Carbonara, My Way

My Dinner Experience

This has surely been a week of disappointments. None of my classes this week materialized. I was so looking forward to tonight's class (Bistro Underground) but C'est La Vie, that is French for Such As Life. LOL! I got jokes. So tonight I decided to make Carbonara, my way. Traditionally an Italian pasta dish (bacon & eggs). I decided to jazz it up with spaghetti, blanched asparagus, over easy eggs placed on top and a drizzle of bacon lardons. Oh and I must not forget the sauce which coated the pasta. A generous mixture of olive oil, anchovy paste and lots of garlic. This was by far a great dish. Although I added too much pepper to the top of the eggs the picture does not give this dish justice. Hey, I am not perfect but always pushing for the best. As I cut into the egg that lay naked on top of the pasta the warm yolk flowed over and coated the pasta with such grace and the first bite was just delicious and the last bite was delicious. The slight salty flavor on the pasta from the anchovy paste and the garlic background with the slightly bitter asparagus and the smokie bacon and creamy yolks. I did good....Looking forward to seeing you in the kitchen.

Omelet or Frittata

My Dinner Experience

Did You Know:Omelet - A dish of beaten eggs cooked in a frying pan until firm with a filling, and usually served folded over.
Frittata - An egg based dish similar to an omelet cooked with various fillings and finished in the oven.

Home from work and a little tired. The cooking class (The American Palate) I had scheduled for tonight did not happen. NO PARTICIPANTS! I have really got to change this atmosphere. So, instead I came home to make me a simple dinner. I try to challenge myself often because I keep a frig, freezer, and pantry full of food and amazing spices and fun ingredients so coming up with great dishe should be easy. I said should be. I decided not to do my usual and go running off to the market. Instead I looked at what I had (which is a lot) and decided to be an Iron Chef for the night. Although Cat, Bobby, Michael, Miromoto, Jose, and Mario would be proud of my decision I failed with the secret ingredient. I just made eggs but not just any ol eggs. I made a Frittata. You know what your momma would call a loaded scramble egg dish. I took the left over spinach, chicken, and mushroom filling I had from the spinach pie and added it to my eggs. In addition I roasted a few asparagus and oven fried a few pieces of bacon. Dinner and it was good. I even shared some of the bacon (which is a no no) with Cinnamon. Yep took a picture not the best but you get the point. Looking forward to seeing you in the kitchen.

The Spinach Pie

My Dinner Experience

Okay so here goes. As often as I possible can I will recreate for you what I made for dinner. This will one keep me on my toes and two share with you some of the things I make for dinner. Funny when you are single you often eat out. For me it is normally a turkey hot dog with my real dog Cinnamon. I find it a challenge to cook and test a recipe for one person. Furthermore there is normally no one to sample the food so I would rather not waste. I am going to make a real EFFORT to start cooking more and testing all these food ideas I have stocked piled in my brain. I have got to release. Yikes!

Last night I made a mushroom, chicken, and spinach pie with puff pastry. Similar to a Greek spinach pie just with a few added ingredients. It was good although lacked a sauce component. The puff pastry, puffed up nicely and the filling was very flavorful with a slight spice due to the red chili flakes. Flakey and creamy inside without the chicken this would have been a perfect dinner for my vegetarian friends. Surely a good recipe for a large crowd as the left-overs sit in my fridge.

Funny I did not even take a picture of this dish. Not sure why because it was good. Looking forward to seeing you in the kitchen.