Spaghetti Incident
2245hrs: I spent the evening attempting to cook carbonara spaghetti for dinner. I put on some smooth jazz tunes to the sound of Astrud Gilberto, Michael Buble and Diana Krall to set the mood.
A friend suggested I use those ready-made sauces available at supermarkets. No, I wanted the REAL carbonara where you DIY the sauce. I followed the cookbook instructions to a tee. But alas my first stumbling baby steps towards independent cooking was humbled by my inexperience. The end result wasn't entirely bad. Just that the egg in the sauce was attempting to be breakfast scrambled eggs and it half succeeded. I suspect I was a little too stingy with the cream. I was surprised to find the carbonara sauce a pale yellow rather than the creamy white usually seen in restaurants. I suspect the cookbook recipe missed out on adding milk.
I know the presentation needs work. Hmm...come to think of it, it does look a little like Hokkien Mee doesn't it?
The spaghetti itself was a success. It was a perfect al dente pasta. The expression al dente in Italian refers to the correct cooking point of pasta. Literally it means, "when it is right for the tooth," that is, soft but firm, and never overcooked. And I managed it. Constant sampling during the boiling process guaranteed the right consistency. I'm quite proud about the spaghetti. Mostly cause I was flying blind. You'd think that a pasta cookbook would enlighten you on cooking pasta. But apparently the one I referred to assumes you've got that covered. I used gut feel for the amount of salt to put in the water. Fine, cooking spaghetti itself wasn't too challenging. But bare in mind before this all I could cook was instant noodles.
Now, the verdict. Would I feed my friends what I've cooked today? Yes, because other than for the egg becoming chunky, it tasted alright. But the perfectionist in me wants it done proper. I shall make another attempt tomorrow. A little more cream, a little milk, more mixing and some green onions and it'll be perfect. I've still yet to try the bolognaise though. But I will.
I kinda enjoyed cooking my own dinner @ 2315hrs
A friend suggested I use those ready-made sauces available at supermarkets. No, I wanted the REAL carbonara where you DIY the sauce. I followed the cookbook instructions to a tee. But alas my first stumbling baby steps towards independent cooking was humbled by my inexperience. The end result wasn't entirely bad. Just that the egg in the sauce was attempting to be breakfast scrambled eggs and it half succeeded. I suspect I was a little too stingy with the cream. I was surprised to find the carbonara sauce a pale yellow rather than the creamy white usually seen in restaurants. I suspect the cookbook recipe missed out on adding milk.
I know the presentation needs work. Hmm...come to think of it, it does look a little like Hokkien Mee doesn't it?
The spaghetti itself was a success. It was a perfect al dente pasta. The expression al dente in Italian refers to the correct cooking point of pasta. Literally it means, "when it is right for the tooth," that is, soft but firm, and never overcooked. And I managed it. Constant sampling during the boiling process guaranteed the right consistency. I'm quite proud about the spaghetti. Mostly cause I was flying blind. You'd think that a pasta cookbook would enlighten you on cooking pasta. But apparently the one I referred to assumes you've got that covered. I used gut feel for the amount of salt to put in the water. Fine, cooking spaghetti itself wasn't too challenging. But bare in mind before this all I could cook was instant noodles.
Now, the verdict. Would I feed my friends what I've cooked today? Yes, because other than for the egg becoming chunky, it tasted alright. But the perfectionist in me wants it done proper. I shall make another attempt tomorrow. A little more cream, a little milk, more mixing and some green onions and it'll be perfect. I've still yet to try the bolognaise though. But I will.
I kinda enjoyed cooking my own dinner @ 2315hrs
posted by Ben at 11:15 PM
1 Comments:
look really good!
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