La Carbonara

adapted from Sohia Loren's recipes & Memories

According to the book, Carbonara is a Roman specialty. You can use bucantini, think spaghetti or penne.

For 6 servings

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoon unsalted butter (I omit this)

4 ounces pancetta or bacon, diced

Generous pinch of minced Italian parsley

5 or 6 egg yolks

2 tablespons light cream

3 tablespoons freshly grated pecorino or Parmigiano cheese, plus additional to serve

1.25 pounds pasta (I used spaghetti)

Heat the oil and butter in a pan, then add the pancetta and parsley; saute over medium heat to brown the pancetta well. In a bowl beat together the egg yolk, cream and cheese.

Cook the pasta until al dente. Drain the pasta well, and turn it out into a serving dish. Working quickly, pour first the pancetta mixture, then the beaten egg mixture over the pasta.Toss quickly to coat the strands with the sauce; the egg will cook in the heat of the pasta. Serve immediately while still hot. Pass additional cheese at the table.

De Bortoli sauvignon blanc

This is recommended to me by a wine tasting instructor. Not bad but a bit too dry to my taste. I like light and fruity sauvignon blanc more.

Spaghetti con Pomodoro Crudo (Spaghetti with uncooked tomato sauce)

This is what I had for dinner tonight. It looked and tasted so good, and was so easy to make that I wanted to post it as early as possible to share with you. A perfect dish for the hot summer evenings.

Modifed from Sophia Loren's Recipes & Memories

For 6 servings

1.5 pounds spaghetti (I usually use 80g for two not so hungry people)

2 pounds fresh tomatoes (I used cherry tomatoes here)

0.5 pounds fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced

2 medium red onions, thinly sliced

1/4 cup pitted black olive, roughly chopped

2 tablespoons drained capers

handful of basil (oringal recipe calls for 1/4 cup Italian parsley and 10 to 12 chopped fresh oregan leaves)

1 to 2 cloves garlic, crushed

Salt

Freshly ground pepper

1/3 up extra virgin olive oil

Freshly grated Parmigiano cheese (optional)

Cook the pasta until just al dente. While the pasta is cooking,place in a large serving bowl the tomatoes, mozzarella, oniions, olives, capers, basil, garlic and salt and pepper to taste. Pour the oil over and toss gently.

When the pasta is ready, pour it into a colander and quickly rinse it under cold water; drain well and added the warm spaghetti to the bowl.Toss to combine, remove the garlic if desired, and serve.

I didn't actully weight all the ingredients, but just put in the amount I thought right. Next time I will chop the capers too.

More flowers

Classic Neapolitan Pizza

Ready to serve



Before putting in the oven



Modified from Sophia Loren's Recipes & Memories





For the dough

7g instant yeast


1/2 up water


1.5 cups all-purpose flour


1 teaspoon salt


1 tablespoon olive oil (optional; see note)



Mound the flour on a work surface. Creat a well in the centre of the flour and add yeast and water, mix and then add salt and optional olive oil.



Using a fork or fingers to incorporate the flour into the liquid; add water if necessary, but no more than needed to produce a dense and sticky dough.



Dust the work surface lightly with flour and energetically knead the dough, slamming it down from time to time, or put it into the Kitchen Aid, until it is softand pliable.



When the dough is soft and smooth - 30 minutes by hand, or 10 to15 minutes by KA- shape it into a ball and place it on a lightly floured plate/bowl. With a sharp knife, cut two slits on the top of the dough and cover it with a clean kitchen cloth.

Set the dough in a warm, draft-free spot to rise until doubled, 1.5 to 2.5 hours. I let my dough 2 hours to rise cause I went out for a walk.

Preheat the oven to its maximum setting. If you are using a pizza stone or baking tiles, place them in the oven to preheat.

When the dough is ready, punch it down and turn it onto a work surface. Let the dough rest for about 5 minutes. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a then circle 10 to 12 inches in diameter. Put on the toppings - I put tomato sauce, mozzarella, spicy salami. black olive and fresh basil leaves.

Transfer the dough to a pizza pan or, if your are using a stone, a baker's peel. I don't have a peel and so I transferred the rolled-out dough onto a baking sheet and put the whole thing on the baking stone.

Bake the pizza for 10 to 15 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and crisp and the top is bubbling. Remove the pizza and cut and serve it immediately.

Note: The addition of olive oil is decidely non-Neapolitan, but it can make the dough easier to work.

My coffee maker

This is my birthday present from last year. It travelled with me all the way from Geneva, Franfurt and finally to Hong Kong.

I've worked out the raito of coffe powder to water - half fill the filter with ground coffee without pressing it and fill the bottom part with cold water of the level notches.

It smells so good when the coffee is brewing. A perfect start of my weekends.

健怡擔擔麵

在超市看到這款麵，買來試試作擔擔麵， 想不到麵質跟醬汁非常配合。材料和作法都很簡單，是輕便晚餐的好選擇。

材料:

上海幼麵2個、豬肉碎200g、搾菜、乾蔥、蔥、上湯

肉醃味材料:
生抽、糖、白胡椒粉、粟粉

汁調味材料:
糖 2茶匙 （可省）
鎮江醋 1湯匙
生抽 1茶匙
老抽 1/2茶匙
花生醬 3湯匙
芝麻醬 1湯匙 （可省）
辣油 2茶匙
芝麻油 1/2茶匙
清水 1 杯

做法:
將炸菜切絲、蔥及乾蔥切碎。
將肉碎用醃料拌勻,醃1小時。
用上湯將麵煮至熟，盛起備用。
把汁調味材料先混合。
用熱油炒肉碎至半熟，再加入榨菜及乾蔥炒勻。
拌入汁料慢慢煮至汁濃稠，再撒入蔥即可。

Sophia Loren's Recipes & Memories

French Lessons by Peter Mayle

小姨多鶴