Meal for one

My father bought two packets of smoked honey bacon strips on sale and gave me one packet. I bought oregano and fettuccine as they were on sale but the price is still high at $1.00 more than when they are not on sale. I had not bought nor cooked any pasta due to the price hike. Craving for it so I forgo vegetables and eggs as it’s not on sale and expensive.

Perhaps it’s time to lose weight but certainly not be skeleton. I am also rationing my 500 g fettuccine to last me at least three weeks. Guess my green would be oregano. I couldn’t decide what to call my sauce? I was told “Alfredo sauce is an Italian-American pasta sauce that typically includes parmesan cheese, heavy cream, and butter. It is traditionally served with fettuccine pasta.”

Google: “Fettuccine is a type of pasta popular in Roman and Tuscan cuisine. It is descended from the extremely thin capelli d’angelo of the Renaissance but is a flat, thick pasta traditionally made of egg and flour. The difference between an Alfredo and a Carbonara: Alfredo is basic – pasta, cream, parmesan, parsley. Carbonara is a little more complicated – pasta, onion, pancetta, garlic, egg yolks, cream, parmesan, parsley.”

Well, I have added onion powder, garlic powder, butter, flavoured bacon, parmesan pecorino cheese, skim milk and water, Italian seasoning, oregano, must have chili flakes and no egg to my fettuccine. So, I am calling my sauce carbonara. My luxury meal is creamy, flavourful, oregano colour really brightens it up and of course delicious. Let’s cook, taste and see for yourself!!!!

Ingredients

80 g fettuccine
1 strip of smoked honey bacon, cut to small bite
1 Tbs butter
1 Tbs olive oil
1 Tsp onion powder
1 Tsp garlic powder
1 Tsp Italian seasoning (OPT)
1/2 c skim milk
1/4 c pasta water
grated parmesan pecorino

Garnish

7 oregano leaves
chili flakes (OPT)

Method

Bring a pot of water to boil, add 1 salt to the pot and the pasta. Cook according to packet instructions; al dente. Reserve 1/4 c of pasta water, then drain the pasta and set aside. Meanwhile, heat oil and butter in a saucepan on medium heat.  Add onion powder, bacon and garlic powder to saucepan and cook, stirring, for 3-5 minutes or until the bacon is cooked crispy.

Reduce heat to low, then add milk and pasta water and cooked fettuccine; cut into bite size (OPT) and cook, stirring regularly, until liquid has reduced into a thick creamy sauce. Remove saucepan from heat and add grated cheese, mix well into fettuccine. Serve immediately with oregano leaves and a must have chili flakes. Enjoy it with a glass of white wine!!!!

Note: Creamy carbonara is best served immediately – hot and saucy! You can use spaghetti, or penne instead of fettuccine if you like. Use freshly grated parmesan cheese. Feel free to use pancetta or even guanciale instead of bacon. You can increase this recipe to feed a crowd. You can add parsley, egg yolks, or cream: heavy cream or thickened cream. You may use full cream milk instead of skim as I have intolerance to full cream milk.

https://helenscchin.com/2023/04/05/fettuccine-bacon-carbonara-with-oregano/

#helenscchinrecipes
#pastalovers
#mainmeals
#cookingforthefun
#foodiesplus