Remove from heat.

Bechamel Sauce

1. In a saucepan, melt butter over low heat (be careful not to burn).
2. Pour flour and stir until the mixture turns sandy in texture and medium brown.  Set aside.
3. In a medium casserole, mix all purpose cream and evaporated filled milk, stir until well blended.  Add brown sugar and stir well.  Now turn on the stove to low heat, wait until the mixture is just about to boil.  Quickly turn off the stove.
4. Put the saucepan containing the flour mixture over low heat then pour approx 1 cup of the cream-milk mixture.  Mix and stir well.  Do this process repeatedly until all the cream-milk mixture is poured into the flour mixture.  Stir well.  (You may use an electric mixer for this if you want a finer texture.  But an egg whisker would be just as fine.  Do not worry about tiny lumps, they’ll disappear once the lasagna is baked).  Adjust heat to medium and let the mixture boil for 5-8 minutes with constant stirring until it thickens.  Turn off the stove once mixture thickens to avoid burning.
5. The bechamel sauce should be a thicker mixture, test this by dipping a fork into the mixture, if there are no drippings, then the béchamel is already creamy.  You may add more flour if the mixture is quite liquid.   

Flour and butter mixture

Cream and milk make the bechamel creamier

  

Assembling:

1.  In a greased 9x11 baking dish, lay flat the first batch of lasagna noodles horizontally, then layer with another batch vertically (as if you are weaving). 
2. Pour part of the Riste d’ Aubergine Sauce and spread until the lasagna noodles are covered.  Arrange the strips of bacon on top.  Then, pour part of the creamy béchamel sauce.  Spread until only the béchamel sauce is seen. 
3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 in order.
4. Cover the baking dish tightly with foil. 

Bake!

1. Pre-heat oven at 175 F for 5 minutes.
2. Bake the lasagna over 175 F for 20 minutes.
3. Remove the foil then bake for another 5 minutes. 

Voila! Riste d' Aubergine Lasagne with Bacon and Creamy Bechamel Sauce

My creamy slice of heaven

There, you now have a festive pasta dish that your family and friends will love.  Riste d’ Aubergine Lasagne with Bacon and Creamy Bechamel Sauce, You’re So Beautifood!

Petite Aubergine Omelette

Organic eggplants are not only cute.  They are a versatile veggie.  Aside from being a healthier option, you can transform them into a delicious gourmet dish in a jiffy.

Round variety of pretty organic aubergines

You will need:
4 pcs organic eggplant
2 eggs, beaten
1 medium onion, minced
1 medium garlic head, crushed and minced
1/2 tsp rock salt
1/2 tsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 cup vegetable oil

Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)- optional

What to do:
1. You may grill the eggplants for 5 minutes or boil the eggplants in a small casserole for 5-7 minutes or until semi-tender.
2. Meanwhile, mix in a bowl the beaten eggs, garlic, onion, salt, sugar, pepper and oregano. Mix well through a fork until bubbles form.
3. When the eggplants are cooked, let cool for 5 minutes or until you can hold them to peel off the skin.
4. Submerged the peeled eggplants into the egg mixture. Using a fork, pierce the eggplants several times so that they absorb some of the egg mixture, for 3-5 minutes. Flatten the eggplants a bit with the back side of the fork.

The medley of onion-garlic-spices will give the aubergines delectable taste ans smell

5. Heat the oil in the pan. Oil is hot and ready if it become transparent and mists comes up from the pan.
6. Fry 2 eggplants at a time. Coat the eggplants with more egg mixture to seal the onion and garlic pieces. Brown each side of the eggplants. Coat more with egg mixture as desired.

Serving Suggestions:
1. As Viand- Arrange the fried eggplants in a flat ceramic plate. You may drizzle some EVOO on top of the aubergine omelette before serving.  You may also use banana catsup or sweet chili as dip.

The aubergine omelettes look like small burger patties 

2. As Sandwich Patty- For a real vegetarian burger, just put a slice of cheddar cheese or shreds of mozzarella cheese on top of the fried eggplant while it's hot. Use a burger bun and garnish with tomato catsup, mayonnaise and coleslaw as desired. If you use a ciabatta bread, first drizzle EVOO onto the sliced bread before putting the fried eggplant and cheese.

Either way, these aubergine omelettes are so yummy, they'll disappear in minutes.  Petite Aubergine Omelettes, You are So Beautifood!

Green Tea Macadamia Polvoron

Polvoron is a sweet crumbly shortbread delicacy that originated from Spain.  Polvoron comes from the Spanish word, “polvo”, which means powder or dust, aptly describing the consistency of the sweet delicacy.  Polvoron has many variants around the world, prominent mainly in all ex-Spanish colonies, like the Philippines.  In Mexico and Spain, polvorons are meant for special occasions and Christmas.  In the Philippines, it is an all-season delicacy served as dessert or simply consumed as candies anytime of the day.  Really, it's more fun in the Philippines!

