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...