Ham Solo in Carbonara (Han Solo in Carbonite) AKA Spaghetti alla Carbonara

This is one dish that seems most Italians and Americans both enjoy in its closer to authentic version. Some enjoy adding garlic or onions to it, but for my first post regarding it, I will stick to something most purists will accept. Now being in America, I will make a few suggestions for items one is more likely to find in our grocery store. And by all means, if you want garlic or onions, go for it. My kids like it much better with garlic and extra sauce.

I live remote in the mountains. My closest store does not carry guanciale (nor does any grocery store locally). In fact, the pancetta it does carry is so thinly sliced, that it does not work well for cooking at all, it is meant for sandwiches or antipasto. If one tries to cook with it, it burns the within a minute of hitting the pan.

In Carbonara, to render the fat needed for the sauce, I must use local bacon. On the upside, we have many homesteaders and ranchers up here who raise lovely meat that I have no fears of consuming. So I do use a very beautiful, organic bacon, but you can use whatever you can locate or afford and it will still taste delizioso. 

Of course working hand in hand with The Star Wars Mom website, today's version of Carbonara is affectionately titled, "Ham Solo in Carbonara." You can find the free printable party food label on the Star Wars Mom website. I hope you enjoy this meal. Since spaghetti pasta is considered "romantic" food thanks to Disney's Lady and The Tramp, this is one of our Valentine themed posts.

I would like to give a shout out of BIG THANKS to my daughter, Bethany, who has been helping me with decor and setting up/tearing down for photo shoots. She has truly been a blessing at getting this rolling. She loves decorating, so she set up the table for the Valentine's Photo Shoots and I think she did an amazing job! While you can't see a lot of it on here, you can in the Star Wars Mom post on this topic.

Star Wars Italian Food:
Ham Solo in Carbonara Recipe

Ingredients:

Sea Salt
3 large eggs, plus 3 large egg yolks, room temp
3 ounces (about 1/3 packed cup) grated pecorino Romano
3 ounces (about 1/3 packed cup) grated Parmesan
Fresh coarsely ground black pepper
2 Tablespoons olive oil
12 ounces of slab guanciale, pancetta, or bacon, sliced into pieces about 1/4 - 1/2 inch square, (depending on the meat you choose)
16 ounces spaghetti (1 box, do not use thin spaghetti for Carbonara)
1-2 cups of reserved pasta water after cooking spaghetti
Parsley, freshly minced for topping

Directions:

Lightly salt the pot of water for cooking spaghetti pasta. While I normally salt the water like the ocean for cooking pasta, this is an exception, since we are going to use some of the reserved pasta water for our sauce and we want to control how salty this becomes. Bring to a boil.

Meanwhile, in a small mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, egg yolks, cheeses, couple of pinches of sea salt and some freshly ground black pepper. Set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add whichever meat you are using and lightly fry until the fat is rendered and it begins to get crisp, but do not overcook. Leave meat in oil, and remove pan from heat.

Cook spaghetti in pot of water until al dente, be very careful not to cook any further, better less than more, as the spaghetti is going to soak up some of the sauce. Be careful to reserve a couple of cups of the pasta water before draining spaghetti.

Before draining spaghetti, reheat the pork in the skillet. Make sure to remove skillet from heat when it's hot. Add the hot spaghetti pasta to the skillet  and toss well for a minute. Then pour on some of the reserved pasta water, top with the egg/cheese mixture and stir quickly with two spoons if needed. You must work quickly to cook the eggs/cheese/water/fat into a sauce with the heat of the spaghetti and not end up with scrambled eggs. It should form a lovely, creamy sauce.

Serve immediately in pasta bowls. Top with parsley, freshly grated romano or parmesan, and black pepper.

 

Organic Curly Endive with Bacon and Garlic Dressing Recipe

Salad King Endive heirloom seeds germinated easily and grew into the most beautiful and lush curly green salad leaves.

Organic Salad King Endive in my Garden by Victory Seeds

Unfortunately, we have had a lot of heat early this spring in Northern California, so my endive is wanting to bolt. I will plant some more specifically for this salad recipe, but this time they will be in an area which receives more shade.

Endive is another power packed super food, but it can be a bit on the bitter side for a salad green by itself. Mixed in with lettuce leaves it tastes wonderful. However, making my Curly Endive Salad with Bacon and Garlic Dressing is even better! The dressing is tangy sweet which hides any bitterness of the endive leaves.

