Another thing I’ve found (by trial and error) are to toss the egg mixture and hot pasta in a metal bowl instead of the pasta pot. You’re less likely to end up with scrambled egg carbonara, which is not good. I think the pasta is hot enough to cook the eggs, but if you freak out about slightly cooked eggs, do your mixing in the pasta pot.  However, be prepared for bits of completely cooked egg.   Lastly, I add peas, which makes me feel better, like I added a bit of green healthiness to a rich dish. If you don’t like peas, by all means, leave them out.  Also, I cheaped out at the grocery store and bought low sodium bacon instead of the pancetta.  Either one will work, but the pancetta has a better flavor.

Pasta alla Carbonara Recipe

1 tsp olive oil
8 oz pancetta cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1 medium onion, 1/4-inch diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 whole eggs
2 egg yolks
1/2 – 3/4 cup grated Pecorino or Parmesan cheese, or a combo of both
1 pound dried linguine or spaghetti
1 cup frozen green peas, thawed
salt
pepper

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and add a tsp of salt.

2. Heat olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add pancetta and cook, stirring often until it is well browned and crisp. Remove to a paper-towel covered plate. Lower heat to medium and add the diced onion and saute until caramelized, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for one more minute. Remove pan from heat and set aside.

3. When the onions are cooking, start to cook the pasta according to the package directions. When the pasta is al dente, reserve about 1/2 cup of the pasta water and then drain the pasta.

4. In a large bowl, beat together the eggs, egg yolks and cheese until well combined. Add 1/4 c of the hot pasta water to the bowl and whisk well to temper the eggs. Add the hot pasta and toss, adding more pasta water as needed to make a creamy sauce. Toss with the peas and cooked pancetta. Serve with additional Pecorino or Parmesan cheese on the side.

Makes 4 entree size portions

This was my first time making pasta at home.  I’ve made it when I was in culinary school, but that was 10 years ago.  I had to use three and a half eggs instead of the two called for in the recipe.  Must have been because I had large eggs, not the jumbo size in the recipe. I definitely realized how much it helps to have a pasta roller. Seriously… I have sore arms as I type this.  I couldn’t get the dough as thin as I would have liked, but it turned out good enough. I let it dry overnight over dish cloth covered chairs. The sheets of pasta were quite brittle the following day when I was ready to cook it. Some broke into pieces as I removed them from the chairs.  However, it wasn’t a big deal because when you layer the pasta sheets in the pan, it doesn’t really matter if the sheets were perfect.

I felt there was not enough bechamel sauce for the recipe.  I had to make another 1/2 recipe to have a nice thin coating on each of the 4 layers of pasta.  Especially since the top was coated with the bechamel.  I altered the ragu recipe a bit.  I really wasn’t digging the pure meat sauce, so instead of adding three roma tomatoes,  added an entire 28 oz can of roma tomatoes with the sauce. I was very happy with the outcome.  I was also very happy that the butcher at Publix made special amounts of the veal and skirt steak… because you just can’t find 8 oz of steak in the meat department.  I did have the perfect amount of ragu sauce.. with just one bite left (that I ate, of course!)

Other than that, I followed the recipes exactly.  I was very happy with the outcome.  The flavors were distinct and the lack of cheese really brought out the ragu flavor.  I now want to invest in a pasta roller so I can make more homemade pasta.

The smell in the house while these are cooking drove us and the dogs crazy.  I’m going to contact Yankee Candle and see if they will consider adding “Braised Beef Short Ribs” to their collection of scents.  While I’m at it, I think I’ll pitch a new bacon scent.  If Burger King is going to make a meat scented men’s cologne (Flame) then us GOOD food lovers need to band together and demand a more upscale meat fragrance.  Right?

