Today I have two classic Italian dishes that are always enjoyable to make at home and are firm favourites in a lot of families. I love Italy and I love Italian, so my heart is broken for the terrible times they have gone through recently. And, like you all, I am hoping that the measures we have been living with will reduce the impact of this virus in Ireland.
We will come out the other side of this and a huge thank you to those in our front line services
I know that as you read this there are Irish families who are grieving and my heart goes out to them also. We will come out the other side of this and a huge thank you to those in our front line services.
Carbonara has its origins in or near Rome. In my opinion it should always be made with spaghetti so that the rich sauce clings to the pasta, allowing you to almost slurp it up when you’re eating it. You don’t need to use the cream or the mascarpone.
Parmesan is a good cheese to keep in your fridge. It keeps well, is always tasty, and improves with age
I have found that it dilutes the delicate flavour of the eggs and Parmesan, plus it makes the sauce looser, preventing it from clinging to the spaghetti. Parmesan is a good cheese to keep in your fridge. It keeps well, is always tasty, and improves with age. Most of the Parmesan you buy in supermarkets will be 24 months old.
This macaroni is my twist on a classic American pasta dish that everyone will love. It is a family favourite in our house. I will often add some diced cooked chicken if there are some leftovers in the fridge, or ham works well too. It is a good meal to get children to learn to use a hand grater or zester which is one of those kitchen essentials that children must learn to use safely.
Happy cooking and keep safe,
Neven
Neven Maguire Carbonara
Classic carbonara
Serves four
500g (18oz) dried egg spaghetti
2 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, sliced
175g (6oz) slab of pancetta or dry-cured bacon, diced
4 eggs
2 egg yolks
100g (4oz) Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
fresh nutmeg, to serve
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 Cook the spaghetti in a large pan of boiling salted water until al dente.2 Meanwhile, heat the oil in a separate large pan over a low heat. Add the garlic and cook for a few minutes, until golden brown. Remove the garlic with a wooden spoon. This will give your oil a lovely subtle garlic flavour but won’t ruin the smoothness of the sauce.3 Add the pancetta or bacon to the oil. Raise the heat to medium and sauté for 2-3 minutes, until golden and translucent but not brown around the edges.4 Beat the eggs and egg yolks in a bowl, then stir in most of the Parmesan, reserving the rest for garnish. Season with pepper.5 Scoop out a small mug of the spaghetti cooking water. Then drain the spaghetti well. Tip it into the pan with the pancetta and toss to coat.6 Remove the pan from the heat and tip in the egg mixture, tossing the pasta quickly with a tongs.7 Once it has begun to thicken, add a splash of the cooking water to loosen the sauce a little. Toss again and divide between warm bowls. Add a light grating of nutmeg to each one, garnish with the reserved Parmesan to serve.Tomatoe and basil macaroni
Serves four
300g (11oz) vine cherry tomatoes 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
350g (12oz) macaroni pasta
1 x 250g (9oz) tub of
mascarpone cheese
200g (7oz) freshly grated Parmesan
2 tbsp shredded fresh basil, plus extra leaves to garnish
2 tsp Dijon mustard
sea salt and freshly ground
black pepper
1 Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F/gas mark 7).2 Remove the cherry tomatoes from the vine and place in an ovenproof dish. Sprinkle with half the garlic and drizzle over the olive oil. Season to taste. Roast for 15 minutes, until the tomatoes have softened slightly and the skins have started to split, tossing once or twice to ensure even cooking.3 Meanwhile, cook the macaroni in a large pan of boiling salted water for 8-10 minutes or according to the packet instructions, until al dente.4 Place the mascarpone in a bowl and beat in the Parmesan, basil, mustard and the remaining garlic.5 Drain the pasta and return it to the pan. Stir in the mascarpone cheese mixture until it completely coats the pasta, then carefully fold in the roasted cherry tomatoes. Season to taste. 6 Tip into the ovenproof dish that you used for the tomatoes (or you could put it into individual ovenproof dishes) and bake for 10 minutes, until bubbling and golden brown.7 To serve, let the cheese, tomato and basil macaroni stand for a few minutes, then garnish with the basil leaves and serve straight from the dish onto warm plates.Organising your pantry into sections will help you keep the items you use regularly and those you don’t use as often separate. It will also help you avoid buying multiples of the same item. Order some medium-sized tupperware or plastic containers online. Label one for baking supplies, one for dried pastas, rice and other grains, one for vinegars and oils, one for canned goods and one for every day snacks. This will also help avoid clutter and pest problems.
Today I have two classic Italian dishes that are always enjoyable to make at home and are firm favourites in a lot of families. I love Italy and I love Italian, so my heart is broken for the terrible times they have gone through recently. And, like you all, I am hoping that the measures we have been living with will reduce the impact of this virus in Ireland.
We will come out the other side of this and a huge thank you to those in our front line services
I know that as you read this there are Irish families who are grieving and my heart goes out to them also. We will come out the other side of this and a huge thank you to those in our front line services.
Carbonara has its origins in or near Rome. In my opinion it should always be made with spaghetti so that the rich sauce clings to the pasta, allowing you to almost slurp it up when you’re eating it. You don’t need to use the cream or the mascarpone.
Parmesan is a good cheese to keep in your fridge. It keeps well, is always tasty, and improves with age
I have found that it dilutes the delicate flavour of the eggs and Parmesan, plus it makes the sauce looser, preventing it from clinging to the spaghetti. Parmesan is a good cheese to keep in your fridge. It keeps well, is always tasty, and improves with age. Most of the Parmesan you buy in supermarkets will be 24 months old.
This macaroni is my twist on a classic American pasta dish that everyone will love. It is a family favourite in our house. I will often add some diced cooked chicken if there are some leftovers in the fridge, or ham works well too. It is a good meal to get children to learn to use a hand grater or zester which is one of those kitchen essentials that children must learn to use safely.
Happy cooking and keep safe,
Neven
Neven Maguire Carbonara
Classic carbonara
Serves four
500g (18oz) dried egg spaghetti
2 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, sliced
175g (6oz) slab of pancetta or dry-cured bacon, diced
4 eggs
2 egg yolks
100g (4oz) Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
fresh nutmeg, to serve
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 Cook the spaghetti in a large pan of boiling salted water until al dente.2 Meanwhile, heat the oil in a separate large pan over a low heat. Add the garlic and cook for a few minutes, until golden brown. Remove the garlic with a wooden spoon. This will give your oil a lovely subtle garlic flavour but won’t ruin the smoothness of the sauce.3 Add the pancetta or bacon to the oil. Raise the heat to medium and sauté for 2-3 minutes, until golden and translucent but not brown around the edges.4 Beat the eggs and egg yolks in a bowl, then stir in most of the Parmesan, reserving the rest for garnish. Season with pepper.5 Scoop out a small mug of the spaghetti cooking water. Then drain the spaghetti well. Tip it into the pan with the pancetta and toss to coat.6 Remove the pan from the heat and tip in the egg mixture, tossing the pasta quickly with a tongs.7 Once it has begun to thicken, add a splash of the cooking water to loosen the sauce a little. Toss again and divide between warm bowls. Add a light grating of nutmeg to each one, garnish with the reserved Parmesan to serve.Tomatoe and basil macaroni
Serves four
300g (11oz) vine cherry tomatoes 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
350g (12oz) macaroni pasta
1 x 250g (9oz) tub of
mascarpone cheese
200g (7oz) freshly grated Parmesan
2 tbsp shredded fresh basil, plus extra leaves to garnish
2 tsp Dijon mustard
sea salt and freshly ground
black pepper
1 Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F/gas mark 7).2 Remove the cherry tomatoes from the vine and place in an ovenproof dish. Sprinkle with half the garlic and drizzle over the olive oil. Season to taste. Roast for 15 minutes, until the tomatoes have softened slightly and the skins have started to split, tossing once or twice to ensure even cooking.3 Meanwhile, cook the macaroni in a large pan of boiling salted water for 8-10 minutes or according to the packet instructions, until al dente.4 Place the mascarpone in a bowl and beat in the Parmesan, basil, mustard and the remaining garlic.5 Drain the pasta and return it to the pan. Stir in the mascarpone cheese mixture until it completely coats the pasta, then carefully fold in the roasted cherry tomatoes. Season to taste. 6 Tip into the ovenproof dish that you used for the tomatoes (or you could put it into individual ovenproof dishes) and bake for 10 minutes, until bubbling and golden brown.7 To serve, let the cheese, tomato and basil macaroni stand for a few minutes, then garnish with the basil leaves and serve straight from the dish onto warm plates.Organising your pantry into sections will help you keep the items you use regularly and those you don’t use as often separate. It will also help you avoid buying multiples of the same item. Order some medium-sized tupperware or plastic containers online. Label one for baking supplies, one for dried pastas, rice and other grains, one for vinegars and oils, one for canned goods and one for every day snacks. This will also help avoid clutter and pest problems.
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