The Italian Link to Carbon(ara) County.

When making new adventure discoveries, whether in food, travel or both combined, I try to find a direct link to a name.  Take, for example, the April 25, 2018 article on “Spaghetti alla Puttanesca and Lone Rock in the Kane Creek Canyon Rim”; Lone Rock aka Prostitute Butte, and puttanesca loosely translates to prostitute, so…

In my curiosity, I wanted to know if the influx of Italian immigrants, into Utah (1850s to 1880s, the first wave), influenced the naming of any rock formations, arches, or other natural landscapes.  That is a “no” except for a mention of Termeno, a town in Italy's South Tyrol region, in the archives of the Utah Geological Survey (Geologic Hazards Information page).  It is included due to a massive rock landslide that occurred in the town, and the hazards page supplementing the dangers of rock landslides.

Now, why did so many immigrants come to Utah at that time? They consisted mainly of Mormon converts, with some families arriving from Turin in the 1850s. These early settlers were attracted to Utah by the promise of religious freedom and the opportunity to build a new life within the Mormon community.

Ah, now comes the second wave of immigrants, and they meant business; business employment and development that is.  Italian immigrants arrived in Utah between the 1890s to 1920s, drawn by the expanding mining and railroad industries. They mainly came from both northern and southern regions of Italy, including Piedmont, Veneto (Tyroleans), Abruzzi, Lazio (Romans), Calabria, and Sicilia. Primarily, the most settled areas were in Carbon, Salt Lake, Tooele, and Weber counties, working in mines and on railroads.

Carbon County was so named, in 1894, due to the rich deposits of carbon, and coal mining became a huge boon to the area.   …and now comes the link to an Italian recipe, Pasta Carbonara.  No, no, this dish was not created in Carbon County, but it certainly was introduced, along with Italian cuisine in general. 

Carbonara is associated with Rome and the Lazio region (immigrants to Utah came from here), but, as with so many Italian recipes, who did it first is debatable. It is more often connected to “pasta cacio e uova”, a Neapolitan dish of pasta tossed with melted lard, beaten raw eggs, and cheese, as written in Ippolito Cavalcanti's 1839 Neapolitan cookbook.  In Italian, "carbonara" has no direct literal translation, and only refers to the pasta dish, “Spaghetti alla Carbonara”.  Traditionally it is made with eggs, hard cheese (Pecorino Romano), cured pork (pancetta or guanciale), and ground black pepper. The name is linked to the Italian word "carbone" (coal) and refers to the coal miners who enjoyed the dish and/or the black pepper that resembles coal dust.  Pancetta is the preferred product to use; an Italian cured pork belly, similar to bacon, but not smoked. It's made by salting and seasoning the pork belly with spices like pepper, fennel, and nutmeg, then curing it for several weeks.

Pancetta - Slab, Round, Diced, Pan Fried

 

Around 1945, carbonara began getting noticed in the United States, as American soldiers returned from Italy, and were craving this dish.  Also, more Italian immigrants, many being ex-POWs, followed our boys home, hoping for a better life than what WW2 had inflicted on them.

Carbonara can be eaten as is, or another, lighter in taste, protein can be added. In our household, it is primarily seafood served as a “topping”, but chicken (seared or grilled) will work perfectly.  A red meat can be too overwhelming in taste, and the flavor of the pancetta will get lost.  With seafood and chicken, the pancetta enhances each other, so you can taste each working together, yet full flavor of each separately.

 

Pasta Carbonara with Shrimp

 

 

Here is my recipe for carbonara, and for searing seafood to accompany it.  Yes, frozen seafood can be used, but make sure to thaw before using.  If you cannot find scallops, or do not like them, definitely substitute shrimp.  Don’t like seafood, then use chicken; whatever your desire, make it your own. Can you add vegetables?  Sure, but do not make it too complicated.  A one quarter cup of diced onions and bell peppers, mixed together, is a nice, mild touch; add them into the final 10 minutes of cooking.

 

 

 

 

 

Pasta Carbonara

 Ingredients:

 2 Tbsp. butter

½ lb. diced pancetta (prosciutto, or unsmoked, thick bacon can be substituted)  

1 lb. strand pasta (thin spaghetti or angel hair are the best to use)

3 large eggs

½ cup. grated Pecorino Romano (Parmesan cheese can be substituted)

½ tsp. ground nutmeg

¼. tsp each salt and ground black pepper

2 Tbsp. diced fresh parsley

Preparation:

In a large skillet, medium heat, melt butter; add in pancetta (bacon) and cook till crisp; do NOT drain the fat.  At the same time, cook pasta according to package direction, but until just under al dente (I call it the “gummy” stage).

