{"id":1160,"date":"2018-09-26T19:15:10","date_gmt":"2018-09-26T19:15:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/trialbyfryer.com\/?p=1160"},"modified":"2018-09-27T18:35:19","modified_gmt":"2018-09-27T18:35:19","slug":"spaghetti-carbonara","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/trialbyfryer.com\/2018\/09\/spaghetti-carbonara\/","title":{"rendered":"Spaghetti Carbonara"},"content":{"rendered":"
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I lived in Italy for six months when I was 23 years old, because, well, Italy.<\/em> I was out of college with not that<\/em> 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.<\/em> 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<\/em><\/a> 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.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 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<\/a>, 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.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n We personally ate this with saut\u00e9ed leeks and roasted brussels sprouts<\/a>, and one of James’s old fashioneds<\/a>. Time to dinner, including all sides: about 45 minutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\t \nServings<\/th> Fuss Factor<\/th> Total Time<\/th> Prep Time<\/th> Cook Time<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n \n\t 4<\/td> 1<\/td> 30 minutes<\/td> 10-15 minutes<\/td> 15 minutes<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n