Friday 11 May 2012

Favourite Italian dish - Spag Carb!

Whenever I eat out at an Italian restaurant, I always choose the same meal for my main couse - Spaghetti Carbonara.  This is my all-time favourite Italian dish; even second to a good tiramisu!

The abbreviated form of Spaghetti Carbonara comes from a past job working for a blue-chip company who produced a large range of ready meals for the supermarket sector.  Hence, Spaghetti Carbonara becomes Spag Carb, Ham & Mushroom Tagliatelle become Ham Mush Tag and Beef Lasagne becomes Meat Las.  And of course, the old favourite which everyone knows Spag Bol!

Living where I do, there's not much choice for eating out - but whenever we go to a "big town" we can never decide where or what to eat becuase there's too much choice!

Whilst doing my weekly shop, I spotted a Colman's Carbonara Pasta Recipe Mix.  I have used Colman's sauce mixes before but never tried this one - so tonight I did!  I have tried to make a carbonara at home before with various other sauce mixes and also from scratch but I have never got it quite right.  This one however, was very easy to follow and is the best tasting that I have tried from the sauce mix ranges that are out there in the consumer world.  The fresh ingredients are all things that most of us would have in our cupboards anyway and so this really is a quick and easy tea.

My son loved it and asked for seconds; which the pack generously allowed.  It serves 4 and quite rightly it served 2 adults and 2 children with a bit left over for anyone who is extra hungry!

To add a cake to the menu today, I made some banana muffins - super simple to make and quick to cook.  They are best eaten warm as a breakfast muffin but I think they fit into any part of your day when you need a quick energy boost with a healthy(ish) cake!

You can find the recipe here - it's a recipe from "BBC Saturday Kitchen" which I love to watch whenever I have a spare Saturday morning!  It's a really simple recipe - mix all the wet ingredients together in one bowl, sift all the dry ingredients into another bowl; add the wet ingredients to a well in the centre of the "dry" bowl.  Mix gently and bake in muffin cases for about 20-25 mins at Gas Mark 5.  Job done!  The only comment to add is that I got 12 muffins instead of the stated 10 muffins - but this can only be a good thing!  My neighbour thought so anyway as she had the spare 2 to sample!

Anyway, here's a picture for you - they don't look very spectacular but taste lovely!




3 comments:

  1. They were absolutely delicious (and I don't even like bananas) Slightly crispy on the outside and very light and fluffy on the inside - thank you

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    1. Glad you enjoyed them! Will make them again as they are so easy - some with honey & walnuts but some "banoffee" ones with toffee chunks in too :)

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  2. These look and sound really nice, especially the other ideas as well. My muffins always turn out soggy so I might have a go at these and see what happens!!!!

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