Beef Short Rib Recipe

6 Beef Short Ribs
flour (for dusting)
vegetable oil
1 c carrots (large dice)
1 c celery (large dice)
1 c onion (large dice)
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp Tomato Paste
2 c good red wine
3 c beef stock (low sodium)
2  bay leaves
8  thyme sprigs
2 rosemary sprigs
salt
pepper
1 tbsp cold butter

1. Trim any excess fat from short ribs.   Season generously with salt and pepper and let sit at room temperature for an hour.  Right before cooking, dust lightly with flour.   Heat 1 tbsp oil in a heavy dutch oven until almost smoking and sear each side of the short ribs until very nicely browned. Take your time here, the better the sear, the better the flavor.  Add more oil if needed.

2. Reduce heat to medium and add in chopped onion, celery and carrots and saute until starting to brown, about 6-7 minutes.  Add garlic and tomato paste.  Cook for an additional minute, stirring constantly, then pour in the red wine. Increase the heat to medium high and bring to a simmer and cook for 2 minutes. Now add stock, bay leaves, herb sprigs, and ribs.

3. Cover with lid and place into 350F oven for 3 to 3 ½ hours or until fork tender. Carefully remove the ribs from the pan and strain the sauce into a small saucepan, pressing down with a ladle on the veggies, to get out all of the sauce.  Bring sauce to a simmer and reduce until thickened, about 5 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in the butter.  Test the seasonings and add salt and pepper as needed.

Makes 4-6 servings

Note: Normally, the carrots are very mushy and not palatable by the time the meat is tender.  This time my carrots didn’t turn to mush, so I picked some of them out before straining the sauce and added them to the plate. Adds a bit of color and flavor.

Today you will be seeing homemade Pizza popping up around the blogosphere, as it is the Daring Baker challenge this month.  The recipe came from Rosa’s Yummy yums, one of my favorite blogs that I check regularly.  She chose this Pizza Napoletana from Peter Reinhart’s “The Bread Baker’s Apprentice” which is a book I’ve been considering buying, and now really want.  You can find the recipe on Rosa’s Blog.  The big challenge wasn’t to make the dough, but to learn how to toss the dough, and try to get a photo of yourself doing so.  Check out the other Daring Baker’s pizzas here, and my past Daring Baker Posts here.

I was extremely happy when I saw Pizza as the challenge.  Now, don’t get me wrong, I make pizza at home fairly often, but have never attempted to “toss the dough” like a real pizzaiolo.  I always stretched and rolled the dough into a rough “circle” that was usually more square than round. My sister, Jessica, was here a few weeks ago and we made pizza and tried to throw the dough… it was ugly.  One of my first attempts ended with the dough falling on the floor… right in front of the dog dishes… yuck.  So I gave up and rolled out the dough for the rest of the pizzas.

As for toppings, I kept it simple. I used homemade bolognese, fresh mozzarella made at a little international market by my house and freshly chopped basil.  I usually prefer to use a regular tomato sauce sans meat, but this is what I had leftover in the fridge. It turned out really good… the meat in the sauce made the pizza a little more substantial, but it was still pretty light as I only used a thin coat of sauce.

When I was ready to do my challenge, I really set my mind to it and found that I had to toss AND twirl at the same time. Just throwing straight up does absolutely nothing. Also, it helps to toss it over the counter, so if (when) dropped, the dough lands safely on the counter. When you get the hang of tossing the dough, its amazing how it stays round and gets thin in the middle and slightly thicker at the edges.  I could never roll it that perfectly.  It was an easy, straightforward recipe, and planned for a cold rise overnight, which is great for making pizza the following day with very little work.  This develops a fantastic flavor and a beautiful dough.

Before baked, just a little sauce and cheese… I don’t like to load my pizza with either.

Finally got it!

Check out the unabashed cheesy joy on my face at learning how to toss pizza dough.  I look like I’m simultaneously tossing pizza and conducting music.  I have to give thanks to Stephan for taking the pics and creating this fabulous animated image.

Bolognese Pizza Recipe

Pizza Dough (I used a 1/2 recipe that made 3 pizzas)
1 c bolognese (meat sauce), cold
8 oz (approx) fresh mozzarella, cut into small chunks
10 leaves fresh basil, chiffonade (cut into strips)

1. Prepare the dough as the recipe states. Make sure you preheat your oven for 30 minutes to 500 degrees with a pizza stone in the center of the oven. (Very important step for crisp pizza!)

