Spaghetti alla Carbonara

By far my favorite dish of all time (at least Western dish) is Spaghetti Carbonara. This silky, creamy pasta is as simple as it is genius. It's the quintessential Roman dish and if you ever find yourself in 'the city of love', it is something that you must try. Trust me. You'll thank me later! 

What I found so ingenious about this dish is that, although it is extremely creamy, there isn't any cream involved. Eggs that are beaten with Pecorino Romano cheese are added to the dish at the end and tossed on a very low heat. This is what creates the silky texture. The richness of the pasta with the cured, strong bacon-like flavor of the guanciale makes this recipe king! 

Spaghetti alla Carbonara

INGREDIENTS:

Serves 1

4 ounces of Spaghetti (uncooked)

2 ounces of Guanciale (or Pancetta), cut into 1/4 inch pieces

1/2 cup Pecorino Romano, finely grated

1 large egg

1 1/2 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 TSP Kosher Salt
Fresh ground pepper

DIRECTIONS:

In a large pot, bring 5-6 quarts of water to a rapid boil. Add salt and pasta and cook until just al dente. Set drained pasta aside, but keep water at a gentle boil. 

In a large saute pan, add Olive Oil until hot but not smoking. Add the guanciale and pepper. Cook until browned and crispy on the outside. Set aside on a paper towel to rid of excess oil. Also drain excess oil from the pan.

In a bowl, beat the egg with half of the pecorino romano and a few cracks of black pepper. 

In the same saute pan, on the lowest heat possible, add the pasta and guanciale. Take one ladle of hot pasta water from the pot and add to the pan. Stir the pasta and guanciale for about a minute. Add the egg mixture and the rest of the pecorino romano and stir slowly. When the ingredients start to form the sauce, add another ladle of pasta water. Stir until pasta has a creamy and velvety texture.

**Careful not to cook the eggs on too high of heat or you will get scrambled eggs!**

Serve immediately. Garnish with more pecorino and parmigiano reggiano.

Hot Vit Lon (Fetal Duck Egg)

By far the strangest food I've ever tried is Hot Vit Lon. Also known as Balut in the Philippines, it is a delicacy known throughout Southeast Asia and some parts of China. Hot Vit Lon in Vietnam is a soft-boiled, partially incubated duck egg, which is traditionally eaten with salt, pepper and herbs. It is served much like the way a western soft-boiled egg is. It certainly is not for the faint of heart because of the fact that you find the partially developed fetus inside the egg. The Vietnamese version is eaten at 20 days of incubation and the duck embryo is slightly more developed than the Philippine version at 17 days. 

I tried it for the first time from a Vietnamese-American friend, who lived a few doors down from me. It was quite challenging, even for the adventurous eater that I am, but I actually enjoyed it. It's very difficult to explain the flavor, but it is very, very rich. He explained how it was good for men's virility and also for women who have just delivered. The fact that their culture goes back way further than mine, I took his word. 

If you have a good Asian market, you can probably find them there. Or you can also mail order them here, if you're up for a food challenge!

Knead some dough?

Ever wanted to learn a simple, easy recipe to make pizza dough? Then keep reading this post. You too can be a dough master and be able to make fresh homemade pizzas at home. All of the pizza chains are using frozen dough for the most part nowadays. Still, nothing beats freshly made dough. Crispy on the outside. Soft on the inside. Some things shouldn't ever change, should they?

Pizza Dough

INGREDIENTS:

1 package of Dry Yeast

1 Cup of warm water ( 110º F )

2 1/2 - 3 Cups of flour

1 teaspoon of salt

1 1/2 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil

DIRECTIONS:

In a large bowl, combine yeast, water, salt and olive oil and stir together until frothy. Let stand for 5 minutes.

Add 1 cup of flour and mix with your hands. Keep adding more flour in 1/2 cup increments until dough becomes a solid mass and is no longer sticky. 

Lightly flour your countertop and knead dough for about 5 minutes or until smooth and elastic. You will need to add a little flour every once in a while kneading to keep the dough from sticking.

Now, form into a large ball and place in a well-oiled bowl. Turn the dough to coat the it completely. Cover with a damp towel for at least one hour to allow the dough to rise. It should double or triple in size so be sure the bowl is large enough.

After the dough has risen, place the dough on an oiled surface and cut in half. Form each half into dough balls and place on the oiled surface. Cover again with a towel and let the dough balls rise again for at least 15 minutes before rolling them out.

