Fettucine Carbonara

Fettucine Carbonara

4 rashers bacon
1/3 cup cream
pinch paprika
1 egg
1 egg-yolk, extra
60g (2oz) grated parmesan cheese
30g (1oz) softened butter
pepper
250g fettucine

Remove rind from bacon, cut bacon into thin strips. Place bacon in frying pan over low heat, cook gently until bacon is crisp. Drain off bacon fat from pan, leaving approximately 2 tablespoons bacon fat.

Add cream and paprika, stir until combine. Place egg, egg yolk and 30g (1oz) grated parmesan cheese into bowl, beat until combined. Place fettucine into pan of boiling salter water, boil uncovered 10 to 12 minutes to until just cooked. Drain return to pan with butter, toss over low heat until combined.

Add bacon-cream mixture, toss until combined. Add egg mixture, toss until combined. Season with pepper. Sprinkle with remaining grated parmesan cheese.

Serves 4-6.

This recipe was printed in the Australian Woman's Weekly Italian cookbook, probably the first one with mussels on the front cover.

We have loved this recipe since the 80s I think. And now enjoy other similar recipes very much, still making this one as a staple.




I loved this one this week:

Spaghetti with Salami Carbonara (you can omit the sage)

I love this one too and have eaten it recently:

Prosciutto Linguine

This one we have had a few times and is a handy recipe for menu planning:

Zucchini, Pea and Angel Hair Carbonara

This next one we have had before, I think because it is made from pancetta

Mushroom & Pancetta Spaghetti

Small Town Living

I saw this video, well, rather saw Lambert on Crook & Chase? on Austar. I can relate. I have only been living in a small town since early 2004.

• Famous In A Small Town by Miranda Lambert

More Miranda Lambert music on iLike

Buying Too Much Meat

I really don't have any more clues. But I am sure we will enjoy the meat I bought. Some I had to buy two or three packets of, still tried to keep it to around $10 for us six.

Thursday ~ Pork Chow Mein
Friday ~ Osso Bucco with Mashed Potatoes
Saturday ~ Spaghetti Bolognaise
Sunday ~ Beef Chow Mein
Monday ~ Tuna Casserole
Tuesday ~ Veal with Silverbeet (chard), Mozzerella & Tomato Sauce
Wednesday ~ Thai Lamb
Thursday ~ Spaghetti with Salami Carbonara
Friday ~ Lentil & Dill Soup possibly
Saturday ~ This is a swap for the cauliflower dish we haven't had yet, Pies, Peas, Pumpkin & Potato
Sunday ~ Chicken Sausage, Sweet Potato & Rocket
Monday ~ Balsamic Tomato, Chorizo & Rocket Fettucine
Tuesday ~ Zucchini Pasta Possibly
Wednesday ~ Maybe we could buy kranksys and Pea & Ham Soup for Brussels Sprouts

Bigos & mashed potatoes

Simple Country

Back to Menus

Tuesday ~ I think we had Paella
Wednesday ~ we had Fettucine Carbonara, and yes I will post the recipe
Thursday ~ Tuna Casserole
Friday ~ Chicken Snitzel Burgers with Salsa
Saturday ~ Red Curry Beef & Boc Choy
Sunday ~ Spaghetti Bolognaise
Monday ~ Mexican Mince or Chilli Con Carne
Tuesday ~ Sausage Casserole with Chipolatas
Wednesday ~ Fragrant Pumpkin and Lentil Curry or Spicy Lentil & Pumpkin Soup
Thursday ~ Black Bean & Ham Soup
Friday ~ Prosciutto Linguine
Saturday ~ Borlotti Bean & Chorizo Soup
Sunday ~ Pasta with Marinated Feta, Pancetta & Lentils
Monday ~ Spinach
Tuesday ~ Salmon Broccoli Pasta
Wednesday ~ Other ideas, Lentil & Cauliflower Pilaf, Mushroom & Caper Pasta, Borlotti Bean Pasta

The Pantry Challenge Menu

I was so focussed on it at the time, but now I have forgotten all the things we made.

~ Zucchini Rigatoni
~ Borlotti Bean Pasta
~ Vegie Burgers & Chips
~ Spinach Korma & Rice
~ Pies and Potatoes

Very Slow Menu

Thursday ~ Kransky Hotpot
Friday ~ Kransky Hotpot left-overs
Saturday ~ Barley Pilaf (I am only going to have barley in soups in future)
Sunday ~ Bolognaise
Monday ~ Tuna Casserole
Tuesday ~ Moroccan Sweet Potato & Carrot Soup
Wednesday ~

I have meals to think up until at least Monday night. We are using what we have on hand buying odd bits and pieces to add to it.

Beans on the Menu

I have a pumpkin similar to that that I tried photographing, maybe I'll put it at the end of the post. We were given it, which is always a big help.

