Spaghetti alla Carbonara Makes a Comeback

copyright 2009, Maria Liberati

Spaghetti alla Carbonara has made a comeback in popularity. It was one of the dishes that I had not paid too much attention to. However on a recent visit to Italy many people began asking me about this dish and a few people requested learning the recipe at some of the culinary tours I hosted. I was somewhat perplexed, as if , almost out of nowhere, this recipe was experiencing a renaissance of interest. What was the real reason for this?


The 'rebirth' of the popularity of this dish began happening during and after the Presidential elections. And so was my answer uncovered, the newly elected President Barack Obama, began expressing his fondness for this dish to the media while in Italy.. As proud as the Italians are of any of their dishes, it was an honor for them to know that an American President was so fond of one of their dishes and thence began the rebirth of the popularity of this dish. The media would proclaim that even Barack Obama had a fondness for Italian cuisine, especially one of their traditional dishes.



The origins of this recipe are uncertain. There are 3 main theories, one is that it is called 'carbonara' because it was invented by the 'carbonai' the men who worked with carbone (coal). The other is that this dish was invented by a chef who was part of a group known as the 'carbonari' that is the men who fought in the war against the Austrian occupation of Northern Italy and for Italian independence.



The 3rd appears in 1945, when the American soldiers occupied Rome at the end of the Second World War they would ask for a breakfast of 'eggs, bacon and noodles'. They would be served these items separately on a large plate. For convenience sake they began mixing everything together and unknowingly created this dish.



The 4th theory is that it was invented by Ippolito Cavalcanti of Naples in 1837. He wrote a cookbook and it includes a recipe that is very similar.



One thing remains true, many people are passionate about their Spaghetti alla Carbonara. There are a few minor differences in the recipes that exist. Some prefer to add cream, some prefer no cream, some prefer to add more egg yolks and less egg whites, some prefer smoked bacon to regular bacon, some prefer pecorino-romano cheese,others prefer parmigiano-reggiano cheese.

Either way it joins the ranks of one of Italy's delicious artisan dishes.
Stay tuned for a recipe for this wonderfu ldish in one of ny upcoming blog posts

Mangia bene, Vivi Bene,
Maria

http://twitter.com/Marialiberati

Make Your Own Sushi

By Eliza Chute: blog contributor

This semi-recent Japanese food craze is getting more and more popular as more and more sushi restaurants are popping up all over. More and more people are warming up to the idea of eating raw fish. And why shouldn’t they? It’s tasty. If you haven’t had the privilege of going to a sushi restaurant where you can watch them make the sushi, you maybe haven’t had the chance to look at it and say… “I can do that myself!” Well, you can. It is quite easy, once you get over the idea that you will be handling raw fish. Sushi is pretty good for you considering the main ingredients are raw fish and rice which are low in fat and high in protein, vitamins minerals, but also carbohydrates. And one should always be cautious of eating in addition to the fact that tuna can contain mercury.

There are over 7 types of sushi, some of which are harder to make than others. There’s Nigirizushi, Makizushi, Fotomaki, Temarizushi and a whole slew of others all equally as difficult to pronounce. The most typically made type is hand rolled sushi, which is rolled with a bamboo mat. The key ingredients are nori and rice. The rice is more specifically a sticky-type rice, so that it will stay attached to the nori which is the seaweed wrap in which the sushi is wrapped. You can wrap specifically the fish, which is normally salmon, tuna, yellowtail and eel. Avocado is also commonly used in sushi. The way to make it is to spread the sticky rice on the nori, all on top of the bamboo mat. You can choose to cover one or both sides of the nori, but if you cover only one side then typically the rice goes on the outside which would be on the bottom. Then you can fill it with the fish, some avocado, celery or whatever you choose, get some wasabi ginger and soy sauce and you are good to go.

Celebrity Chef Maria Liberati was busy this weekend on stage at Bally's Casino in Atlantic City.Also there was Emeril,Guy Fieri, Ted Allen, Ingrid Hoffman, Cat Cora. Read about it in her blog at http://www.marialiberati.com/blog2