Spaghetti Carbonara

The most popular of all pasta dishes out there, a traditional Spaghetti Carbonara is very simple at the heart of it (though its not so simple when it comes to your heart and cholesterol). The classic recipe uses cream, eggs and bacon over a bed of spaghetti. But ofcourse it has evolved, and each cook has their own secret ingredient to add. Traditionally only spaghetti and bacon are used (and its a marriage made in heaven), but   obviously you can use any pasta, any meat and add some veggies to the mix.


Here's my take on the Spaghetti Carbonara


250g Spaghetti
3 rashes of Bacon
2 Egg Yolks
1/2 cup Cream
1/2 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
1 tsp Olive Oil
2 tbsp chopped Parsley or 2-3 leaves of Basil
Salt & Pepper to taste




Add water and a little salt to a big pot and bring to boil. Drop spaghetti into the pot of boiling water and cook for about 8 mins or till al dente. Drain and keep hot. While the pasta is cooking, heat a frying pan on medium heat. Add bacon and let it cook till its a little crisp and golden.


In a separate bowl combine eggs, cream and cheese and whisk to combine. Add salt and pepper according to taste. This is a basic carbonara sauce.


Add pasta to the bacon pan. Now toss the egg mixture into the hot pasta coating it well. Add parsley and serve.




Tip: While cooking the Spaghettin in the pot, add a tablespoon of oil. This will prevent the pasta from sticking to each other. Likewise also add some oil or butter after draining the pasta to prevent it from sticking and adding some additional flavour.


I love adding some spinach and mushrooms to this dish to give it a little earthy flavour.


My secret is to add a dash of nutmeg to the carbonara. It adds a beautiful flavour and aroma and really brings out the sauce.


Note: Bacon is already fatty and hence no oil is required in cooking it. Please do not add oil to crisp the bacon


It is important to keep the pasta hot after draining because the heat of the pasta actually 'cooks' the egg in the carbonara sauce and gradually thickens it. Just ensure you mix the two well.

Semi Freddo

The Semifreddo (say-mee-frayd-doh) is italian for half cold and is literally a range of semi-frozen desserts. It has the texture of a mousse. Most commonly known semi freddos are ice cream cakes and semi frozen custards.

I'm gonna share a delicious semifreddo recipe with you. Its a very basic recipe. The beauty of this recipe is that you can substitute the fillings with practically anything you like.Read on to find out

3 eggs, separated 
150g caster sugar
500ml cream
200g dark chocolate, finely chopped 
200ml dark chocolate sauce to serve (see recipe below)

Line the base of a loaf tin with double layer of cling film, leaving the excess hanging out over the edges. The cling film will help easily remove the semifreddo after its set. 

Whisk the egg yolks and sugar in a large bowl until pale and fluffy.

In a second bowl, whip the cream until it forms soft peaks. Gently fold the whipped cream into the egg yolk mixture.

In a third bowl, whisk the egg whites until they form firm peaks.  Carefully fold in the egg whites to the whipped cream and egg yolks mix.

Sprinkle a third of the chopped chocolate evenly into the base of the prepared tin.

Pour half the semifreddo mixture over the chocolate, followed by the next third of the chocolate. Finally pour over the remaining semifreddo and top with the remaining chocolate.

Cover with the excess cling film and freeze for at least six hours until solid.

Once it is set, carefully remove the semifreddo from the tin. This is where the excess double cling film helps. Turning it upside down onto the plate, and remove the cling film. Cut into slices, and serve with hot, freshly made chocolate sauce.

To make the chocolate sauce melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl sitting over a saucepan of gently simmering water. Whisk in the cream to give a smooth melted sauce and viola! your sauce is ready to be served with the semifreddo.

Tip:

I like to use half part chocolate and half part nuts for this semifreddo. Pecan, walnuts and hazelnuts work very well.

Add a touch of Bailey's Irish cream or Dulce de Leche liquer for a hint of caramel in your chocolate sauce

Dont like chocolate? No problem! Caramel sauce works perfectly well too

Substitute the chocolate filling for berries. Tastes as good with strawberries.