What qualities are not attributed to Italians!And temperament, and an excellent sense of humor, and optimism, and the ability to cook deliciously. Of course, you shouldn't judge the entire nation by a few of its representatives, but Italian cuisine is truly impressive. Take, for example, the numerous pasta recipes. How Italian chefs don't mock (in the good sense of the word) pasta! They bake it, and fry it, and stew it. And the pasta seems to be waiting for this, responding with a fantastic aroma and an amazing taste. And the taste is new every time. Pasta carbonara plays with notes of bacon, spaghetti bolognese - minced meat, fettuccine with mushrooms can boast the taste of chanterelles, champignons and oyster mushrooms. But do we know the history of this multifaceted product, stringing another portion of pasta on a fork?
Pasta: facts, history, features
The word "pasta" came into English usage inback in 1770. And it did not mean gastronomic features. "Macaroni" symbolized elegance and perfection. Where did this association come from? It is unknown. Perhaps the severity of the form of the pasta prompted such a comparison. Maybe the consistency of taste. Whatever the case, both the dish and its name have survived to this day. Moreover, it was pasta that became the reason for the creation of the fork. The fact is that King Ferdinand loved spaghetti, which was fashionable at that time, so much that his chamberlain, Gennaro Spadaccini, decided to invent a cutlery with two prongs for eating pasta. It must be admitted that the calculation was correct. Long strips of dough turned out to be much more convenient to string on a fork than to eat with a standard spoon. Since then, pasta has taken its rightful place on the tables of both Italians and gourmets of other countries. This dish can be the envy of the most inveterate lovers of travel. Pasta didn't need visas or trips to numerous embassies to become a native dish in foreign countries. And the translator in these relations was the love of people all over the world to eat tasty and hearty food. Pasta was bought, cooked and ordered in restaurants so often that it became incredibly difficult to roll out layers of dough by hand. It got to the point that in large Italian restaurants a specially designated person was exclusively engaged in making pasta. Probably, such cooks were a rare exception among the entire population who did not like pasta. The situation (and cooks in particular) was saved by the well-known Thomas Jefferson, who invented a pasta machine in 1789. Do I need to mention that the scientist himself was a big fan of pasta? Further, the history of pasta does not end, but imperceptibly moves into every home, where housewives of different ages, nationalities, complexions and culinary preferences add something of their own to the recipe. Some people like the dish saltier, some add garlic everywhere, and some, on the contrary, avoid using spices. And while you are recalling your personal culinary preferences, we will tell you how to cook pasta carbonara, how to make it tastier and what varieties this recipe has.
Pasta carbonara - a favorite in the team of Italian dishes
We are all accustomed to the fact that many Italiansrecipes start with the word "pasta", but for some reason many people think that the signature dishes of Italy are difficult to prepare. In fact, everything is exactly the opposite. For example, not only a novice housewife (we were all like that at one time, so there is no need to smile condescendingly) but also a minor child can master the preparation of carbonara. Of course, this does not mean that you should take off your apron and put it on your son or daughter. You will have to cook it yourself. But the recipe is really simple enough to become a favorite on your table.
Choose a paste
To ensure that the paste remains only in yourstomachs, but does not settle on the waist and hips, you need to take into account several simple rules. First: do not save on your own health, so choose only pasta made from durum wheat. Their calorie content is significantly lower than that of ordinary horns or feathers produced by the local bakery, and the energy value is higher. Don't believe me? Thousands of slender Italians confirm this. Second: do not boil the pasta to a mushy state. There is such a wonderful term "al dente". And you do not need to raise your eyebrows in surprise, not understanding what is being discussed. If you look closely at the pages of a cookbook, this phrase contains every recipe in which the main ingredient is pasta. So what did the Italians want to say? The term "al dente" means that you should cook the pasta until half-ready. That is, do not cook it exactly one minute before the time indicated on the pack. According to the chefs, pasta should reach the desired consistency after it is removed from the heat. And if your pasta is of the highest quality and made exclusively from durum wheat, then this is how it will be. Third: forget what your grandmothers taught you. Stop rinsing pasta. Pasta made from durum wheat is afraid of the cold, so you cannot douse it with cold water or pour cold sauce over it. And do not be afraid that the pasta will stick together. This can only happen with low-quality pasta. But you choose the best pasta, right? Moreover, the recipe for delicious pasta is hidden in the pasta itself. And with cream, sauce and other components of the dish, you only complement the main taste, revealing certain facets of the pasta.
Bacon bacon strife
The second ingredient in carbonara pasta isbacon follows. It would seem, what could be simpler? Meat - it is meat in Italy too. It turned out that there are some subtleties here too. Meticulous Italians claim that the recipe will be inaccurate without the use of pork cheek, which they call guanciale or pancetta (bacon, famous for the abundance of meat veins). However, some chefs allow replacing fatty bacon, whose calorie content goes off the charts, with low-fat ham. Therefore, if you are watching your weight, you can easily cook pasta without fear of extra folds on the waist. But at the same time, you will have to give up not only bacon, but also the use of cream as a base for the sauce. But we will talk about diet recipes for pasta carbonara a little later. Now I would like to draw your attention to the choice of cheese.
