Spicy Chicory (Endive), Bacon and Egg Pasta

And many other things! Seriously, I’m proud of this recipe for a simple reason: it is our 1^st original (I hope, the internet is big and I’m too lazy to search it all) pasta recipe, and we love pasta. So let me get cracking. 

For our home made spaghetti (3 portions), we used 

2 chicories, 

250 grams of smoked bacon, 

2 eggs, 

4-5 medium hot chillies, 

3 garlic cloves, 

3-4 peaches, 

parsley, 

salt & pepper, 

olive oil, 

parmesan.

This needs a couple of things to be done at the same time, but you can always cook those ingredients in advance (like 30 minutes or an hour, not the day before). So, start of by frying the bacon cut into cubes for 5 minutes, then add the chicories (slice them however you want, but remove the middle, I, at least, found it too bitter for my liking) and sliced garlic. Cook for another 4 minutes.

. Remember when I said that you can have things cooked in advance? Well, for the chillies, you need to roast them and you can do that in advance. After you remove their burned skin, remove the seeds if they are too hot and cut the roasted chilies into strips. Also, the peaches need to be grilles, so cut them in halves and then into 3 each half and grill them on an ultra hot grill for 2 minutes on each side. The fruits will get some very nice grill marks and, because of their sweetness and delicate flavor, will balance with the bitter taste of the chicory. Make sure the fruits aren’t all that mushy, keep them firm.

So, mix the bacon, chicory, garlic, chili, peaches, salt, pepper on the fire for another minute. Add the pasta, cooked al dente, about 50 ml of the pasta cooking water. Meanwhile, poach the eggs and have them ready to be placed on top of the plated pasta, after you’ve sprinkled some parmesan, olive oil and parsley on them. The idea behind this is that the soft yolk will also serve as a sauce that binds the spaghetti together.

So, there you have it, my 1^st try at a recipe and, I have to say, it couldn’t have been anything else except pasta. The result was an interesting dish, with flavors that combined pretty nicely. I guess you can add or remove things from this, but, overall, we were happy with the outcome.

Have a great day,

Recap: 3 Pasta Dishes (Budget Friendly and Time Saving)

If you are looking for a dish that is really affordable and that can be done in under 30 minutes, we've rounded up 3 of our favourite pasta recipes that anybody can prepare and it won't leave a huge hole in your pocket.

1.  Farfalle with Bacon, Peas and Ricotta
2.  Spaghetti al Pomodoro e Basilico 
3.  Spaghetti Indiavolati

Express Post: Garlic and Thyme Bread

Ok, some maybe some of you read one of our most recent posts and saw a crispy looking bread behind that mouthwatering fish stew. 

So, as to have the complete picture, we decided to bring the bread also in the spotlight, it most certainly deserves it. We saw this being made by Jaime Oliver and, despite not being more than some glorified bread, it really went well with the stew.

So just grab a ciabatta or another type of medium-density bread and make cuts along the length and width of the loaf, so that you create some sort of cubes. Be careful not to cut all the way through. Stuff sliced or crushed garlic and fresh thyme leaves (even better, flowers) in the created spaces.

Sprinkle a generous amount of olive oil on top and pop it in the preheated oven (“full whack” as Jamie would say) for around 10 minutes. We went for a crispy outcome, you can always reduce your cooking time. So there you have it, garlic and thyme bread, easy mode, super tasty and with many more possibilities of adding flavors like rosemary, sundried tomatoes, zucchini or just herbed oil.

Enjoy,
Mr. G. 

Mrs.G. Mixes (1): Vodka Soda with Grapefruit

We posted a photo on Instagram, announcing this post, basically a drink post, so here it is.
For the first alcohol cocktail presented on this  blog, we tried to keep things simple and show a easy peasy one, that would actually go perfect with  our passion for Italian food, proven numerous times on youvegotmeal blog.

This drink is awesome because it has no sugar added, so you won't wake up with a headache the next morning, is really simple so it is most likely all of your guest will enjoy and it does not require special bartending skills.

In a glass with ice cubes pour around 50 ml vodka, then add sparkling water until you fill the glass. San Pellegrino would work great, I couldn't find it simple, without flavours and I couldn't resist this limited edition Perrier by Andy Warhol. Of course you can use any sparkling water, don't judge my snobbish moment, we all have those.

After you added the water, add a splash of grapefruit juice, just a splash, don't make it all about the grapefruit. Garnish the glass with a generous piese of mint and you're done.

I find the mint extremely important in this drink, it adds freshness and makes it more suitable for summer and for light meals. You have to try it!

Cheers,
Mrs. G.