2. I don’t have a pizza peel, so I cheat (slightly) when I make pizza.  Toss or roll out your pizza dough into a circle and place it on a piece of parchment paper. Add a thin layer of sauce and top with pieces of fresh mozzarella. Use as much or as little as you like… I prefer to use less and have areas where there is no cheese.

3. Quickly and very carefully, slide the parchment lined pizza onto the stone and bake for about 3 minutes.  At this time, pull the parchment out from beneath the pizza. It should slide out easily.  I use tongs to hold the pizza in place when I do this.  Continue baking for another 4-5 minutes until well browned.

4. Remove to a plate, immediately scatter the chopped basil over the top and let cool for a few minutes before cutting. Repeat with the remaining dough.

Rome is an amazing city, and the history there is just fascinating.  When you see the Colosseum, which is probably one of the most well known structures in the world, it takes your breath away.  You just sit back and wonder how the hell this was built back circa 70 AD.  The architecture of Rome is simply gorgeous.  Every direction you looked, there is a beautiful sight.  We touched on all of the main tourist spots, Colosseum, Vatican, St Peter’s Basilica, etc… but spent the majority of our time on the side streets, just wandering and drinking in all that is Rome.  Four full days was the perfect amount of time to spend there and see everything we wanted to see.  Also, the weather in September is magnificent in Rome!

One of the totally unexpected moments of our trip was seeing Al Pacino and Robert De Niro at the Rome Red Carpet Premier of Righteous Kill.  The event was held in the theater around the corner from our hotel, and we were fortunate enough to arrive there right before Pacino and De Niro arrived.  What are the odds of seeing two of my favorite actors TOGETHER… in Italy… bliss I tell ya.  I can’t wait to see the movie now!

About the food… Although I did tons of research beforehand, it was difficult to stick to the list of restaurants I had hoped to try.  Unfortunately, when you’re walking around Rome, looking at the amazing sights, you get hungry and it is easy to make the mistake of stopping to eat somewhere that preys on tourists.  This is where you will get a mediocre meal that costs MUCH more than it should.  We found that if we got hungry in a heavily tourist area, it was better to grab a gelato and take time to find a good place to eat.  Perhaps this is not the healthiest alternative, but it sure was yummy!

In choosing restaurants to eat, we were looking for traditional but casual Roman fare, preferably with good prices.  Its easy to find good restaurants that cost an arm and a leg, but my mission was to find some that were actually well priced.  Our best meal was at Antica Boheme, which was just one block from our hotel.  We had an amazing dinner with three courses including wine for about 35 Euros per person.  Trattoria Lilli was a very close second.  Two traditional dishes to try are gnocchi and spaghetti carbonara.  I tried them both… a few times.  It just so happens they are two of my favorite pasta dishes.

Check out some photos we took of food below, and more amazing photos of Rome on Stephan’s blog.

Gnocchi with Bolognaise

Spaghetti Aglio Olio

Spaghetti with Bolognaise

Bruschetta

Restaurants to avoid: ANYTHING close to the major sights of Rome.  If the menu has pictures on it… keep walking.  If the English translation is perfect… keep walking.  If there are large posters of Coca-Cola… keep walking.  If everyone is speaking English or another language other than Italian, keep walking.  Lastly, if the waiter comes out of the restaurant and tries to get you to come in… run, don’t walk away.

Signs of good restaurants: Small restaurants on side streets.  I don’t mean a side street the Colosseum is on… but maybe a 15 minute walk through winding streets.  Go inside and look at the patron’s plates… listen to the language spoken.  Since we were in Rome in warm weather, most restaurants had outdoor seating, which made it easy to survey the plates and listen to the language.

Next week, we’re going to Photokina in Cologne and a quick stop in Amsterdam, then we’ll be back home the following week.