Carbonara

How would you define the creamy taste of a Carbonara? It's somewhat similar to cooking a traditional Spaghetti but it only differs with the sauce and the toppings. Carbonara consists of white sauce cooked together with mushrooms, cheese and bacon bits. This dish is usually served at some local cafeteria with different ways of preparing the white sauce. But what makes a special Carbonara is the simplicity of cooking it with just cream and milk. We'll show you how to prepare it. Here it is.

Ingredients:

1/2 kl Spaghetti Pasta

1/4 kl Bacon, cooked and sliced into small bites

3/4 c canned button mushrooms

1 tetra Pack All Purpose Cream

1 small can Evaporated milk

2 tbsp butter

1/2 c grated cheese

salt and pepper to taste

chopped Parsley for garnish (optional)

Procedure:

1. Cook the Pasta until Al Dente. (see our Food tips).

2. Meanwhile, in a skillet over low heat melt the butter and saute the mushrooms for 4 to 5 minutes until lightly browned. Don't overcrowd the mushrooms in the pan as this causes the mushrooms to water out. Add the All Purpose Cream and Evaporated milk. Give it a good stir until creamy.

3. Add the cooked bacon bits. Simmer for 5 minutes.

4. Add the grated cheese, mix well together with the salt and pepper for some added taste. 

5. Stir well until done and pour the sauce into the Pasta, mix and garnish with some chopped Parsley. Or just arrange the pasta on a platter and top it with the sauce and chopped Parsley. Take your camera. Click. Post. Eat. Enjoy!

Black Rice

In the Philippines, rice is recognized as the main staple food by Filipinos making the processed white rice as the main choice of many. However these days more and more Filipinos are now cutting the amount of rice they consumed for the aim of a more healthy diet. Switching to other types of rice such as the Black rice can give you more nutritional benefits aside from the fact that its low in fat and calories. Black rice has a higher content of Iron compared to brown rice. It's also rich in fiber, B Vitamins, Protein and Antioxidants which the processed white rice are lacking from those nutrients. Black rice has also a range of types. The photo shown above is a Thai Glutinous Black rice. My mother told me this is suitable to prepare a Filipino chocolate porridge or what we locally called as "Champorado." Another variety of Black Rice are from Indonesia and in China where Black rice is more darker in color.