comfort food of the day - spaghetti alla carbonara

what is comfort food? what kind of food is considered comfort food? well, the content of comfort food changes with each and every person.  have you ever felt depressed or disappointed, and nothing seems to make you feel better... unknowingly, you find yourself tuck in bed with a pint of your favorite ice cream and each mouthful melts away the pain, that is one kind of comfort food. in general, comfort food are food that makes you feel good, food that lightens you up, food that makes you happier and such.

personally, my range of comfort food is beyond numbers! and for the day, spaghetti carbonara hits every single spot, i was feeling lazy... all i wanted to do was savor a big plate of creamy spaghetti and the carbonara that i managed to whip up was simple yet so good... =)

 

the crispy bacon bits complemented the creamy yolk sauce perfectly, every strand of spaghetti was coated with the rich sauce leaving no room for mistake, each mouthful burst with flavor which leaves me longing for the next... this recipe is definitely in my 'keep' list!

nigella's spaghetti alla carbonara (serves 1-2)

250g spaghetti

150g pancetta (i used normal bacon)

1 teaspoons olive oil

25g grated parmesan

2 eggs

2 tablespoons double cream

dash of black pepper

freshly grated nutmeg (if available)

1. Boil spaghetti in a pot of water with salt till al dente. Make sure to keep some of the pasta water before draining, just in case you need to thin the sauce or such.

2. Pan-fry bacon in olive oil till crispy. If preferred, white wine or vermouth can be added for flavor. (I removed most of the oil after the bacon turned crispy as the oil tends to make the pasta too salty.

3. In a bowl, mix the eggs, parmesan, cream and pepper. Toss the drained pasta with the bacon bits and remove the pan from the heat. Make sure the pan is not too hot, add the egg and cheese mixture, swiftly toss and mix. Add a little of the pasta water to lubricate if necessary, grate nutmeg over pasta for the extra oomph!

another one of my comfort food - potatoes! this dish is just simply numerous layers of thinly-sliced potatoes with dashes of sea salt and black pepper, finishing with a touch of cheddar cheese.

and all time favorite - tiramisu. it is a dessert that takes away all my worries and brings happiness back!

a failed attempt at making pudding but nevertheless, i will keep trying since i love the taste of of it and of course, it falls into my category of comfort food too *chuckles*

a simple but yet... so... so good snack, dried beef or prosciutto with mozzarella cheese on a slice of baguette, finish with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil... trust me, it is good!

Pancetta Spaghetti

A rare day at home, the only day in the week that I am back here. I have just returned from Brisbane and heading to Melbourne tomorrow. I look forward to my trip in Melbourne as I enjoy visiting Mart 130 for brunch! A cosy cafe built into a tram station, and it will be glorious to visit the cafe in the summer of Australia. This wonderful place was recommended by Ming and I miss those days that we visited the cafe, salivating over the delicious food, getting lost sometimes... etc.

Oh, pardon me for letting my thoughts wonder once again. I was craving for something simple, something easy to whipped up in minutes. What was better than a plate of home-cooked spaghetti, just the way I like it. I decided that there was going to be no sauce, just olive oil. Something like aglio e olio, but a tad heavier in taste... I need... bacon!

Bacon sliced into small pieces, garlic and parsley chopped and tomato deseeded and cut into small cubes. Heat the pan with olive oil, fry the bacon till crisp, set the bacon aside, add the garlic, then the cooked spaghetti, tomato, parsley, a pinch chilli flakes, salt and pepper. Toss and turn, in goes half of the bacon and it is done. Plate and sprinkle the rest of the bacon on the top.