spaghetti alla carbonara and spring salad

A nice spring weather pasta with a fruit spinach salad tossed in a orange-sherry vinaigrette paired with Laurent Miquel's Nord Sud Viognier (2005).




Spaghetti alla Carbonara
Serves 2

2 tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic, crushed
6 oz pancetta, cut into strips
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup parmigiano reggiano, grated
1/4 cup pecorino romano, grated
2 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 egg
1/2 lb spaghetti, 5 tbsp pasta water reserved
salt and pepper

Heat the olive oil in a skillet on medium-high heat. Add crushed garlic and cook until golden. Remove and discard garlic. Add the pancetta and cook until the edges are crisp. Add the white wine and simmer for about 1-2 minutes. Set aside. In the meantime, cook the spaghetti in salted water until al dente. Drain, reserving some pasta water. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the egg, parsley, and grated cheeses together. While whisking, drizzle in the reserved pasta water slowly into the mixture. Toss in the spaghetti and pancetta mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste.



Spinach Fruit Salad
Serves 2

10 seedless green or red grapes, halved
3 strawberries, halved and sliced
1 quarter of an apple (gala, granny smith), cubed
1 orange
1 blood orange
2 handfuls of baby spinach, rinsed and dried

Vinaigrette

1 tbsp mustard
2 tbsp orange marmalade
2 tbsp sherry vinegar
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper

To prep the oranges, slice the ends off so it stands on the cutting board. Using a sharp knife, cut away the peel including the membrane to expose the flesh. You will see the membrane between each section of the orange; cut as close to the membrane as you can while only cutting out the flesh of the oranges.

Mix all the vinaigrette ingredients in a mixing bowl, except the olive oil. Drizzle in the olive oil slowly as you whisk constantly.