USVI-On-Line

In honor of Mario Batali's visit to St. John, last night I made his recipe for pasta carbonara. He has you put a whole raw egg yolk on top and then you mix it in--the yolk cooks from the heat of the pasta.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/5473795446/" title="pasta carbonara 2 by liamsaunt, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5171/547 ... 7b0f79.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="pasta carbonara 2"></a>

Ok Becky I need that recipe

Pete makes the most fabulous carbonara. Same deal, raw egg. Our four kids ask for it every single time they are around.

Mario Batali's Pasta alla Carbonara
(my changes in parentheses)

3 tbsp. olive oil
8 ounces gunaciale or thick bacon
1 lb. spaghetti
1 1/4 c. freshly grated parmigiano reggiano
4 large eggs, seperated
Freshly ground black pepper

boil 6 quarts water w/ 2 tbsp. salt
combine the olive oil and guanciale and cook until fat is rendered and it's crispy (if I use bacon I omit the olive oil and cook it in a dry pan). Remove from pan and reserve fat (if bacon, I drain off about half the fat)
cook spaghetti and reserve about 1/4 cup cooking water (I save around a cup to be safe, but you won't use it all). Drain.
Return meat to pan with 1/4 cup water and heat. Add pasta and cook one minute, stirring.
Add 1 cup parmesean and the egg whites and toss until mixed well. Add lots of pepper (and more pasta water to get the pasta sauce the texture you like).

Mound pasta on plates, make well in center, place yolk in well, top with more pepper and cheese and serve right away.

4 servings (more like 6 in my opinion)[/code]

love it, so simple, so perfect

Sorry about the crappy pic, it's from my phone. This was tonight's meal - seared scallops on a bed of puréed cauliflower, with a side of tarragon peas & carrots.

Yesterday for Sunday family linner I made chicken picatta:

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/5504324181/" title="chicken picatta by liamsaunt, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5300/550 ... 28a758.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="chicken picatta"></a>


That's my last "home cooked" food for a while. I decided to undertake a house facelift this week--painting the dining room, kitchen (I hired someone to repaint my cabinets but I am doing the walls myself), downstairs hallways and master bath. When I am not at work or sleeping, I will be painting!

wow, good for you! can you share before and afters of your cabinets? I really have been thinking about doing that.

just realized you said repaint. mine and a hideous wood that I would like to paint.

I mis-typed. They are being painted for the first time. They are a really dated maple wood and they had this awful country-style railing along the top (which thankfully came right off). I never did much about my kitchen before because I always figured we would be moving before now, but it's been long enough that I figure it is time for a spruce up. My understanding is that you have to use a special primer to cover the wood properly. The brand being used in my kitchen is Zinnzer--then Benjamin Moore glossy white for the paint. The cabinet doors are already off and primed, but I will post an after if they come out nicely.

Oh, and I apparently lied about no food. I am cooking dinner now.

Ooooo oooooo oooooooo, I didn't even realize there was a food porn thread until now! Hmmmmmmm! It looks like there's a lot of tasty things happenin' here. Nice photos, Liamsaunt.

I also love to cook and shoot. Here's some sesame encrusted tuna, crabcakes and mango salsa. It was pretty yummy.



pmk

Becky, would love to see the before and after too! My cabinets are pretty hideous but a painting would surely spruce them up. I just didn't want to do it myself.

pmk, that is my kind of dinner! Yum! Looking forward to more of your pictures.

Brenda, I cannot do cabinets. They are just too futsy for me. Walls, I can do. I finished the dining room last night. It is Benjamin Moore buttered yam. I love it, it's really funky. I am starting the master bathroom next. I've got a faded coral for that room--I am turning it into a Caribbean bathroom and hanging some of my St. John photos for decoration. John is going to be so surprised when he gets home from Stockholm, haha!

Cooks Illustrated has a killer recipe in for Cuban rice and beans in the latest issue. Highly recommended. I decided to put in some tenderloin au poivre as well.



pmk