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Joined 2 years ago
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Cake day: June 18th, 2023

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  • For the couscous:

    • roasted a cup of pearl couscous for a few minutes in a few tablespoons of oliveoil
    • added finely chopped garlic, shallots, let it simmer for a minute (about a spoon of each)
    • added finely chopped carrots, celery (about a spoon of each)
    • I dissolved a tablespoon of chicken bouillon in two cups of boiling water, added it to the couscous
    • I let it simmer for a few minutes until the meatballs were ready and the couscous soaked the humidity
    • turned off the heat when the couscous was chewy/soft enough
    • before serving, I added some roughly chopped bell peppers, scallions, one mild Italian chili, and a squeeze of lemon
    • for plating I added lemon zest and chopped chives

    For the meatballs:

    • I had some two days old pork belly and chicken breast, about 1kg in total, which I minced and added to a bowl
    • I added to the mince: a couple eggs, 3 handfuls of panko, salt, pepper, handful of fresh parsley
    • I finely chopped 4-5 garlic cloves and a medium onion, added them as well
    • incorporated the ingredients well, used a spoon to portion the meatballs and rolled them in my hand
    • fried in some lard until lightly brown

    It was a pretty ad-hoc dish, made with what was in the fridge…










  • I make this by heart, but I’ll try.

    • beat 4 eggs (I make 4 portions of pasta) with a handful of Pecorino Romano, set aside
    • fry guanciale in a pan, remove when crispy, keep the fat
    • meanwhile, boil pasta according to package instructions, I usually take them out 30-45 seconds earlier, as they will continue to cook in the pan
    • transfer pasta to pan, mix with the guanciale fat, add a little pasta water to deglaze the pan
    • add about a cup of pasta water to the egg mixture, slowly, continue to mix until it reaches the liked consistency
    • turn the pan heat off, add egg mixture, drown the pasta in sauce. Add more pasta water if needed, the starches will work wonders on the creaminess.

    That’s it. Plate with the crispy guanciale, some freshly cracked pepper and a hefty amount of pecorino on top.