Exploring the pasta-bilities

I was 12 years old when I was first introduced to pasta. My dad had just been transferred to the US and friends from church would often invite us over to their homes for dinner.

One family, instead of hosting us at home, decided that we could use a change and try something new. We visited a restaurant and I remember thinking how exhaustive of a menu list it had. There was everything from fish and chips, steaks, grilled chicken and of course, pasta.

I didn’t know what many of those items even meant. It was all completely new to me. And I had too much pride to admit that I haven’t ever heard of them before.

So I decided to be the quiet shy child and asked others to order for me.

While everyone else’s plates looked colourful with vegetables and steaks, mine was a heap of what looked like a white mountain with slightly long, soft bricks. Oh, don’t mind me. I didn’t even know what pasta looked like at this point!

In fact, when the waiter asked what kind of pasta I wanted, I just blankly stared. Thankfully, someone on the table spoke up and ordered penne.

So here I am, with my big fat bowl of white sauce pasta. I was too intimidated just by its looks. I was pretty hungry but I was too anxious to devour it.

I remember taking a bite or two of it and thinking how bland it was. I soon decided that I do not like what I ordered and kept looking over to a plate that had calamari and French fries in it.

Again, I was too shy to ask her if I could try some, so I just pretended that I’m not hungry and couldn’t wait to go home.

It took me many years to realise how good pasta is and that there are various kinds of it. The various preparations to make it oh-so-delicious. Now that I look back at how I reacted to my first pasta experience, I wish I was more open-minded and vocal about it.

Nevertheless, thanks to growing up, I am proud to say that most pasta dishes are my go-to food now. I like all sorts of pasta, except the one that’s made using tomato sauce. That’s another story for another time. So here’s to my love (and to many others, I’m assuming), a recipe of Bacon tagliatelle carbonara that you can make at home if you’re not in the mood to order.

Ingredients

Tagliatelle pasta, 400 gm

Bacon, 175 gm

Butter, 75 gm

Egg yolks, 8

Double cream, 6 tbsp

Chilli flakes

Parmesan cheese, 50 gm

Freshly ground black pepper

Coriander leaves or parsley, 10 gm

Method

In a large pot, boil some saltwater for the pasta. Once it’s boiled, add the pasta. It will take about 8-10 minutes for the pasta to cook.

Drain the pasta in cold water and keep aside till needed. Add some oil to it so that the pasta doesn’t stick to each other.

Simultaneously, in another pan, melt the butter and cook the bacon. Cook this over medium heat for a few minutes, until it becomes golden brown.

Take another pan, big enough to hold the pasta and the remaining ingredients. Mix the egg yolks, double cream, Parmesan cheese, black pepper and coriander leaves.

Add the bacon and butter to the pasta and mix well.

Add this mix with the egg mixture. The heat from the pasta and the bacon will cook the eggs.

Sprinkle from chilli flakes as a garnish.

Serve immediately or the egg will curdle and enjoy.