My night to cook: spaghetti carbonara, baguettes, green garden salad. Will I be ON TIME with dinner?

[Heidi]

Yes. Yes _I_ will. :7

Spaghetti carbonara recipe (and it's just delicious without the bacon, folks!)
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/classic-spaghetti-carbonara-recipe/index.html

How to make spaghetti carbonara: http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-make-spaghetti-carbonara

What's on the menu tonight for the resta y'all?

[Tuesday Afternoon]

1. I thought everything was better with bacon.

I am going out tonight. Have no clue where or what I will have for supper. :shrug:

That all looks delicious though :9

[Heidi]

2. I like bacon but only once in a while.

Hard to explain, but I find it very difficult eat animals that I can consider domestic, and I know that, despite all the ol' wives tales about their uncleanliness, pigs are generally very intelligent beings. I totally have to psych myself out to eat pork. Yeah, I'm Debbie Downer, I know. :(

[Tuesday Afternoon]

7. No. You are a true and gentle spirit.

I am a cannibal :D

:hug:

[Heidi]

8. No, no, no! I'm truly not that gentle.

I'm just too lazy to gag down stuff that kinda creeps me out. I could easily be a vegetarian, but mainly because I think too much. :hug: :hug:

[Tuesday Afternoon]

9. truth be known

you and CMW are couple of fruit loops. :D

I love fruit loops :o

:hug: :hug:

[Call Me Wesley]

3. The clock's ticking.

Just sayin'. :tinfoilhat:

[Heidi]

6. Please remove your helmet and open the wine.

Smarty pants. :rofl:

:spank:

[cwydro]

4. BUT

will CMW be on time for dinner???

Sounds delicious.:9

[Heidi]

5. That's the funny thing.

He's _early_ on my nights to cook. :rofl:

[hippywife]

10. Sounds really yummy.

I hope you both are on time and have a lovely dinner together. :*

Oddly enough, we're having pork which is rareish around here, too. Making BLT's with a little Arkansas style bacon from the coop so it's definitely local, clean, and safe.

:hi:

[Heidi]

11. What's Arkansas-style bacon?

Is it a thicker cut, like "side meat"?

And :smooch_ back to ya, gf! :*

:yourock:

[hippywife]

12. It has more meat and very little fat.

And it's not cut in long strips. The package I have now, the bacon is round, but it's not always perfectly round that way. The definition of the USDA:

BACON ARKANSAS AND ARKANSAS STYLE BACON:
Product which is identified as Arkansas Bacon or Arkansas Style Bacon is produced from the pork shoulder blade Boston roast.

I also have some Cherokee Purple maters I can't wait to try. :9


And it's you who rock, darlin'. Totally. :hug:

[Heidi]

22. Thank you for the explanation!

We have purple tomatoes here, too, though not Cherokee Purples. Ours are some heirloom variety and I can only get them sometimes, not all the time, but they have a richer flavor than regular tomatoes. Is it just me, or do red tomatoes anymore taste just watery and flavorless? x(

Mornin', sunshine! :hug:

[hippywife]

44. These were heirloom and

definitely sweeter and less acidic than a regular tomato. Nice for a little change. I never buy tomatoes anymore from the grocery unless they are grape or occasionally Roma's, and not that often. Waiting for those summer tomatoes is so worth it. Nothing else is.

Hope you two had a great dinner and are enjoying your Sunday evening. :hug:

[Rabrrrrrr]

13. It would be almost impossible not to be on-time with that meal

That's all pretty easy, quick fixin's - and looks wonderful!

[Heidi]

23. It was SUPERB!

Hi, Rabrrrrr! :hi:

[tigereye]

14. are you baking your own baguettes?

if not, I'd say yes, and even if you were... should be ok, if you have the dough ready to bake!

[Heidi]

24. I bought frozen baguettes and baked them.

They're no substitute for fresh bakery baguettes, but I shopped for groceries on Thursday and couldn't face it again yesterday just for bread. :rofl:

[tigereye]

45. I have to go to the store way too many times -my son is at that vacuum

cleaner stage.

[theNotoriousP.I.G.]

15. Your supper sounds divine

Heidi. I'm thinking CMW showed up on time. Yum.

I made Fajitas. They were good.

I'll try your recipe. Never made carbonara style spaghetti sauce before.

Thanks!

[Heidi]

25. Let me know how your carbonara turns ut when you make it!

Now that you mentioned fajitas, CMW's prolly gonna want me to make 'em next week. I _love_ fajitas! Best Mexican food I ever had, oddly enough, wasat The Pool Hall, Eustis, Nebraska. DELISH! :)

P.S. :hug:

[Xipe Totec]

16. I wish there was a restaurant that served cabrito al pastor up here in New England

Because that's what I have a hankering for...

[Heidi]

26. We call it "capra" here,

and I have to admit I've never tried it. But I do occasionally buy dried capra for CMW; it's sorta like beef jerky. :hi:

[Xipe Totec]

46. Cabrito is milk-fed kid goat roasted over coals

It is tender and juicy.

Not like beef jerky at all, although I have tasted goat jerky and it is very good also.

It is nice to see similarities between the old and the new world!