Menu

Thursday ~ Veal Campagnola & Chips
Friday ~ Mexican Mince
Saturday ~ Red Curry Beef & Boc Choy
Sunday ~ Sausage Casserole & Potatoes
Monday ~ Pasta with Pork Sausages & Rosemary
Tuesday ~ Pork Sausages
Wednesday ~ Pea & Ham Soup with Kranskys & Brussels Sprouts
Thursday ~ Tuna Casserole
Friday ~ Pork Mince Stroganoff
Saturday ~ Pork Chow Mein
Sunday ~ Spaghetti Bolognaise
Monday ~ Spiced Pumpkin & Canned Lentil Soup
Tuesday ~ Tuna & Mushroom Spaghetti
Wednesday ~ Soy Bean & Vegetable Soup

My Favourite Black (Turtle) Bean Soup

Top black bean soup with lemon and hard cooked egg slices.

INGREDIENTS:

* 3 cups dried black beans
* 1 ham bone or large ham hock
* 3 quarts water
* 2 ounces salt pork, diced or 2 to 3 slices diced bacon
* 1 large clove garlic, minced
* 1 bay leaf
* 1/8 teaspoon ground thyme
* 2 cups chopped onion
* 1 medium carrot, diced
* salt and pepper
* sherry
* lemon slices
* hard cooked egg, sliced

PREPARATION:
Soak black beans and ham bone in 3 quarts of water overnight in the refrigerator. Transfer beans and liquid to large kettle of Dutch oven. Add salt pork or bacon, garlic, bay leaf and thyme. Bring black beans to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 2 hours.

Add chopped onions and diced carrot; simmer 1 hour longer. Remove and discard bay leaf and ham bone. In small batches, process or blend black bean soup mixture until smooth. Return to pot; heat. Add salt and pepper and a little sherry to taste. Serve black bean soup garnished with lemon and egg slices.
Makes 2 quarts of black bean soup.

From here.

Black beans (or Black Turtle Beans) from Asian supermarkets, (not sure which ones) and Kwikshop.

Medlars

I just love medlars, and I hope to buy a tree, though $100 is probably why I haven't bought one yet. I can buy one from a tree farm in Holbrook NSW called The Vintage Tree Nursery.

I had a tree before in our rental property that we lived in in 2003. Bletting the fruit still remains a mystery to me, though I think I did lots of research. I suppose if you are not using the information, you basically have to start again.

I bought some ready made jelly, though I can't say I have done a lot with it. I was thrilled though to see medlars on River Cottage Autumn a couple of days ago. They made medlar and apple chutney.

The girls picked medlars at the time when we had the tree, my husband even collected some sawdust, though it smelled to much like petrol from memory, but the fruit went rotten. Maybe that was a good thing, maybe I actually just bletted them? It would be hard to say since they were thickly together in a bowl.

My joy of medlars comes from my uncle's love of fruit trees, and I remember him visiting a tree in an older lady's garden.

Photo: Flickr Non-commercial Creative Commons: mgjefferies photostream here.

My favourite red grass

I have talked about it on the internet before. It brings me lots of joy.

I came across some while I was photographing a church. It grows in our street, I haven't seen any in other parts of Victoria.

For ages now, well a month or two, I have been looking at a red native grass, that grows at least in a 50 mile radius of here. There is one piece in our nature strip. It grows by the roadside, and during the drought made a stunning display.

Yesterday (May 24, 2007) I drove through bush areas and saw Crimson Rosellas I think, feeding on it by the side of the road. It was a sight I haven't seen before, and special I think. Not only do I love the grass, now in autumn you can see birds on it feeding.

Baking with Coconut Milk

Recently I made the recipe below. The pictures were nice, but I was in a rush, and my raspberries were thawed. That had the effect of coloured batter and wet bits in the cake. I have my freezer away from our usual home. The raspberries pictures were a day old in the fridge, I used those too. However, I thoroughly enjoyed eating the cake. It tasted like raspberries and cream. It was all very exciting. If you are not keen on cakes with butter in them because of heartburn or whatever, try coconut milk. I haven't tried more than one recipe though.

I decided a month or two ago that coconut is one of those tastes Australians appreciate. I noticed today that the cake can be toasted. I didn't try that.

Raspberry & Coconut Loaf

1 3/4 cups desiccated coconut
1 1/2 cups coconut milk
1 cup caster sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 2/3 cups self-raising flour
1 cup frozen raspberries
pure icing sugar, to serve

Combine coconut and coconut milk in a large bowl. Cover and stand for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 170°C. Line base and sides of a 7cm-deep, 10.5cm x 20.5cm (base) loaf pan with baking paper, allowing a 2cm overhang at both long ends.

Using a metal spoon, stir sugar, egg and vanilla into coconut mixture. Sift flour over coconut mixture. Gently stir until combined. Fold in raspberries.

Spoon mixture into prepared pan. Bake for 1 hour 10 minutes to 1 hour 15 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool loaf in pan for 10 minutes. Lift onto a wire rack to cool completely. Dust with icing sugar and slice. Serve toasted, if desired.

Here are some more recipes that include coconut milk. They look delicious! Especially since I recently tried a sweet impossible pie from a fund raising book that is old, but still popular.

Coconut & Lemon Self-saucing Pudding
Coconut & Passionfruit Self-saucing Pudding
Pear & Raspberry Coconut Bread
Coconut Pudding with Golden Syrup
Impossible Coconut Pie
Passionfruit Layer Cake

My family like their baking racks in the oven differently to what I would like them, so my cake grew through the rack. It was a bad time of day to be baking. I had to stay home to wait for it to cook too, while the others went somewhere.