Ah, Carbonara!

I found my new carbonara recipe. When I've tried it in the past, it has ended up much too "raw eggy". However, this recipe turned out just perfect. I hight recommend trying this, it is so good. It is very, very kid friendly and is super quick to make.

Carbonara Pasta

Salt and pepper
1 lb. farfalle pasta (the bowties)
1-2 T. olive oil
1/4 lb. pancetta (or thick cut bacon)
1/2 t. crushed red pepper flakes
5 or 6 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1/2 c. dry white wine
2 large egg yolks
1/2 c. grated Romano cheese (I mixed some Parm in, too)
parsley for garnish if you have it.

Put up a pot of water to boil and add salt and farfalle. Boil 8-10 minutes.

In the meantime, heat skillet over med-high heat. Add oil and bacon. Brown 2 minutes. Add pepper flakes and garlic. Cook 3 min. more. Add wine and stir up brown bits from bottom of pan.

Beat yolks and add 1 ladleful of pasta water while stirring.

Drain pasta and add to skillet with pancetta. Pour egg mixture over pasta. Toss rapidly to coat. Remove from head and add cheese, lots of pepper and a bit of salt. Continue to toss pasta until it soaks up egg mixture-- a few mintues. Serve with green salad.

Chicken with Leeks

I like cooking with wine because it is a good excuse to drink it while preparing dinner. Here's a very quick and easy meal:

1 leek, discard tough green part and slice the rest into 1/4 inch pieces and separate them
1ish lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast tenders
salt and pepper
2 T. olive oil
1 c. dry white wine

Heat large skillet over med-high heat. Season chicken with s/p generously. Add oil and chicken and brown (3-4 minutes per side) Transfer to plate. Add a bit more oil and add leeks. Saute 5 minutes until soft. Add wine and nest chicken in pan. Reduce heat and simmer 5-7 minutes more. Serve with a potato dish or just crusty bread.

I'm cheap.

I've been wanting to switch from using fake parmesan cheese to Parmigiano-Reggiano, the real stuff. But, it so incredibly cost prohibitive: $18.00/lb. And we Dyers would use a lot of it. But, I discovered this week that Whole Foods sells the rinds of the cheese for $4.00/lb.-- which aren't good for much besides throwing in soups/broths to add flavor except that Whole Foods happens to be incredibly generous (at times) with what the call 'rinds,' leaving quite a bit of cheese on them-- for cheap!