My sweet skills crafted a gourmet version of the basic polvoron recipe.  I love matcha or green tea so much, so I used it as the star flavor of my polvoron.  I wanted texture, so I added madamia nuts in the recipe.  I call this gourmet polvoron recipe as Green Tea Macadamia Polvoron.

Pretty Green Tea Macadamia Polvorons

Green Tea Macadamia Polvoron is health-packed.  The toasted flour, milk and butter are fortified with vitamins, minerals and calcium.  The green tea powder contains L-Carnitine for weight management.  The macadamia nuts are rich in anti-oxidants known to have anti-aging and heart-friendly properties.   The refined sugar provides a surge of Endorphins-- the happy hormones.  So, what more can you ask for?  A food quote says, you are what you eat.  Therefore, Green Tea Macadamia polvoron makes you healthy and happy.

Now, you may start being healthy and happy.

Ingredients:

150 g. all-purpose flour

150 g. full cream powder milk

125 g. (this is practically half of the ¼ kilo) refined white sugar

40 g (2 sachets @20 g. each) of instant green tea powder latte mix

50 g. macadamia nuts

Nutmeg

100 g. (this is practically half stick of the usual whole size) salted or unsalted butter

The dry ingredients

Opt for a butter that smells really good!

Macadamia tastes like young coconut when raw

Nutmeg gives that "bite" to sweet delicacies

For stronger green tea flavor:

3 teaspoons of Japanese sweet green tea powder

Japanese sweet pure green tea powder

Note: 

The green tea latte instant mix (made in Malaysia),  Japanese sweet green tea powder and Healthy You Raw Macadamia are all available in Robinson’s Supermarket (I bought my stocks in Robinson’s Forum, Pioneer Street, Mandaluyong City).

Procedures:

1.    Set the stove on medium heat.  On a regular skillet (I prefer this over the non-stick pan because it toasts faster and crumblier), toast the flour.  Keep on stirring with a spatula until the raw flour odor disappears.   Be careful though not to burn the flour by adjusting the heat into low when the color starts to turn beige.  The 150 grams of flour won’t take you more than 5 minutes of toasting.  Use your instinct.

Flour turns beige when toasted just right

2.     Set aside the skillet with the toasted flour, allow to cool down for 10 minutes.

3.    While waiting for the toasted flour to cool down, put the half stick butter into a ceramic bowl and put in the microwave for 2 minutes on high setting.  If butter does not melt completely, microwave for another minute at medium setting.  Do not burn the butter!

Safety tip:  Wait for a minute before you take the bowl out of the microwave.   Make sure the microwave has completely shut off.  You don’t want to be accidentally splattered with boiling melted butter.

Half stick butter in a ceramic bowl

This is not egg yoke, this is melted butter!

4.     Set the butter aside and let cool.

5.   When the toasted flour has completely cooled down, on the same skillet, pour in the powder milk and refined sugar.  Mix well with spatula.

Layers of toasted flour, milk and sugar

6.    Pour in the instant green tea latte mix (this is a mild flavor and hardly noticeable).  If you prefer a stronger flavor of green tea, pour in 3 teaspoons of Japanese sweet green tea powder.  Mix well with spatula.  The mixture should be greenish by now after the mixing. 

The mixture should turn greenish after adding the green tea powder

7.    Chop the macadamia nuts coarsely for texture.  You have the option to chop it finely if you prefer a smoother consistency. 

The beautifully-chopped macadamia nuts

8.  Put the macadamia nuts in the flour-milk-sugar-green tea mixture.  Mix well with spatula.  Put 3 short sprinkles of nutmeg in the spatula.  I just love the number, 3, as in 3 wishes.  And I think the 3 sprinkles is just enough, not overpowering.  Blend the ingredients well. 

Tip: Do not sprinkle directly on the mixture to avoid accidental over-pouring and ruining the taste of the mixture.

9.  When everything has been blended well, create a cavity in the center of the mixture and pour the melted butter. 

It's easier to blend wet with dry ingredients when you create a cavity in the center

10.  Mix everything well and make sure the butter has adhered to the dry ingredients. 

The polvoron ready for setting in the refrigerator

11. Put the mixture in a lock-and-lock container and chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or longer.  The butter should have sticked to the dry mixture, making molding easier.

12.  Mold the polvorons according to your desired shape before covering with green candy cellophane.

Tip: Multi-color candy cellophanes are available at National Bookstore.

Green Tea Macadamia Polvrons ready for the picking!

Needless to speak, my mouth is full of crumbly dust of "delectableness".  Green Tea Macadamia Polvoron-- you are so beautifood!

Do not be green with envy.  Just go green! Make your own Green Tea Macadamia polvorons!