In a small bowl, beat together the eggs, cheese, nutmeg, salt and pepper.  Drain pasta and add to skillet; reduce heat to low.  Add in mixture from small bowl and mix thoroughly with pasta and crispy pancetta; cover and let cook for 10 minutes to make sure all is heated thoroughly, and the pasta becomes perfect.

Serve with sprinkled parsley over top.

Makes 4 servings.

 

Pasta Carbonara with Seared Salmon and Scallops

Seared Salmon and Scallops

 Ingredients:

 4 – ¼ lb. salmon filets (skin and pin bones removed)

12 large scallops

1 Tbsp. each sea salt, ground black pepper and paprika mixed together

4 Tbsp. olive oil (Option – substitute bacon fat for olive oil)

3 Tbsp. lemon juice

Preparation:

Season the salmon and scallops with the seasoning mixture.

In a large skillet, heat the oil on medium-high heat; place in salmon and cook each side for 4 minutes.  Remove to plate.  Next, cook scallops in same skillet; 2 minutes per side; remove.

Add lemon juice to skillet, mix with oil and scrape up any bits stuck to pan.  Pour liquid over the salmon and scallops.

Makes 4 servings of each seafood.

Mary Cokenour 

Ramen Noodles Can Make a Meal.

Ramen noodles are more than just a soup; they are versatile enough to help create a hearty meal for the family.  This is especially true when it's a spur of the moment meal, or you're just entirely clueless as to what to cook that day.  Rummaging around the pantry and refrigerator completes two tasks; you find items to make a meal with, and you find items that should have been tossed ages ago.

In this recipe, I had two portions of seared chicken breasts already staring at me from the fridge.  I knew vegetables had to be included in the meal, so thank the gods that I always keep a stash of frozen veggies...sugar snap peas and baby carrots were my pick this time.  We have a storage draw full of Ramen Noodles - beef, shrimp, chicken, roasted chicken, vegetable; if I only use the noodles, the seasoning packets are saved for other uses.  For an Asian twist, soy sauce does the job well; light soy sauce is lower in sodium too.

5 Ingredient Ramen Noodle Fix

Ingredients:

1 (8 oz.) package frozen baby carrots

2 (3 oz.) packages chicken flavored Ramen Noodles
2 cups cubed, cooked chicken breast
1 (8 oz.) package frozen sugar snap peas, defrosted
3 Tbsp. soy sauce

Preparation:

Place carrots in microwave safe container with 2 tablespoons water; cover and heat for 4 minutes.  Prepare Ramen Noodles per package directions, saving seasoning packets for later use; drain noodles. 

In a large skillet, on medium heat, add carrots, drained noodles, contents of seasoning packets, snap peas and soy sauce; mix thoroughly.  Let cook for 5 minutes, mix to keep items from sticking; cook additional 5 minutes.

Makes six servings.

 

Mary Cokenour

Simple Chicken and Rice, but it's Not Average.

For about a 24 hour period, our little town didn't have any natural gas; human error had caused the lines to depressurize which meant no heat or hot water for many residents. It also meant no using the gas stove which meant no cooking up anything fresh for meals, except via the microwave. Yeah, that wasn't happening. Luckily the gas was back on before I went to work, and as soon as I came home I went to work on a very simple, comforting and delicious chicken dinner.  I call it "Simply Seared Chicken" due to that being the main method of cooking, searing; the side dish is "Risi e Bisi" or "Rice and Peas".  The side dish is a risotto which originated in Venice and goes very well with poultry or the other white meat, pork.

Now when picking out your chicken, I like using plump, boneless, skinless chicken breasts; however, they take a little longer to cook because of the thickness and usually need to be finished off in the oven.  Keeping them searing in the skillet is not a good idea for while they will finish cooking completely, the seasonings will end up burning.  A thinner cutlet can be used, or pound out the chicken breasts if you do not want to use the oven to complete the cooking.  Personally, once I cut into that thick section of chicken breast, the juices begin flowing out, mixing with the seasonings and olive oil; there is no need for any sauces or gravies!

