032 - The Doppelganger

Psst…

Hey.

You.

Yeah you, doofus.

Come Here.

Are we safe?

Doors are locked?

Great.

What I’m about to tell you might get me killed. Italians loathe this idea. But for the sake of cooking, you have to try this recipe.

Ever heard Spaghetti Carbonara? This recipe is influenced by it, but with a rather affordable approach. True Carbonara uses a good quality Parmesan. Which; unfortunately, cost quite a buck around here. So, I’m substituting with Cheddar.

And for the sake of my safety, I will NOT call this recipe by the sacred name of ‘Carbonara’.

Let’s just call this one, “THE DOPPELGANGER”. Why? It sounded cool on my head. HAHA!

For 1 (One) serving, you will need:

100 grams of Spaghetti. The thinner the pasta, the awesome it’ll get. Think Angel Hair

50 grams of grated Cheddar.

2 Whole Eggs

Pepper to taste

1.8 Litre Water for cooking the pasta

¾ tbsp Salt for cooking the pasta

Brace yourself, this is as easy as it gets.

Ready? Here We Go

Step 1 – Crack your eggs, and mix in the grated cheddar. Give it a good stir, add some pepper, and mix it again. Set it aside for a while

2 Eggs, 1 Bowl (LOL)

CHEESE

Pepper

STIR THE FUCK UP

Step 2 – Pour the water to a big pot (don’t be fooled, I chose the wrong sized pot for this shoot), add the salt, and let it boil.

Step 3 – After boiling, throw your pasta in, and cooked according to the instruction. For me, this pasta takes 10 minutes to reach al dente (Italian for “to the bite”).

Step 4 – Here’s where the fun starts; dump the water, leaving only a very little amount on the pan left with the pasta. Remove the pan from the heat, and pour your egg-cheese mixture and stir quickly. The heat left in the pasta will help the egg emulsifies, so it turns creamy instead of lumpy. Remember, do it OFF the heat.

Don't believe your eyes; there is actually a tiny bit of pasta water left under there

The magic is waiting

HOLY SHIT, HOW CAN IT GET SO CREAMY?

Step 5 – Serve

This dish is without a doubt, easiest pasta you can whip up in no time. This cooks even faster than Aglio e Olio (I have the recipe for that here). The emulsified eggs help create this creamy consistency, fooling people to think that there's cream in the sauce. There isn't!

But don’t ever offer this recipe to an Italian and say it’s a Carbonara. It is pretty much one of the worst insults to them. NO.

Whoa

Who’s there?

They found me

Gotta go

Peace

xx

008 - Aglio E Olio Spaghetti!

This pasta dish is the easiest pasta you can make at home. No, really, when I first made this, I was shocked by how easy and quick this dish is made. And you know, chicks dig fancy Italian cooking.  Oh, and yes, IT IS DAIRY FREE! Great news for you lactose intolerant people!

You will need:

- Pasta. Any kind will do!, there is no limitation, but, to keep it authentic, try to stick to either regular spaghetti or angel hair pasta

- Garlic. 3 clove for 1 serving. Sliced.

- Olive oil. ALWAYS use olive oil for this dish. Italian cooking is nothing without it! Choose regular olive oil, save your Extra Virgin for Salad dressings and garnish. You’ll need approximately 6 tbsp per 1 serving. Like it more oily? Put more. Like it dry? Put less. Just don’t complicate the recipe like your love life (HAHA LOL JK)

- Fresh or Dried parsley. Getting fresh parsley is a pain in the ass for a white collar worker like me. Parsley don't keep well in the fridge, and will only keep for around a day or two outside. I chose the easy way;  I used the dried ones.

- Fresh or Dried chili pepper/pepper flakes. Either way, both worked magic! Here’s the drawback: the fresh will took a little bit longer to cook to improve its aroma, while the dried chili will cut off almost half the time needed to bring out the flavor.

- Salt. Worked wonder to give the dish a well rounded taste

- Freshly Ground Black Pepper. Same like the salt.

Ready? Here We Go!

Step 1 - Boil your pasta according to instructions on the packaging. Don't forget to salt the water!

Step 2 - Slice your Garlic and Chili finely. As thin as you possibly can!

Step 3 - Pour your olive oil and mix it with the garlic and chili on the pan. NOTE: DON'T turn on the heat just yet!

Step 4 - Now, turn on the heat on LOW. This way, the oil will heat up slowly, allowing the flavor of garlic and chili to fully infused, which is the whole point of this dish anyway! This should take around 5-6 minutes. Please pay attention to this process. If you burn the garlic, you'll ruin the whole dish!

Step 5 - Once you see bubble around the garlic and chili, and the smell permeates into the air, pour your pasta in! 

Step 6 - Season! Pour your salt and pepper to taste, and don't forget the parsley!

Step 7 - Plate!

If you’re a dude, this dish will definitely impress your Crush. No, really, no joke.

Try making this. Now.

Thanks for reading!

Please share if you like this, and be on a lookout for more recipes!

Peace

xx