Pasta alla Amatriciana : bacon & tomato loveliness

Oh, I am so impressed with this recipe.

It has all the hallmarks of a great family meal.  Pasta, tomatoes, bacon - what's not to like there?  It is perfect for those nights when you just want something that everyone is going to eat and not complain about - and, wonder of wonders, it is really simple to make.

I found the recipe on Chow.com and it is attributed to a Chef called Robert Sietsema.  Now I have to admit that I've never heard of him, but then that's probably because I'm not a) Italian or b) American.  If this recipe is an example of his food, then he's obviously a good egg.

Now, in his version, he used Bucatini pasta (which is like spaghetti but has a hole through the middle) and cured pork guanciale (Italian bacon, prepared with pig cheeks) and I'm sure it was completely sublime.  However, as I don't have access to either of those (not for an affordable price, anyway), I either opt for good old spirali pasta or spaghetti and get some of my local butcher's bacon.  It's also worth mentioning that Matteson's are currently producing lightly smoked turkey rashers which double as bacon very nicely.

Just look at that colour - amazing!

As I mentioned in a previous blog post, I've been using Tarantella tinned tomatoes in preference to other brands.  The difference really is marked and if you can find them, it's well worth changing. Their tomato puree is so gorgeous that it is tempting to have a little taster straight from the jar - and I can't say I've ever been tempted to do that with tomato puree before!

Everyone liked this dish, with clean plates all round - so I'd call that a success.

UPDATE!  It is now July 2015 and we've since discovered that hubby is sensitive to cayenne pepper, so I now substitute a pinch of red chilli flakes for the cayenne.  The end result is just as lovely and we'll definitely be using chilli again in future.  So, if you have similar issues with cayenne - help is at hand!   I also added in a couple of homeless mushrooms, with no adverse results.

PASTA ALLA AMATRICIANA  (Serves 3-4)

Ingredients :
 
A pack (350-400g) of smoked back bacon, diced
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
150ml dry white wine
400g can chopped tomatoes in juice (I bought plum & chopped them myself)
1 heaped tbsp tomato puree
1 dessertspoonful runny honey or to taste
1 tsp dried or three good sprigs of fresh, basil
1 tsp paprika 
a hearty pinch of cayenne pepper (or red chilli flakes)
100ml of semi skimmed milk
fine grated Parmesan, or Grana Padano or Cheddar cheese, for sprinkling.  (All three work really well).
250-300g pasta (spirali or spaghetti).


Method :

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

In the meantime, heat a large frying pan over high heat. When the pan is hot, reduce the heat to medium, add the bacon and cook until the fat is translucent.

Add the onion and olive oil and sauté until the onion is translucent but not browned, about 4 minutes.

Add the wine and simmer until the alcohol has burned off and the wine has reduced by about half, about 2 1/2 minutes.

Add the tomatoes, purée and basil and bring to a boil, then keep at a lively simmer until the sauce has thickened slightly, about 10 minutes.

Season with salt (being aware of the salt already in the dish from the bacon), honey to taste, paprika and cayenne or chilli flakes.  Stir to combine and allow to simmer for another few minutes.

Once the water boils, add the pasta and cook to the manufacturer's instructions - usually around 7-9 minutes.

While the pasta cooks, remove the sauce from the heat and add the milk which will help to prevent the acidity that often comes with tomato sauces.  Stir it in well and return to a simmer.

Once the pasta is done (with still a little chewiness in it, not completely soft) drain, add to the sauce, and toss until the pasta is well coated.

Divide the pasta among individual bowls. Top each with a sprinkling of cheese and serve.  

Printable version

From the Gurkha section of the British Army Cookbook : Fried Pork Curry with sauce

There now, that's an intriguing title for a blog post!

The lovely Willie turned up at my work the other day, clutching a brown envelope in which was a copy of the Gurkha section of the British Army Cookbook for me.  Now this on it's own would have been interesting enough, but of course, I had to try at least one recipe from it - and if that recipe went off well, maybe more.

I have huge respect for the Gurkhas, having spent time in their vicinity when Dad (who was a Royal Engineer, Warrant Officer Class 1)  - and the whole family - was stationed at the same place as them in the past.  I can always remember feeling very safe when there were Gurkhas around.  My impression of them was that they were incredibly cheerful little chaps who had a fearsome reputation as a Soldier, and an unshakeable moral code.

So that lent a little connection to the recipes I had before me.

The booklet is fascinating and leads me to believe that there is little a Gurkha won't eat, just so long as it is combined with a curry in some form or another.  For example, Liver Curry, Curried tinned vegetables, Omelette with curry and Scrambled Eggs Gurkha style which involves eggs, onions, tomatoes, chillies, mustard leaves, ginger and Garam Masala.
Having eaten the Pork curry we had last night, I can tell you that the Gurkha digestion has to be one of the most impressive out there.

One thing that you quickly come to realise, when reading through the booklet, is that "a curry" is not one thing.  There are as many curries out there as the imagination can rustle up.  It seems to me as though the definition of "a curry" is "a substance that has been cooked in hot (as in chilli-hot) and fragrant spices" and that's about where you have to leave it.

