Pasta Carbonara

pasta-carbonara-main-pic-2

The Best Pasta Carbonara is Americanized

Pasta Carbonara is a delicious Italian recipe that can virtually be made with just about any pasta.  In this recipe I’m using Penne but feel free to substitute Spaghetti, Linguine or whatever else your favorite pasta might be.  One of the other main ingredients is Pancetta.  If you don’t know what this is, the best way to describe it is comparing it to bacon.  It’s generally around the same cut of meat and it’s treated the same.  The major difference is it’s a thicker slice more like ham.  But the flavor, as you can imagine just really sets this dish off.  The Carbonara sauce itself is just egg yolks with a dash of pepper and fresh grated Parmesan Cheese.  So if you think about the bulk of these ingredients with a clove of chopped garlic and some sliced leak, which is pretty much a mild spring onion, then your really talking about a great recipe!

Pasta Carbonara Nazi’s!

This Pasta Carbonara is one of those recipes that every single Italian in the world thinks they know about.  I’ve had everyone and they’re dog try to give me advice on how to make this differently and every single opinion has been completely different from the next.  So I look at this like a Hamburger.  Am I American?  Yes!  Did I invent the Hamburger?  No!  Are there hundreds of different ways to make one?  Absolutely, so don’t be scared to dive right in and try this version of this recipe because it’s delicious and you won’t regret it!

If you’re looking for more pasta ideas, I’ve got tons of them.  But for now, be sure to check out my Spaghetti Squash Pasta and my Lobster Sauce recipe.  And if you want to learn How to make fresh Pasta, you better click the link.

Pasta Carbonara Ingredients:

2 Cups Penne Pasta or your favorite
1/2 cup Fresh Parmesan, grated
1/2 cup Pancetta or Bacon, chopped
1 Garlic Clove, chopped
2 tbsp Leak, chopped
3 egg yolks, whipped
1/2 tsp Black Pepper
1 tbsp Butter

Follow my video tutorial for this Pasta Carbonara recipe and enjoy the results.

How to Make Italian Sausage

Ground Italian Sausage main pic

Easy Italian Sausage

You’re going to love learning How to Make Italian Sausage.  This is, of course, a sweet and spicy recipe that can be easily adjusted to your specific tastes and, most importantly, reveals the secret to actually making it taste like sausage instead of just seasoned ground pork.

The secret lies in 3 places.  First, the sausage has got to have a 2 to 1 ratio; 2 parts meat and 1 part Fat and in this particular case it’s 2 parts Pork Picnic Shoulder Muscle(which is very tender) and 1 part Bacon or Fat Back.  If you’re wondering what Fat Back is, it’s just exactly what it sounds like; the Fat in the back of the pig; which is where bacon is derived from anyway so why not just use bacon.  Plus, for me personally, I can’t get Fat Back where I live without ordering a minimum of 60 lbs and I’ll never make that much sausage.

The Second secret is the ingredients.  This means any kind of sausage you want to make, whether it be Breakfast, Italian, or Chorizo etc., will all depend on the ingredients, or seasonings, going into the 2 to 1 ratio.

The Third thing is all about the binder.  The binder is what fuses the meat and ingredients together and keeps them from falling apart.  I’ve also found that it’s a big part of the the seasoning which also effects the performance in the sausage when it cooks.

Italian Sausage Patties Main pic

For example:  Most Italian Sausage recipes add a red wine and vinegar combination as a binder, which is fine, but this creates a bitter taste so you have to compensate with a sweetener, like sugar.  But I have found that Corn Syrup works even better and I add Vegetable Shortening.  Why the Shortening?  Cooking the sausage without it leaves the meat very dry.  It leaves an added quality to the sausage that improves the flavor and adds a moist tenderness to the meat when it’s done.

If you’re interested in more of my recipes with sausage in them, check out my Egg Noodle Lasagna and my Spaghetti with Meatballs.

Italian Sausage Ingredients:

2 lbs Pork shoulder Cusion Meat
1 lbs Bacon
6 Garlic Cloves, finely chopped
1/4 cup Fresh Parsly, chopped
1 tbsp Fennel Seed
1 tbsp Italian Seasoning
1 tbsp Paprika
1 tbsp Red Chili Flakes
Salt and Pepper to taste, approximately 1/2 tbsp of each

Binders

1/3 cup Corn Syrup
1/4 cup Vegetable Shortening

Be sure to watch the short video tutorial and I will show you exactly how to make this Italian Sausage.

Blackened Chicken Alfredo

The Best Chicken Alfredo

I love Chicken Alfredo and this particular recipe is a favorite of mine because it holds everything that I love and hold dear to my heart, when it comes to Italian food.  I’m talking about pasta tossed in Alfredo, topped with marinated and grilled Chicken(Blackened), and fresh chopped Tomato and Parsley.  So it’s a hearty dish with plenty of Carbs, Fat and protein.  What more could you possible want on your plate?

Chicken Alfredo in Restaurants

There’s no doubt that Chicken Alfredo is very common and popular, these days, among most Italian restaurants.  You can even order it on a pie from your favorite pizza delivery service.  But every where I go it’s always made a little different.  Seems like everyone has got their own way to of making white sauce.  And there are some really good recipes out there, however, there are some that are just plain awful.  So you really have to be careful with who you trust to make your sauce.  This particular recipe is a copy cat of local restaurant here in town called, “Wingers” and it’s fashioned around the idea of an old “50’s” style diner.  They serve popcorn, wings and the best Vanilla Coke in town.  They also have a recipe called Blackened Chicken Alfredo on their menu and I order every time I’m there.

Blackened Chicken Alfredo Ingredients:

2 to 4 boneless Chicken Thighs (one for each plate)
1 pkg Lemon & Herb Marinade (or your favorite marinade)

Pasta
2 cups Penne Rigate Pasta (or your favorite)
1 tsp Salt (for boiling water)
4 tbsp Olive oil (2 for Boiling water and 2 after pasta is cooked)

Alfredo Sauce
1 tbsp Unsalted Butter
1 chopped Garlic Clove
1 chopped Green Onion
3 tbsp chopped Red/Green Bell Pepper
1 cup Whipping Cream
1/3 cup Parmesan Cheese
1 tbsp Creme cheese

Topping
1 chopped Roma Tomato
2 tbsp fresh chopped Parsley
Salt and Pepper to Taste

Marinate the Chicken and start Grilling First, then start boiling the water and season with salt and olive oil.  Cut all the veggies.  In a hot skillet on High, add butter, Garlic, Scallions and Bell Pepper.  Saute for 1 minute then add creme 1/4 cup at a time.  Stir, boil then add until it’s gone.  Add Parmesan Cheese and Cream Cheese, then take off the heat.  Be sure to watch the chicken and turn once after chicken has Blackened with Grill marks (not Burned).  Strain Pasta, add remaining olive oil, then stir into Alfredo Sauce.  Lay each serving of pasta down first, on a plate, then cut each Grilled Chicken Thigh into 1/4 inch slices and lay over the pasta, and garnish the Chicken Alfredo with some chopped Tomato and Parsley, then serve.