:hi:

[Heidi]

47. No, I know that cabrito isn't like beef jerky.

I was saying that dried capra is like beef jerky. :hi:

[MineralMan]

17. I know you aren't using bacon, but

for those who do, don't use bacon in carbornara. Instead jilienne some pancetta and use that instead, skipping the browning part. Just saute it lightly until the fat is transparent, then toss it in at the very end. Italians don't have bacon...really they don't. You'll find that pancetta is very intense in flavor and will generate surprised WOWs from your guests. Use it sparingly. Each forkful of the dish should contain just one sliver of it.

[Heidi]

21. I actually used

dardini di lardo instead of bacon. I have no idea what the English term is, but the German is speckwürfel. It has a very intense, smokey flavor and is pretty salty, so there's no need to salt the sauce. Dardini di lardo looks like:



Although real American-style bacon is now available in southern Switzerland and Italy now, I agree with you that pancetta is much better than bacon. :hi:

[MineralMan]

30. Oh. That looks like a great ingredient.

I don't believe I've ever seen it available. Now I'm drooling and it's morning. I'll head to the Italian grocer here and see if they have it.

[Heidi]

31. Let me know whether you're able to get it!

Dardini di lardo actually is small pieces of prosciutto. You'll love the flavor it adds to your carbonara. About the only difference I see between prosciutto and pancetta in this particular recipe (where you don't need much meat) is that prosciutto comes from the hind leg of the pig and pancetta comes from the belly. :hi:

[MineralMan]

34. Will do. I don't usually get to that Italian market, since it's a drive.

They also make sandwiches at their deli, and I do have a craving for a genuine grinder, so I think I'll drop by there and pick up lunch. Now my stomach's grumbling, and I just had breakfast. There goes the diet!

Speaking of grinders, We had a small gathering here last year and I decided I'd make some real grinders for our guests. They were a huge hit, since most of the people there were of Norwegian heritage, and had never heard of most of the meats on the sandwiches.

It was an expensive treat, though...

The recurring question was: "Where did you buy those sandwiches?" Grrrr!

[Heidi]

35. Ha! They probably meant it as a compliment, MM!

The little store up in our village makes similar sub sandwiches to order with a huge selection of meats and cheeses from which to choose. Alas, though, no Miracle Whip. :P

[MineralMan]

36. Thank goodness for small favors!

A proper Italian sub has garlic-infused olive oil as the only dressing, applied to the bread before adding ingredients, in my opinion.

Oh, man....I'm starving here...

[Heidi]

37. Okay, you just decided what we're having for dinner this coming Thursday.

My night to cook, of course. ;)

[MineralMan]

40. It's hard to find the small diameter Italian bread,

but baguettes will work OK. I like the ones that you finish baking at home.

Another trick that makes the sandwiches better is to make them a bit in advance, then wrap them tightly in aluminum foil and let them rest at room temperature for an hour or two. It improves the flavor and lets the sandwiches settle. I make them full-length with the baguettes, then cut them for serving after unwrapping.

Don't forget the layer of roasted peppers, either...

Mangia bene!

[Heidi]

41. No, no! I'll use ciabatta.

Thursday's my shopping day and I can get ciabatta fresh at the bakery. :bounce:

Oh, my gawd. I'm hungry now and it's CMW's turn to cook. :weep:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=105x8881114

[MineralMan]

43. Perfect!

[Call Me Wesley]

42. When Heidi makes grinders,

I'll be there early to eat and will send you a thank you note. ;)

[Bertha Venation]

18. are you baking the bread?

what can I bring? how about a nice bottle of wine?

[Heidi]

27. I baked frozen baguettes.

They're really very good. And it would have been lovely to have you here, sweets. Ginger woulda let Aunt Bertha rub his bell all night long. :hug:

[Hepburn]

19. How close are you to the Palos Verdes Penn ~~ and do you deliver for free?

:evilgrin:

Wow...I am STARVING right now and waiting for my best guy pal to pick me up at 6:00 PM and go to dinner ~~ but I could use a bit of what you are making while I wait!

[Heidi]

28. Sorry, gf!

I know what it's like to be STARVING and having to wait for dinner. :rofl:

Good morning, Hepburn! :hug:

[Eurobabe]

20. I'll be right over...

Did you know that Emeril is Portuguese? Thought he was Italian! Oh YEAH baby!!

[Heidi]

29. I did know that, but his spaghetti carbonara recipe is the one most similar to mine.

I never use a recipe, so I had to search for one like mine. :rofl:

Mornin', sunshine! :hug:

[NJmaverick]

32. That looks awesome

[Heidi]

33. And the greatest thing about spaghetti carbonara (besides the taste)?

It's so lovely on the plate and tastes so good that one would assume that it's incredibly complex to make. But it's easy, and that is the GREATEST thing about spaghetti carbonara! :rofl:

Mornin', NJmaverick! :hi:

[auntAgonist]

38. If you don't tell him what time dinner is, ...

how can you be late? :)

Looks scrumptious Heidi! I'd pop in but it's a little out of my way.

:loveya:

aA
kesha

[Heidi]

39. Unfortunately, he knows that dinner is at 7:30 p.m. every night,

because I remind him of this on his nights to cook. :rofl:

Mornin', Kesha! :hug:

:loveya: