I lived in Italy for six months when I was 23 years old, because, well, Italy. I was out of college with not that many employable skills (having majored in English), and I basically decided that Italy was as good a place as any to plunk down and think about the rest of my life. I taught English in middle schools, evening classes, and corporate offices. I was in love with the country, the language, the Mediterranean sunshine, and the mountains. But of course, what I most loved was the food. I basically ate my way through Italy. I never met a pizza or a pasta I didn’t immediately scarf down. I hunted down regional specialties with eagle-eyed precision, sampling pesto in Genoa, bolognese in Bologna, granita in Sicily, and prosciutto in Parma. Probably every other day, I treated myself to a gelato – pistachio and strawberry (fragola) were my go-to’s. I dunked Mulino Bianco cookies in cappuccinos for breakfast and bought focaccia studded with salty olives and sweet onions for lunch. I discovered buffalo mozzarella and new food trends that tickled me to the core with delight – apparently, the Sicilians started the trend of eating brioche con gelato (which is basically a brioche bun stuffed with gelato) for breakfast, and I never wanted anything else with my cappuccino.

The food is ridiculous in Italy. Honestly, every trip to the supermarket felt like a culinary adventure. I would buy the pre-made, prepackaged Barilla brand raviolis in the refrigerated section, and they would taste better than any of the pastas I could remember eating in the States. Sometimes I went to people’s houses for English lessons, and sometimes they would offer me lunch – I still remember a pasta dish with soft, wilted zucchini and charred potatoes that was so simple, yet so addictive. The last time I was in Italy was probably over 10 years ago, and I am way overdue for a food tour.

The thing I love about Italian cooking is that it often focuses on only a few ingredients, and prizes quality of those ingredients above elaborate preparation or technique. What this translates to is straightforward, simple weeknight cooking! I really love this spaghetti carbonara because it is easy, yet creamy, rich, and delicious. It’s also fairly foolproof – the worse that will happen is that you might cook the eggs instead of coating the pasta with them, but apparently scrambled eggs and pasta are also a thing in Italy, and it sounds delicious to me, so I don’t think I would even mind if this happened. So go ahead – find the most gourmet pancetta, cheese, and butter you can, pour some wine, and get an Italian feast together in under 30 minutes.

We personally ate this with sautéed leeks and roasted brussels sprouts, and one of James’s old fashioneds. Time to dinner, including all sides: about 45 minutes.

Print

Spaghetti Carbonara

Source: BBC Good Food

Ingredients

• 4 ounces pancetta
• 3 large eggs
• 1 3/4 ounces grated pecorino cheese (about 1/2 packed cup)
• 1 3/4 ounces grated parmesan cheese (about 1/2 packed cup)
• 12 ounces spaghetti
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter (sometimes I use half butter, half olive oil to make the dish a bit lighter)
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
• Salt and lots of freshly grated black pepper

Instructions

• Put a large pot of water on to boil. If the pancetta isn’t chopped already, remove any rind and chop into small cubes about 1/4-inch across. Beat the eggs in a medium bowl. Add the two cheeses to the eggs, season with lots of freshly grated black pepper, and stir to combine. Set aside.
  
• Salt the pasta water liberally. When the water has boiled, add the spaghetti and stir so that the noodles don’t stick together. Cook for about 10 minutes, or until done.
• While the pasta is cooking, start the pancetta. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat, and add the pancetta and garlic. Cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring often, until the pancetta is golden and crisp. You can now discard the garlic, or, if you’re like me and enjoy eating large garlic cloves drenched in butter, feel free to leave them in. (I sometimes chop the garlic coarsely, and then just leave the pieces in. The butter really mellows their flavor, and they become quite flavorful)
• After the pancetta has browned, turn the heat to low. Drain the pasta when it’s cooked, but reserve 1 cup or so of the pasta water. Add the pasta to the pancetta in the skillet. Alternatively, you can transfer the pasta straight from the pot to the skillet with a pasta fork or tongs. Either way, don’t worry if pasta water drops in the pan as well (you want this to happen).
• Remove the skillet of spaghetti and pancetta from the heat. Pour in the egg and cheese mixture, and, moving quickly, use tongs or a long fork to toss the spaghetti and pancetta with the egg mixture. You’ll want to move and toss the pasta around quickly so that the egg mixture doesn’t cook and scramble. Add some splashes of the pasta water to thin out the cheese sauce to your desired consistency. I would start with about 1/4 cup and add more if needed – I usually end up using about 1/2 cup. The pasta should look silky, smooth, and glossy, and the noodles should slide about fairly freely. If the dish looks dry and stiff, just add more pasta water and mix. Season with a little salt, if needed, and lots of freshly grated black pepper. Toss until everything is combined.
• Serve immediately (in warmed bowls, if you're being fancy; spaghetti carbonara cools quite rapidly), topped with more freshly grated black pepper and grated cheese, if you prefer.