Cheese fineness
You can cook pasta carbonara correctlyonly with the use of strictly defined types of cheese. Here you will not be able to grab the first piece you come across from the shelf in the supermarket and grate it at home. That is, you can do this, of course, but in this case, the classic pasta carbonara will turn into ordinary pasta with bacon. Real Italians use a mixture of pecorino romano and parmesan. The second type of cheese is probably familiar to many, while pecorino romano is a rare guest on domestic shelves. If we talk about its features, pecorino is a specific sheep's cheese with a sharp, but piquant taste and grainy structure. Many cooks are afraid to make pasta carbonara based on such a fragrant ingredient and replace pecorino romano with parmesan. Well, if sheep's cheese seems unpleasant to you in taste and smell, you can experiment with other types. But you must understand that the cheese must certainly have a bright and memorable taste. Only then will pasta carbonara take its rightful place on your table and in the memory of your guests.
Carbonara paste: fineness of cooking
So, after the main products have been selected, you can move on to the process of preparing carbonara. First, I would like to describe the classic recipe for this dish. You will need:
- Pancetta or guanciale - 100 grams;
- Parmesan (Pecorino Romano) - 100 grams;
- Spaghetti from durum wheat - 400 grams;
- Cream - 3 tablespoons;
- Garlic - 2 cloves;
- Eggs - 3 pieces;
- Olive oil - 2 tablespoons;
- Salt, pepper - to taste.
In order for carbonara to turn out just rightthe way Italian chefs created it, you should cook both the pasta and the sauce at the same time. While the water for the spaghetti is boiling, cut the bacon into thin strips (or cubes) and fry in olive oil until golden brown. Add the squeezed garlic, remove from heat. Meanwhile, the water for the pasta has boiled. Salt it and throw our pasta into the boiling water. Just don’t forget that according to the rules of Italian cuisine, pasta is left undercooked for exactly a minute. Next, beat the eggs with cream, add 80 grams of grated cheese. Add bacon to the cooked (but not washed) spaghetti, stir, pour in cream and sprinkle with the remaining grated cheese. Carbonara is ready. Now many readers will be surprised to notice that the pasta recipe contains raw eggs, which are not heat treated during the cooking process. Yes, you are right. The Italians believe that eggs should reach the desired condition in the finished dish. Believe me, this is true. The egg mixture has time to curdle under the influence of hot pasta, so you can safely eat pasta with carbonara sauce yourself and offer it to your children. The next recipe that we want to share with you differs from the main one in that white wine is added to the sauce along with cream. Of course, this step further increases the calorie content of the dish, but true gourmets claim that wine, like no other ingredient, reveals the best taste qualities of pasta. You will need:
- Spaghetti - 200 grams;
- Bacon (or low-fat ham) - 60 grams;
- Cream - 30 grams;
- White wine - 30 grams;
- Raw egg yolk - 1 piece;
- Parmesan - 30 grams;
- Garlic - 1 clove;
- Olive oil for frying, salt, pepper.
As in the previous case, boil the pasta,frying ham or bacon in olive oil in the meantime. After the meat is covered with a nice golden crust, add chopped garlic, salt, pepper, white wine, some grated cheese and cream. The sauce is almost ready. All that remains is to mix it with spaghetti and add an egg yolk to our dish. Before serving, sprinkle the pasta with the rest of the grated cheese. Enjoy your meal! For those who cannot afford to make a sauce with cream due to its calorie content, we have prepared a light recipe for pasta with ham. Have you noticed that we did not mention the word "bacon" in the sentence? And not by chance. After all, we are going to cook a dietary dish, and such recipes do not provide for the use of fatty meat. And here is the entire list of products that you will need:
- Spaghetti from durum wheat - 400 grams;
- Eggs (necessarily fresh) - 4 pieces;
- Parmesan - 50 grams;
- Pecorino romano - 50 grams - 50 grams;
- Low-fat ham - 100 grams;
- Extra virgin olive oil - 2 tablespoons;
- Salt pepper.
Here the recipe differs not only in quantity andthe quality of the ingredients, but also the method of preparation. While the spaghetti is boiling and the ham (preferably Parma) is frying, beat the eggs with 80 grams of grated cheese. Then hold the cheese and egg mixture over a boiling pan (the one where our spaghetti is now simmering) for 30 seconds. This will make the sauce silky. Then everything follows the old scenario. Pasta, ham and sauce are mixed. The dish is sprinkled with the rest of the grated cheese and served hot. Despite the fact that pasta with bacon recipes are very similar to each other, even the smallest detail can change the taste of the dish. Therefore, if you want to pamper your guests with Italian cuisine, we advise you to rehearse the recipe in advance. After all, the best impromptu is the one that is carefully prepared, and the most successful recipes are those that have been repeatedly tested by the hostess. We advise you to read:
