by amvandenhurk | Dinner, Pasta
Luxuriously Pasta Carbonara
Pasta Carbonara was something I always ordered out at an Italian restaurant. It seemed so complicated — a dish I couldn’t possibly make myself at home — silly me. Of course, I could make Pasta Carbonara! I make bread and pastries. Those are tricky to prepare well.
Confidence with Cream
I had nothing to fret about regarding this recipe. Anyone can do it. It is just cream, egg yolks, Parmesan cheese, and pasta water.
Why was I so afraid? No clue. It does take practice to get the consistency right. It is simple. And quick.
Sausage or Bacon
You can make this recipe the more traditional way with bacon. Or you can make it with sausage. Depending on how I feel, I use spicy or mild sausage. That goes for how I prepare the sausage. Sometimes I take the sausage out of the casings frying it up that way or cook them whole then slicing them placing them on top of the pasta.
It is worth trying to find pappardelle. I prefer how the sauce takes to it.
So you can now skip the restaurant and make Pasta Carbonara at home.
Need more pasta recipes? Visit the pasta section of Well Worn Apron.
Pasta Carbonara with Italian Sausage
Ingredients
- 8 ounces pappardelle or fettuccine
- 1 cups frozen peas
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 4 Italian sausage links - spicy or mild (about 1 pound)
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1/2 cup half-and-half or whipping cream
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan (2 ounces), plus more for serving
- Kosher salt and black pepper
Preparation
- Cook the pasta according to the package directions, adding the peas during the last minute of cooking. Reserve ½ cup of the cooking water, drain the pasta and peas, and return them to the pot.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the sausages, turning occasionally, until cooked through about 10-15 minutes.
- In a mid-sized bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, half-and-half or cream, Parmesan, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper.
- Add the egg mixture and reserved cooking water to the pasta and peas in the pot.
- Cook over low heat, tossing gently, until the sauce is slightly thickened and coats the pasta. Serve with the sausage and additional cheese.
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https://wellwornapron.com/pasta-carbonara/ 
by amvandenhurk | Life, Lifestyle, Small Town Life
The photo is what my dishwasher looks on any given day. I usually cook three meals a day plus snacks in my kitchen.
Doing that creates a lot of dishes. I’m not a fan of doing dishes. And Jeroen points out that I’m not very good at washing up.
Recently, the water pump had to be replaced. I was without my dishwasher for about four days. It was a long four days. I got creative in my usage of items which would require washing. I rejoiced when it was fixed.
What kitchen appliance can you not do without?
by amvandenhurk | Lifestyle, Small Town Life
My Mom asked me, “If I was becoming Southern?” when I told her I made collard greens.
There are many foods, which come to mind when someone says Southern cooking and collard greens is at the top of my list… Other than fried green tomatoes, okra, and sweet tea.
Collard greens are a staple in eastern North Carolina. People grow them. Pick-ups parked along the road sell them. Restaurants serve them. Every grocery store stocks them year round. They are cheap, abundant, and easy to prepare.
After two years of living in the South, I finally made collard greens. I purchased a shopping bag full at my local farmer’s market.
Collards in general are a healthy leafy veg; however, the traditional preparation is less than so… Pork, lard, etc. While that tastes really yummy, it isn’t exactly good for our health or waistlines.
I made my collards with turkey bacon, sliced garlic, chicken broth.
I cut out the stems then cut the collards into smallish pieces. Then I sautéed the sliced turkey bacon and garlic in olive oil until cooked. I added the collards sautéing for a couple of minutes. I added enough chicken broth to cover the mixture simmering over low heat for an afternoon allowing the collards to becoming tender. When serving, finish it with apple cider vinegar and a dash of red pepper flakes. Yum.
Here’s the finished dish:
I served it with grilled pork chop and rice.
Maybe, I’ll tackle brewing sweet tea… Or maybe I’ll just to continue go to McDonald’s…
– Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
by amvandenhurk | Life, Lifestyle, Small Town Life
Hanging my head in shame. I admit since we left Lexington, KY two years ago, I haven’t visited a local farmer’s market, but that changed today. Now that I live in downtown Tarboro, I have no excuse not to visit the market on a Saturday morning. It is a 15 minute walk from my new house. And a pretty walk at that… Tree lined sidewalks pass grand old houses. As I walked I wondered what goodies I might find.
The Tarboro Farmer’s Market is very small. There are great efforts to expand it. This community needs a farmer’s market where small family farms can sell and share the bounty of their labors as well as their pride in what they do. And where the community can go get fresh, quality produce at reasonable prices.
Today, there were two booths: a veg farmer and a pie maker. The farmer had wonderfully fresh veg on offer. All picked very early this morning. And the mini pies the baker had were still warm from the oven. Both were proud of their offerings and shared advice on how to prepare the veg. You rarely get this passion at a big box grocery store. Nor the freshness.
My taking from the farmer’s market. I can’t wait to prepare and eat all of this! Especially the pies!
So go out to your local farmer’s market. Discover what wonderful food is produced locally!
– Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
by amvandenhurk | Dessert
And in this corner… Red Velvet Cheesecake weighing in at six pounds.
Yes, you read that correctly, a six pound cheesecake. While it may have been heavy, it didn’t taste that way.
I only make this recipe every couple of years mainly because it is time consuming. Plan on it being a two day process. I recently made it for Christmas.
This is what my limited counter space looks like when I bake a recipe like this.
The cooling process is time consuming. It has to cool in the oven for 30 minutes then another 30 minutes on the rack and finally in the fridge of eight hours.
The Red Velvet Cheesecake has two layers.
Finally, ready to be eaten. Drool, drool, drool.
Red Velvet Cheesecake is one of my favorite desserts to make. It is a special event dessert. And well worth all of the time. It is a knockout!
– Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Hello! I'm Ann Marie and I wear the well-worn apron. Join me as explore plant-based eating while I live on an island off the U.S. state of Rhode Island.