With some of the curries I have cooked in the past, (not all), Hubby's complaint has sometimes been that "it doesn't taste of curry".  With this Gurkha cookbook, this is something that Hubby had to throw over his shoulder and forget about.  Not all curries taste of curry.  Whilst undoubtedly being "a curry", the meal we had last night could in no way be described as "tasting of curry".   In fact, it tasted as though lemon was involved quite heavily - yet there wasn't a lemon in sight.  An education for the tastebuds!


The first challenge I had was to scale down the recipe quantity-wise, as it was in two grades - the first for 10 people, the second for 50.  Well, they ARE feeding an army, when all is said and done.  I mean, how do you scale down a pinch of nutmeg?  So it took some intuitive knowledge of how each ingredient tasted and the effect it was likely to have on the whole.  One big change from the original recipe is that I increased the amount of Garam Masala from 1 tsp (approx) to 3 tsps.  We particularly enjoy the flavour of Garam Masala and I couldn't imagine that the 1 tsp sprinkled over the top (which was what was recommended) was going to do it for us.

Once I'd got into the cooking of it, I can remember thinking to myself how much I enjoy cooking curries.  I think it's the randomness of the result, dependent upon just how much of each spice you use and how you deal with them.  After all, curry spices put "raw" into a stew-like substance will taste totally different to those that have been fried before the wet ingredients are added.  Same ingredients, just a different way of dealing with them that ends in a completely different flavour.  Fascinating stuff.


Oh yes - and I have to make mention of the beautiful pork that I got from Spring Fields butchers.  I asked for their six pork steaks for £2.99 and came away with so much pork that I put two of the steaks in the freezer for another time.  Cut from the loin, they had that stripe of fat along their back, but otherwise were completely lean.  I trimmed the fat off and roasted it, saving the rendered fat for the roast potatoes again and gave the crispy pieces to the dogs, who couldn't stop licking their lips.  Amazing value for an amazing product.


GURKHA FRIED PORK CURRY WITH SAUCE  (feeds 3)


Ingredients :


500g of lean pork, sliced into strips
half a tsp of cayenne pepper
half a tsp of sea salt
4-5 tbsp low fat plain yoghurt

a large thumb-sized piece of ginger, peeled and grated
large knob of butter
5-6 black peppercorns, crushed in a pestle & mortar, or freshly ground
half a tsp of turmeric
2 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped
3 tsp Garam Masala
pinch of ground nutmeg
Water as necessary.


Method :


1.  Place the pork into a large bowl and sprinkle with the cayenne pepper and salt.  Mix to combine.


2.  Add the yoghurt and ginger and mix well to ensure everything is well coated.  Cover and leave to marinade for as long as you've got - to a maximum of 2 hrs.


3.  Pre-heat the oven to 200deg C.  

4.  Melt the knob of butter in a deep frying pan and once it's sizzling, add the pork with all the marinade.  Add the turmeric and black pepper and keep on stirring until it has reached a boil.


5.  Decant into a warmed casserole dish, cover and cook for an hour.


6.  Remove from the oven and add the coriander, then drizzle some 2-300ml of water down the sides of the casserole dish.  Add the Garam Masala and give everything a jolly good stir (and don't panic at the fact that it looks remarkably like pond water).  Replace, uncovered, in the oven for 15 minutes.


7.  You can take two routes with this curry from hereon in.  Either leave it in the oven to reduce, or take it from the oven and pour back into the deep frying pan and boil to reduce, which is what I did.  I think this is the preferred method, as it puts you much more in control of what the sauce looks like, as with judicious stirring, it does improve in texture.  Once the sauce has stopped resembling pond water and started to look like a sauce, you're done.  Add the pinch of nutmeg, give a last stir - taste to check the seasoning and adjust if necessary.


8.  Serve with mushroom rice.


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Lemon Potted Crab

It's been a while since I've made this one, but it is delicious and made a lovely light weekend meal when matched up with some fresh crusty baguette and a leafy mixed salad.  Of course, it has the added bonus of taking around 10 minutes to make - allowing a bit of extra time for the butter to set, naturally.

The crabmeat is always best if you can get fresh - and it is required to be cooked, of course.  Alternatively, if you're out of crab season or just can't get crab for reasons of economics or geography, then do try to get the best quality tinned crab meat you can.  It's worth it!

Photo c/o BBC Good Food : the original source of the recipe

LEMON POTTED CRAB

Ingredients :

400g cooked crabmeat
Large pinch cayenne pepper
Zest and juice of ½ lemon
300g butter
Fresh parsley or celery leaves, to decorate.

Method :

1.  In a bowl, combine crab meat, cayenne, lemon juice and zest, and season well.

2.  Pack into 8 small or 1 large ramekin.

3.  Melt the butter, then pour over until the crab is covered with a thin film. Top with a leaf if you like, then cool in the fridge.

It will keep for up to 2 days in the fridge.  To prevent the butter melting, transport to your picnic in a chiller bag.

I'm seeing a tartan picnic rug, green grass, a bottle of white wine frosted with condensation, sunshine, a few strawberries, a riverbank and a partner who is almost as delicious as the crab .... maybe next summer, eh?  :)