Pasta Carbonara w/ Beef-Guanciale

Growing up in NYC and eating (PORK) was normal for me. Having a Sicilian Grandfather turned me on too many many different Italians foods which I miss and love. That being said I have not eaten any Treif in almost 18 years. About 8 months ago I saw a recipe being made on T.V. called, yup you guessed it Pasta Carbonara. I remembered eating this many times as a young man. Traditional Carbonara like the one my grandfather cooked was made with Pancetta or Guanciale (my Cured Meats). So with that I needed a meat that was high in fat and tasted divine. Hence my creation of Beef-Guanciale was born. 

Recipe 

2 whole eggs and 7 yolks

35 grams each of Pecorino Romano and Parmesano Reggiano cheese

200 grams of Guanciale chopped up (or more….Love this stuff)

28 grams to toasted finely chopped/grounded up pine nuts

50 grams of Pureeed Sundried Tom packs in olive oil

1.5 tsp of pepper 

1 lb of Spaghetti

6 Tbl or more of fat or Olive oil ( I used Schmaltz)

Although this is my recipe I decided to use Serious Eats technique for making the Pasta Carbonara. Their technique is far superior and easier than I was doing. Oh and they have a video too. 

Toast the Pinenuts and grind them up too. I forgot to take a picture of this. Ground Pine nuts give this dish a great texture. 

Measure out the Sun-Dried Tomatoes and puree using a sharp knife or a food processor. 

Measure out the cheese too.....Why two different cheeses? Pecorino Romano Cheese is made from sheep's milk and is salty, tangy and has a umami punch. Whereas Parmigiano Reggiano which comes from Cows Milk is nuttier and is a bit milder. Both cheeses together take this dish over the top. 

These are the end Pieces of the Guanciale. As you can see in the picture to the right I sliced/chopped them up into about 3/8's of an inch.

Get the eggs ready.......

Toss in the pepper…Note: if you like it very spicy add 2 tsp. 

Toss in the cheese, Ground up Pine Nuts and cheese. Mix thoroughly. 

Add about 3 Tbl. of fat to the pan and saute the Beef-Guanciale on a very low flame. The Goal is render as much fat as possible without over cooking the Guanciale.

Mean while.... You should have had the pot of salted water boiling already. Cook the pasta right to the point before al-Dente. Reserve about 2 cups of starchy water. Toss the al-dente pasta into pan with the Guanciale and toss until all the pasta is coated with the fat. If you find that the fat quantity is in adequate add some more. The pasta needs to be coated throughly. Adding extra fat is a personal thing and is glorious. 

Almost done.... Add the now Fat coated Pasta and Guanciale to the bowl that contains the eggs mixture.   Add about a 1/2 of water to the pasta and toss with tongs. Using the pasta pot you just used as a double boiler (keep it on simmer) place the bowl on top and keep folding the pasta using tongs. The goal is to thicken the sauce ever so gently without breaking the eggs. keep adding water until you achieve the desired viscosity.  

As an added bonus and it's certainly not required but I always add extra thinly sliced Guanciale to the Pasta. Add this directly to the double boiler. Do not sauté. 

REVIEW- AMAZING!!!

Lamb Fried Matzah Balls

It's one of those recipes that came together almost by mistake. I was headed over to a buddies house for Pesach and I wanted to bring something traditional, different and special. They were serving Lamb for the Seder Meal and most likely Matzah Ball Soup. Since Seders can last a while I wanted to bring appetizers that could sustain us until the meal was served. 

I brought Homemade Matzah  which we ate a lot of during the Seder and these Fried Balls. Everyone loves Matzah and Matzah Balls so why not bring more of the same but kicked up a notch. I wish I had taken more photos but this came together at the last moment. As long as you follow the ratios of meat, eggs and matzah these babies will float after you poach them. They can be served in place of the traditional Matzah balls too….. just don't fry them. In fact if you find traditional Matzah Balls boring you will love these. I personally love Matzah Ball soup. Well truth be told I love my Matzah Ball Soup. Anyhow add what ever you want. Flavor profiles are up to you. I never make the same thing twice. I hate following recipes. 

I used two pounds of Lamb but any meat combo would work. Maybe Veal and Lamb mixed together. Chicken or Turkey? if you use Chicken or Turkey make sure to use Gribenes too. 

My suggestion is to sauté the shallots, garlic and ginger before adding to the meat mixture. Oh… you must fry in Schmaltz. I shouldn't have to tell you this but make sure to minced up the garlic and the ginger. Oy Vey!!

Add these to a food processor. Chose what ever brand  you want. If you don't like cranberries use another dried fuit. Golden raisins, peach or mango would work well too. 

Chopped Cilantro is a great addition but if you don't care for it use parsley. 

Gotta love scallions and chives. I really didn't measure either. Use as much or as little as you want. 

Everything in the bowl!!! 

 Form into balls using an ice-cream scoop. 

I used a little one. Chose your size or use your hands. You know if you are short on time make these the day before. 

Poach in salted water or stock for 45 minutes. This is the tool I used to scoop out balls. 

Scooped out and placed on large tray to cool. After they were cooled I dusted them in flour and deep fried at 375 f until golden. In this particular recipe I used Gluten free Matzah Meal and flour. Use what ever you want. 

I made several sauces to accompany these babies. I made Honey Mustard sauce, And a funky Tomato Sauce in which I used a lot of Cilantro, Mint and heavy cream. And let's not forget my Horseradish sauce.