 

Simply Seared Chicken

 

 

Ingredients:

 

1 tsp each of medium sea salt, paprika and garlic powder

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

3 Tbsp olive oil

 

Preparation:

 

 

 

 

 

Mix together the seasonings and sprinkle on both sides of chicken.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Heat the olive oil in a 12 inch skillet on medium-high heat; as it just begins to sizzle, add the chicken (skin side down) into the pan.  All four pieces will fit with a slight space in between each.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sear the chicken for five minutes, turn over and sear the other side for another five minutes. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Test the doneness by slicing open the thickest part of the breast.  If it is still undercooked, place the chicken into a baking pan and finish off cooking in a 350F oven for three to five minutes.

 

 

 

The Risi e Bisi can be cooking at the same time you are preparing the chicken; a main and side dish done at the same time!

 

Risi e Bisi (rice and peas)

 

1 Tbsp olive oil

2 Tbsp butter

1 Tbsp minced garlic

1 cup Arborio rice

4 cups warmed chicken stock

1 cup frozen peas, defrosted and warmed

3 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

 

Preparation:

 

In a deep, large skillet, medium-heat, melt the butter with the olive oil; add the rice and toast it for two minutes; add the garlic and mix thoroughly.  Add 1 and 1/2 cups of stock, bring to a low boil (just beginning to bubble); stir until the liquid is fully absorbed into the rice.  Continue adding in half cups of stock, letting it be fully absorbed by the rice before adding more; stir constantly.  The rice should be al dente within 20 minutes at which time the peas and cheese can be added and mixed in.

 

Both the chicken and side dish recipes are for four servings.  Simple, easy, comforting and very delicious; how can you go wrong!?!

 

Mary Cokenour

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Bring out the best in frozen seafood.

On Jan 29, 2011, I wrote about how getting fresh fish in a landlocked state forced one to be creative with frozen fish. It's not just about how to cook the seafood itself, but what can be served as a side.  Most folks, even restaurants, go the easiest route and serve a steamed to death vegetable medley.  Personally, I rather have just the seafood and a good salad as a side dish; limp, overcooked veggies just don't have a big appeal for me.

Oh, but that's just too easy; and I have always wanted to attempt an Italian dish called Carbonara which basically consists of bacon (or pancetta is you can find it), eggs, butter and cheeses.  What, no sauce!?!  Hey, it's got bacon in it; and everything tastes good with bacon.

I happen to have some frozen scallops and salmon in the freezer, so defrosted them; gave them a good sear and served the Carbonara on the side...it was so good!  Not complicated and comforting; just like it should be.  Enjoy!

Pasta Carbonara

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp butter

1/2 cup chopped pancetta (if not available, use unflavored smoked bacon)

1 lb strand pasta (fettuccine, linguine or spaghetti)

3 large eggs

¼ cup each grated Pecorino Romano and shredded Parmesan cheese

½ tsp ground nutmeg

¼ tsp each salt and ground black pepper

2 Tbsp diced fresh parsley

Preparation:

In a large skillet, medium heat, melt butter; add in pancetta (bacon) and cook till crisp.  At the same time, cook pasta according to package direction, but until just under al dente.

In a small bowl, beat together the eggs, cheeses, nutmeg, salt and pepper.  Drain pasta and add to skillet; reduce heat to low.  Add in mixture from small bowl and mix thoroughly with pasta and the bacon; let cook for 7 minutes to make sure all is heated through.

Serve with sprinkled parsley over top.

Makes 4 servings.

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Seared Salmon and Scallops

Ingredients:

4 – ¼ lb salmon filets (skin and pin bones removed)

12 large scallops

1 Tbsp each sea salt, ground black pepper and paprika mixed together

4 Tbsp olive oil (Option – substitute bacon fat instead of oil)

3 Tbsp lemon juice

Preparation:

Season the salmon and scallops with the seasoning mixture.

In a large skillet, heat the oil on medium-high heat; place in salmon and cook each side for 4 minutes.  Remove to plate.  Next, cook scallops in same skillet; 2 minutes per side; remove.

Add lemon juice to skillet, mix with oil and scrape up any bits stuck to pan.  Pour liquid over the salmon and scallops.

Makes 4 servings of each seafood.

Mary Cokenour