Organic Curly Endive Salad with Bacon and Garlic Dressing

Curly Endive Salad with Bacon and Garlic Dressing

(print recipe)

Ingredients

• 6 bacon slices, browned and crumbled into bite size pieces (reserving some bacon grease to saute garlic)
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 tablespoons mild honey
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons unfiltered apple cider vinegar
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup prepared chicken broth
• 1 large head curly endive, washed and spun, torn into bite-size pieces (if stems are large or hard, only use the curly leaves and discard all stems)

Instructions

In a small bowl combine sugar and flour. Then whisk in the apple cider vinegar, egg, and chicken broth. Sit aside.

Saute garlic in bacon grease

Saute the minced garlic in the bacon grease until its fragrant (a couple of minutes). Stir in the broth mixture and continue stirring until thickens over med heat. Remove from heat, stir in salt and pepper to taste. Add the bacon pieces.

After dressing thickens, add bacon.

Toss the endive with the warm bacon dressing in a salad bowl and serve.

Rigali Style Zuppa Toscana Recipe AKA Tuscany Soup Better than Olive Garden's

Buongiorno miei amata amici! Since we are on the subject of Fall and Winter’s delectable comfort foods, my list would not be legit without our family’s version of Zuppa Toscana! This is a family friendly favorite!

Ingredients:

• 1 lb Italian Sausage (sweet, mild, or hot depending on whom you are serving, for our family I use Johnsonville's Sweet Italian Sausage, and basil is what gives it the sweetness)
• 6-8 slices of Bacon
• 12-16 Cups of Chicken Broth (enough to cover potatoes when boiling in a stock pot) 
• 1 onion finely chopped 
• 1-2 cloves of garlic, minced 
• ¼ cup of Italian Spaghetti Seasoning (such as Tone's from Sam's Club)
• 2 springs of Oregano finely chopped 
• 10 potatoes, peeled and sliced 
• 1 pint of heavy cream 
• 1 bunch of Basil and 1 bunch of Italian Parsley, both chopped (or substitute kale or spinach)  

Directions:

First cook 6-8 slices of bacon until crisp. Remove from pan, but leave bacon grease behind. Now add the onion, garlic, and Italian Sausage and cook, stirring occasionally. When Italian Sausage is almost done, crumble bacon into it and cook for a few more minutes.

Meanwhile, bring chicken broth to a boil in a stock pot. Add ¼ cup or so of Italian Spaghetti Seasoning (I used Tone’s brand) to broth. Once broth is to a rolling boil, add the oregano and potatoes. Cook potatoes until tender. Add meat, onion, and garlic mixture to broth and potatoes in stock pot. Then stir in the heavy cream. (If you want it thicker, you can either add some instant mashed potato flakes or whisk some flour/cornstarch into some milk and add to it.) Last, but not least, stir in the chopped basil and Italian Parsley. Serve Zuppa Toscana hot with a side of warm sourdough bread.

Buongiorno miei amata amici!

"Un po 'd'olio d'oliva e un po' di vino equivale a un cuore sano e felice!"

This Italian proverb means "A bit of olive oil and a little wine equals a healthy and happy heart!"

When it comes to cooking, most Italians can name off four essential fats they employ in the kitchen.

• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Butter
• Oil/Lard from Pork
• Grape Seed Oil (or other seed oils)

All of these can be easily purchased in Northern America as well.
Olive Oil can have many flavors to it, but you want one that embellishes not detracts from the dish you are preparing. It is important to store your Olive and Seed oil in a dark and cool area to keep them from going rancid. The oil will keep for about a year once opened if stored properly, though in our home it will never last that long.
If you are trying to avoid the influence of olive in your dish, you will want to try a seed oil. While we have many options in the USA, my advice would be to use Grape Seed Oil, as it is healthier than most options.
Butter can be salted or unsalted, but be sure to adjust the salt in the recipe accordingly. If using butter over a higher heat, I mix in some oil with a high smoking point (such as EVOO or Grape Seed Oil). EVOO = Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Butter should be stored in the refrigerator except when bringing it to room temperature for baking.
Both oils also work well for seasoning cast iron because of their high smoking point.
While some people buy Lard, I tend to drain the grease off from our meat and use it fresh. I know my grandmother always kept a container of bacon grease on her stove top and we never did get ill from it. Maybe it was because she always used cast iron and it gets so hot that surely any bacteria would die. However, my fear keeps me using fresh pork when I need the flavor of pork oil.
In most Italian dishes the fats are interchangeable and will simply alter the flavor to create a variant of the usual recipe. As time moves forward, I have my favorite oils to use in preparation of dishes and it has become second nature.
*An added note: In our family, the ones who use these types of oils do not have high cholesterol, but the ones who use margarine, shortening, and vegetable oil (mostly made from soybean oil today) have high cholesterol. Perhaps this has no bearing on the results, but it leads me to believe natural fats are healthier.