Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true measure of our thanksgiving. — W. T. Purkiser

Did you have a happy Thanksgiving?  I hope you did!

Thanksgiving is not part of Filipino holidays and is not observed in the country, but my hubby and I decided to celebrate this year. After all, we have so much to be grateful for. And since food and eating are a major part of the celebration, we came up with our own simple thanksgiving meal.

It’s been a while since our last pasta night, so there gotta be one on the table. We both decided on Carbonara, an Italian pasta dish based on eggs, pecorino romano or parmesan, bacon and black pepper. It’s something that I always love eating at Italian restaurants but never once tried cooking myself. I finally got my chance! Hubby and I were glad that it turned out great! He loved it so much, he just asked me a while ago if we can have it again.

So here’s the pasta carbonara recipe I got from allrecipes.com.

Ingredients:
1 pound spaghetti
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 slices bacon, diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
4 eggs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 pinch salt and black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook spaghetti pasta until al dente. Drain well. Toss with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and set aside.
2. Meanwhile in a large skillet, cook chopped bacon until slightly crisp; remove and drain onto paper towels. Reserve 2 tablespoons of bacon fat; add remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, and heat in reused large skillet. Add chopped onion, and cook over medium heat until onion is translucent. Add minced garlic, and cook 1 minute more.
3. Return cooked bacon to pan; add cooked and drained spaghetti. Toss to coat and heat through, adding more olive oil if it seems dry or is sticking together. Add beaten eggs and cook, tossing constantly with tongs or large fork until eggs are barely set. Quickly add 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, and toss again. Add salt and pepper to taste (I didn’t add any being a healthy choice but it was still very yummy.)
4. Serve immediately with chopped parsley sprinkled on top, and extra Parmesan cheese at table.

I omitted the wine and next time, I’d probably add more of bacon and olive oil. Then, maybe a dash of pepper. We can really go without salt. Bacon and parmesan are enough to set the flavor. I’ve also read on one of the comments to this recipe that the Italian way to make smooth carbonara sauce is to combine the beaten eggs with the grated parmesan, and then pour the mixture onto the slightly cooled pasta. I will try that as well.

I love this recipe because it does not include cream, unlike typical carbonara dishes I’ve tried in restaurants. I realized I like it better this way than have my spaghetti or fettuccine swimming in white sauce.

I’m also the person who’s usually not into cakes and anything too sweet, but I was craving for some at the time. So after we bought the ingredients for our spaghetti carbonara, hubby and I went to the nearest cake store. We picked dulce de leche from Goldilocks. A thin slice was all I needed to satisfy my appetite.

Images by digipam on Flickr. Some rights reserved.