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Amazing Spaghetti Carbonara!

Spike

pfm Member
Over the years I’ve cured my own meats including bacon, pancetta, bresaola and more recently Guanciale (pigs cheek). I dry cured my pigs cheeks for a week with curing salt and fresh rosemary, oragano, thyme, juniper. Washed in wine and then hung in my shed until they lost 35% of their mass. Used the smaller one today to make a very simple but authentic carbonara: guanciale, eggs, pecorino, pepper and spaghetti. If I say so my self it was amazing!
If your interested in trying to cure your own it really is simple. The bacon I do is way better than anything I can buy, including from my butcher who cures his own. So far I’ve only done belly pork to make streaky. Fried slowly from a cold start produced the ultimate bacon.
Now got 2.5kg curing! They also make amazing lardons.
 
Great thread Spike . Also it’s interesting how much carbonara has moved away from the original basic recipe.
Your detailed curing process/recipe would be most welcome.
 
I’ve used Prague number 1 & 2. However, these days I tend to use this ready mixed instacure:
https://www.homecuring.co.uk/collec...s/products/organic-bacon-and-ham-dry-cure-mix
they also send you out a nice recipe book explaining how to.
In essence 35g per kilo in a ziplock bag. Leave in fridge for 2 days per inch plus two days. Massage each day. For bacon I add some maple syrup. Fir guanciale I add the herbs mentioned above. The bacon is then rinsed in cold water. I cut using a very sharp carving knife relatively thin. The guanciale I rinse in wine pat dry and hang in my shed. Weighing to check 35% weight loss. First time I was nervous. Three developed the white mould which enhances the taste and one developed and additional slight green mould. On advice I was told this is also fine. However, I did wash down with vinegar. It was eaten with no problems. I don’t even bother now. You can dip in a potassium sorbate solution which prevents all mould from growing. I’ve never bothered.
 
It’s quicker with fish! I brine herring or Mackerel fillets for 24hrs then into a spiced pickling solution. Ready in a couple of days and best eaten within a month….
Excellent chopped and stirred through carbonata or a leafy salad.
 
I can't for the life of me imagine what spaghetti carbonara made with pickled herring or mackerel would taste like :-(

Possibly okay. Anyway it’s Carbonata not carbonara: a different base entirely. Mind you this is from a member that likes jellied eels….
 
Caponata is a Sicilian dish consisting of chopped fried aubergine and other vegetables, seasoned with olive oil, tomato sauce, celery, olives, and capers, in an agrodolce sauce. Numerous local variants exist concerning the ingredients, by adding carrots, bell peppers, potatoes, pine nuts, and raisins. Wikipedia

Yer no foodie yer heathen!
 
I’ve had carbonata, but never with pickled herring running through. Interesting. But maybe not for me.
 
i thought Carbonata was an Italian beef in red wine stew?

Caponata is a lovely aubergine and tomato based stew.

Carbonara is what this thread is about
 
Am doing finely chopped celery carrots garlic thick bacon bits minced beef red green yellow peppers chopped in a passata sauce simmered for about 90 mins and hoping there's enough room in the freezer for it all after the first trough full.
 


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