***Each ball will yield a large pizza. If you prefer small pizzas, quarter the dough after it initially rises and then ball the dough***

Durian - The King of Fruits

Durian is a strange fruit. If you're from the West, the odor is basically like putrified gym socks. Not even kidding. However, in Southeast Asia, it is regarded as the 'king of fruits' and they love the smell. That being said, there are some establishments that have banned durian from being consumed on their premises. The fruit is characterized by its spiny, outer layer and is usually farmed away from people because it can be fatal if a ripe durian falls on someone. At least that what I was told by the family I was staying with in Malaysia. Also, many Southeast Asians believe that you should not consume alcohol after eating durian. It was explained to me that the fruit warms up the temperature of the body while alcohol cools the body temperature and can cause a stroke. 

The first time I tried it was when I was living in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. We had gone to visit my friend's uncle and he had some fresh durian at his house. Honestly, I wasn't impressed by the smell at all, but I did like the custard-like texture of the fruit. I know that it is just a fruit, but it was easily in the top 10 of 'the most strangest foods' category. The good thing is that it doesn't taste like it smells! So if you ever come across this esoteric fruit, give it a try. Even if you have to hold your nose while doing it! Oh, and think twice about having that drink afterward...

Limoncello

 I'm not Italian, but I lived there for several months while I was in Europe. The culinary world there is so vast and I'm a firm believer that it is impossible to get bad food there! I've tried many different things, but it amazes me on the things that slipped past me. One of these things is Limoncello. Limoncello is an Italian liqueur that originates in southern Italy. It is traditionally served chilled as an after diner digestivo, which is meant to promote digestion. It is sweet, and has a strong lemon flavor, but without the tartness. Basically, it's a Lemon Drop in alcoholic form. 

This past summer, I went to my friends going away party and I struck up a conversation with a local pizza shop owner. He offered me his homemade Limoncello and I was surely impressed! I asked him for the recipe and he wrote it down on a napkin. Surprisingly, it looks very simple to make. So here is the recipe! 

Limoncello
INGREDIENTS:

8 Lemons 

1 750ml bottle of Everclear or Vodka

3 1/2 cups Sugar

750 ml water

DIRECTIONS:

Wash and brush the lemons under hot water. Peel off the zest (the yellow part) of the lemon careful not to peel any of the pith (the white part). A potato peeler works well. Set aside. ***The lemons must be yellow and not green***

Now in a large mason jar, place the lemon peels at the bottom of the jar and pour the alcohol over them. Seal the jar tight and let stand for at least one week at room temperature in an area without sunlight. Some recipes call for  a longer infusion time for up to one month, but one week is sufficient enough to produce a good Limoncello. 

After the seven days, boil the water to a rapid boil. Turn off the flame and add the sugar. Mix well until all sugar has dissolved. Let it cool to room temperature. Using a mesh strainer, take the alcohol lemon infusion and pour into the pot straining out the lemon peels. Mix well again and then pour into bottles. Wait for the Limoncello to cool completely and store in the freezer. 

Serve chilled in a chilled 2 oz glass.

California Rolls

                                                   Courtesy Photo (http://www.thedailydishonline.com)

 Japan. It's one place that's high on my list to visit. The cuisine is so refined and they are, without a doubt, the most technologically advanced societies on the planet. For some reason, ever since I was young I've always had a lot of Asian friends. Especially Japanese friends. I've learned a lot about their cuisine, but unfortunately the only thing I know how to make is sushi. Which isn't the worst thing in the world!  Sushi in Japan is considered to be an art form, so I'm by know means trying to say that I'm a sushi master, but to make everyday sushi is not very difficult and can be fun for the whole family. 

The first thing you need to do is wash your rice. Asians consider not washing rice to be very unhygienic. The rice must be washed until the water runs clear. If you can, go down to your local asian market and pick up some Japanese sushi rice for a more authentic experience. So let's give it a go!

California Rolls

INGREDIENTS:

2 Cups of Sushi Rice, prepared and cooled
1 avocado, slice into 1/4 inch slices4-6 sheets of Nori 

1 Cucumber, de-seeded, sliced into 1/8 slices

4-6 Crab sticks, sliced in half lengthwise

4  sheets of Nori

Wasabi, for serving 

Pickled Ginger, for serving

Sesame Seeds, toasted, for garnish

Soy Sauce, for serving

You can pick up many of these ingredients online or at your local Asian market. Many chain supermarkets also carry many of these items as well.

DIRECTIONS:

Peel and de-seed cucumber. Slice into 1/8 inch slices (lengthwise). Slice Crab sticks in half (length wise) and set aside. Slice the avocado in 1/4 inch slices and set aside. 

