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H
ere’s a recipe for the World’s best Carbonara. No kidding! Nonna was my neighbour’s grandmother. My neighbour’s dad was divorced and living with his mother (Nonna) and his two kids, who where my age. Nonna was born not far to the south of Rome and when she was a teen, just before WW2, she met a man who worked in a nearby coal mine. She would visit the workers there regularly, mostly just to see him and would make fresh pasta for all the workers, although I’m not sure if it was the carbonara! Unfortunately, when war broke out the man was drafted to the army and later died in action. After the war Nonna ‘escaped’ Italy for Australia, eventually residing in New Zealand. There she met another man and the rest if history. Nonna used to look after us boys after school as we grew up, telling us tales of her younger days in Italy – and she would make us pasta – including the carbonara. One day I asked her how it was made, so she gave me a piece of paper with the recipe and told me this is how! Nonna passed away eight years ago but her spirit lives on, through her tales and the recipes she shared. She was one of the best cooks I had ever known (even better than my mum and that's saying something). Nonna would always cook simple but flavourful dishes packed with amazing taste – and she always had a story to tell.
Spaghetti Carbonara You’ll need...
Then...
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Chop onions, garlic, pancetta and chicken into small pieces.
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Bring heat up and add chicken and cook until no longer pink
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Grate Pecorino (fine)
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Bring a large pot of water to a vigorous boil, adding enough salt to make the water taste slightly salty
Add pecorino and stir through
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Remove from heat and combine al dente pasta. Do not apply to heat past this point.
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Crack eggs on top and toss pasta to combine all ingredients together
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Serve immediately!
1 Red onion 2 Cloves garlic 100 g Pancetta 100 g Chicken thighs 70 g Pecorino cheese 2 Eggs Olive oil Salt Fresh egg tagliatelle pasta
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In another pan, sweat the red onion and garlic in olive oil until golden and soft Add pasta to boiling water cook to al dente Add pancetta and combine with the red onion mix. Cook for 3 minutes