I’m back!! Sorry for the extended absence, August was a flurry of vacations, friends, and animal sightings! James and I had our one-year anniversary of marital bliss (bliss sometimes; general tolerance the rest of the time), and celebrated by going back to Boston, where we met, and traipsing with some friends to Cape Cod, where we first vacationed. Then we went hiking, camping, and swimming in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (side note – did you know that the Smokies is THE TOP MOST visited national park in the U.S.? I was floored – I thought for sure it would be Yellowstone or Yosemite! #westcoastbias). The trips were great. Unfortunately, there was a not insignificant amount of rain in both places, but we made do. The Cape was stunning, as usual, and the Smokies were woody, forested peaks threaded through with rocky streams. Very picturesque, but definitely lacking the grandeur and scale of the West Coast national parks (#westcoastbias). James and I have a halfhearted goal of visiting all of the national parks, though, so that was a big one off the list! We also saw four black bears, which was really cool! All of the sightings were in very touristy locations, however, where we saw the crowds of people with cameras before we saw the bears, so it wasn’t too scary. It did prompt us to buy this amazing book, Bear in the Backseat, which I highly recommend, and which has taught me a wealth of information about bear behavior.

Also, FOOOOOOODDDD. Except when we were camping, James and I have eaten our way through the fried chicken restaurants of Tennessee. One place in particular, the Old Mill Restaurant in Pigeon Forge, TN, was AMAZING – James and I both got the fried chicken dinner, which consisted of six fried chicken legs, a side salad, corn chowder, corn fritters, green beans, mashed potatoes, dinner rolls, and choice of dessert, all for $18.99 each! We ate ourselves silly, then took home leftovers for lunch the next day, which we lugged up to Andrews Bald for a sun-splattered, dozy picnic. We also sampled moonshine in Gatlinburg, TN, which tastes probably about how you’d imagine. There are a lot of different flavors, of which we got to taste 12, ranging from apple pie to strawberry mango margarita to seasonal peach. The tasting made us a bit more tiddly than expected, and we had to park our butts on some rocking chairs to take advantage of the free outdoor bluegrass concert before driving on to dinner! Gatlinburg, located right on the doorstep of the Smokies, is a thing of wonder – think the Las Vegas of Tennessee!

After we got back from the Smokies, we then immediately sauntered off to St. Paul, where my good friend Kate had graciously scheduled her baby shower to be at the same time at the Minnesota State Fair, which she loves. We went to the fair with her, and saw the most beautiful farm animals – baby donkeys, sleek horses, impressive cows, the state’s biggest boar, and tiny little 4-hour old piglets. We also ate a Scotch egg on a stick, the sweetest corn I’d ever tasted, and a bucket of ice cream. All in all, a very successful trip to Minnesota.

Okay, onto the recipe of this week. This recipe is a bit of a cheat, because I think probably 90% of my readers (read, friends) already know about it. However, IF YOU DO NOT, YOU SHOULD. It is an amazingly easy, no frills, set-it-and-forget-it pasta sauce that nevertheless tastes luxurious, rich, velvety, flavorful, and so much better than just the sum of its parts. We made it after coming back from the Smokies, when we were craving homemade (and not fried) food, but with hardly anything in the fridge and little time to go grocery shopping. With just five ingredients (canned tomatoes, onion, butter, pasta, zucchini), plus some olive oil, salt, and pepper, you can have a vegetable-forward, healthy, delicious dinner on the table with very minimal effort.

Marcella Hazan is widely considered to be the Julia Child of Italian cooking. Her cookbook, Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking, is fantastic, with recipes ranging from the foolproof (like this popular recipe) to the elaborate. I’ve made several things from it, and they have always been great. This sauce is not only easy, but also endlessly customizable. Feel free to toss in herbs, vegetables, even a little crumbled sausage. You can also do what my friend Kristin does, and make this sauce to go with some pre-made, fancy fresh pasta or ravioli, thus elevating your weeknight dinner game even more. The only limiting factor is your imagination!

Final Notes – this sauce gets better the more it’s simmered. The recipe tells you to simmer for 45 minutes, which is kind of a pain, but you don’t do anything while simmering, except give it a stir every now and then. So I’ve still classified this recipe as Fuss Factor 1, but just note it won’t be super quick. Also, Marcella tells you to throw the onion away at the end, but I don’t know why you would – it’s delicious, so I normally quarter the onion, then just serve the pieces with the pasta. Top with some Parmesan, and you have a pasta fit to be served in any trattoria off the coast of Italy!

We topped the pasta with freshly grated Parmesan cheese, and served it with a mountain of roasted zucchini, and it was just what we wanted after a week of fried chicken. Total time to dinner, including sides: 50 minutes

Print

Marcella Hazan's Tomato Sauce

Source: Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking, by Marcella Hazan

Also available on the New York Times

Ingredients

• 1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, no salt or herbs added
• 5 tablespoons butter
• 1 onion, peeled and cut in half or quarters
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper and Parmesan cheese (optional)

Instructions

• Combine the tomatoes, their juices, butter and onion in a saucepan. Add a pinch or two of salt.
• Place over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Cook, uncovered, for about 45 minutes. Stir occasionally, mashing any large tomato pieces with a spoon. Taste, and season with more salt if needed.
• Toss the sauce with pasta, discarding the onion before tossing if you wish. Top with freshly ground black pepper and freshly grated Parmesan cheese, if desired. This recipe makes enough sauce for a pound of pasta.