SPAGHETTI CARBONARA

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I found this vintage French copper mold on ebay.  It’s actually one of a trio of molds:

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I’m not sure what you would mold in these — maybe pate or aspic?  Maybe they’re just decorative.  Of the three, the pig with his curly little tail is my favorite, and the inspiration for today’s recipe.

Have you ever wondered why a whole roasted pig is usually served with an apple in its mouth?  One urban myth is that it’s to keep the pig’s mouth open in order to let toxic gasses from the pig’s stomach escape during roasting.  It turns out that it’s purely aesthetic.  Reportedly, as the pig roasts, its jaws tighten into an unsightly grimace, and the apple helps prevent, or at least minimize, that.  It is also believed by some that the tradition, which goes back 800 years, may be symbolic of the pig’s life cycle.  In the fall, pigs were fattened up on apples, and an apple in the pig’s mouth is thought to have been a way to symbolize the life and death cycle.

I’m not a big fan of the whole roast pig with an apple in its mouth thing.  Maybe it’s because my dog Jasper likes to pretend he’s a whole roast pig with an apple in his mouth:

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photo-8 copyYou can put lipstick on a pig . . . .

Not long ago, I came home to discover that my friend had dropped off a bunch of leftovers from a business dinner, including roast pig:

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Although there wasn’t enough for a meal for our family, there was plenty to use in Spaghetti Carbonara.  The recipe is adapted from one from Martha Stewart, and although most traditional recipes call for pancetta, you can use any smoked pork product — bacon, Canadian bacon, prosciutto, roast pig — and it will be just as good.  Martha’s calls for half a cup of half and half, but do yourself a favor and just use 2 tablespoons — you’ll still get the desired taste and effect.

The kids were so happy to have this rich dish for dinner that I earned a “thanks for making dinner, Mom.”  They literally pigged out on it.  Were they happy enough to help with the dishes?  Yeah, right, when pigs fly!

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SPAGHETTI CARBONARA
Author: 
Recipe type: Pasta
 
Ingredients
  • 1 pound spaghetti
  • 3 eggs
  • ¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving
  • 2 tablespoons half and half
  • ⅓ cup minced roast pig (can substitute bacon, ham, etc.)
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add spaghetti and cook according to package instructions until al dente.
  2. While pasta is cooking, whisk together eggs, Parmesan cheese, and half and half in a medium bowl.
  3. Drain pasta and transfer to large bowl, Immediately add egg mixture to hot pasta and toss to combine (the heat from the pasta will cook the eggs). Add roast pig, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with additional Parmesan cheese, as desired, and serve immediately.

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Kids were happy as pigs in mud eating Spaghetti Carbonara!

BANANA MACADAMIA BREAD

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I found these colorful vintage clickers on ebay.  Clickers, according to Wikipedia, consist of a thin piece of metal or plastic “held in a casing so that the metal is slightly torqued; depressing one end of the metal causes it to pop out of alignment and releasing it causes it to pop back into alignment, each time making a sharp click” — kind of like TMJ.  During WWII, clickers known as Airborne Crickets, were used by paratroopers of the 101st Airborne to covertly distinguish between friend and foe during the invasion of Normandy.  Soldiers would click their cricket once, and receiving two clicks in return signaled friendly troops.

Clickers should not be confused with Clackers, the deadly toy popular in the 1960s and 1970s.

Clackers

Clackers

According to Wikipedia, “Clackers were discontinued when reports came out of children becoming injured while playing with them. Fairly heavy and fast-moving, and made of hard acrylic plastic, the balls would occasionally shatter upon striking each other.”  Well, duh.

As toys, clickers are cheery and fun — for about a minute.  After that, the sound and the child become really annoying.  If you ever find yourself with one of those guests who doesn’t know when to go home, just sit a kid next to them with a clicker or two and see how long it takes for them to hightail it out of there.

Of the three clickers, the monkey is my favorite, and the inspiration for today’s recipe.  Did you ever sing the “monkey see, monkey do” song with your kids?  It went like this:

musical notes

When you clap clap clap your hands,

The monkey clap clap claps his hands

Monkey see, monkey do,

Monkey does the same as you.

The song is repeated with other actions such as stamp your feet, turn around, and jump up high, until you can stand it no longer, which happens pretty quickly.  I think the person who wrote the lyrics, however, probably never saw a monkey at the zoo, for if he had, the refrain would probably be something more like the one I used to sing with the kids:

musical notes

Monkey see, monkey do,

Monkey flings his poo at you.

Another version, popularized by Michael Scott on The Office, ends with “Monkey pees all over you.”  Keepin’ it real.

Monkeys like bananas, right?  I like bananas too, but they tend to blacken faster than we eat them.  Whenever I have blackened bananas I think, “Oh, cool, I’ll make banana bread,” and then I never get around to it and soon the fruit flies appear.  Gross.  Remember ant farms, the gift you hoped your kids would never receive?  I think this year I’ll slip a “fruit fly farm” in the kids’ stockings — they’ll be so excited!

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Do it yourself “fruit fly farm”

Inspired by the monkey clicker, and the blackening bananas in my fruit bowl, I finally made  Banana Macadamia Bread.  The recipe is adapted from one I originally saw on Essence of Emeril, back before he “bammed” his way to celebrity chef status.  Judging from the number of 4-star reviews the original recipe received, I’m not the only one who loves it.  You can alter the amount of bananas and nuts, but I highly recommend using butter instead of shortening for a truly delicious bread.

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BANANA MACADAMIA BREAD
Author: 
Recipe type: Breads and Muffins
 
Ingredients
  • ½ cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup mashed ripe bananas (approximately 3 small bananas)
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1-1/2 cups flour
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • ½ cup chopped macadamia nuts
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x5x3-inch loaf pan with cooking spray.
  2. Place butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl, and using an electric mixer, beat until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Beat in the bananas. Add the baking soda, salt, flour, and cinnamon, and mix thoroughly. Stir in macadamia nuts.
  3. Pour the dough into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake until top is browned and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, approximately 1 hour. Allow to cool in pan before removing. To remove, place a plate over pan, invert and gently remove pan.

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Ready for the oven 

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 Cooling before being removed from the pan

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 Filling the house with its wonderful aroma

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 Monkey see, monkey do

Monkey eats banana bread with you.