Take a bamboo mat and cover with plastic wrap. Lay one nori sheet shiny side down on the mat. With a spoon, spread about 1/2 cup of the rice covering the entire nori sheet. Sprinkle sesame seeds over the rice. Flip nori sheet rice side down. Place 2 cucumber slices, crab sticks and avocado slices about 1 inch from the edge of sheet facing you. 

Grab the edge of the mat closest to you and roll the mat over the ingredients tucking it under and firmly squeezing the mat to form the roll. Roll two more times and squeeze again to form sushi roll. Repeat once more until finished. 

Take of the mat and peel away the plastic. Voila! 

Repeat the process until all rice is used. Remember: Practice makes perfect! 

Tastes like Black Chicken

I love to try new foods. And I've come across some really strange dishes along my way, but one of the strangest for me was black chicken. They are called Silkie chickens and originate most likely from China. The skin is black and their meat is dark grey. They are highly prized in Asia and are considered to be a curable food in Chinese medicine. Especially for women. Silkies are known to increase immunity, and treat diabetes, menstrual cramps and anemia as well as postpartum issues. I wouldn’t doubt it either as I can attest to being cured by various Chinese concoctions.

But how does it taste, you may ask? Tastes like chicken! Albeit a bit more gamey and slightly richer. If you can get your head around the fact that you’re eating a black chicken, then you’ll probably enjoy it. The way I had it was probably the most traditional way, which is in an herbal soup. I thought it was delicious a not really any gamier than the other chicken meat I’d had there.

Here’s a link to a recipe I found on how to prepare Black Chicken Soup:

http://www.mywoklife.com/2009/05/black-chicken-soup-recipe.html

Bon Appetit!!

Fresh Spring Rolls

                                                                                             © Paul Cisneros 2010

  Since I've been on the Asian food train I thought I'd blog about the most recent thing I've learned to make: Fresh Spring Rolls. If you're a fan of Vietnamese food then you are most likely experienced in how addicting they are. I've always wanted to try to make them and best of all they are really easy once you get the hang of it. 

  There are different versions of these spring rolls. Often they are also stuffed with asian vermicelli noodles. Sometimes with shredded cabbage. The way I'm going to show you is from an old Vietnamese friend of mine. Traditionally they are made with shrimp, but you could also use tofu or turkey.

  I love the combination of fresh herbs and the veggies. I like to eat mine with peanut sauce and a little chili garlic sauce. You can buy the peanut sauce already made at your local asian grocery store or you can make it your self. It's also surprisingly easy!! OK, let's get started!!!

Vietnamese Fresh Spring Rolls

INGREDIENTS:

8  Spring Roll wrappers
1 Carrot

1 Cucumber

1 bunch Cilantro

1 bunch Mint

1 bunch Asian Basil 

8 Slices of Turkey

1/2 cup Water

You can pick up many of these ingredients at your local Asian market.

DIRECTIONS:

Peel the carrot and cucumber. Shred the carrot and cut the cucumber lengthwise in 1/4 inch slices. Cut into thin strips lengthwise again into 1/8 inch strips. Discard the strips with the seeds. 

Take a large plate or platter about 1 inch deep and fill with water. Put in the microwave for 10-15 seconds until the water is warm. Take the spring roll wrapper and submerge in the water twisting the wrapper in a counter clockwise motion. Lay the wrapper down on a separate, clean cutting board. 

Fold one slice of turkey in half and place it about 1 inch from the edge of the wrapper facing you. Put about 5 leaves of cilantro across the slice of turkey. Do the same with 2-3 leaves of mint and basil. Put 3-4 strips of cucumber and 6-8 strips of carrot. 

Take the edge of the wrapper and roll over the veggies. Tuck the wrapper under the ingredients and roll until the center of the wrapper. Fold the left side about 1 inch perpendicular to the spring roll to form an edge. Do the same with the right side. Keep rolling until you reach the end of the wrapper and you are done!

Serve with peanut sauce or fish sauce. Spice it up with a little Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce

Peanut Sauce

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup Peanuts (no skins or salt)

1 cup Water

1/2 cup Hoison Sauce

DIRECTIONS:

Put peanuts into a food processor and blend into very small pieces. 

In a small sauce pan add hoison sauce, water and peanuts and mix well. Place a cover on pan and turn on burner to medium heat until the mixture comes to a boil. When it comes to a boil uncover and reduce heat to low and mix for two minutes with a spoon. You are done!