Mushroom Carbonara and... Cat Chase pt 2

Well, it’s been over 6 months since I got an iPad ™. And while I probably don’t use it as much as I could, it’s still been an invaluable tool, toy and time-waster. I wonder if it’s because we’re in that transitional technology phase, where a particular object (in this case, a computer tablet) is trying to break into mainstream life but isn’t quite there yet.

I use my iPad mainly for reading and web-surfing. There’s nothing more cosy than lounging on the sofa (in comfy trackie-daks, thank you very much) and effortlessly flicking through the interwebs with the swipe of a finger. Of course, with the surfing comes the online shopping – is there anything finer than adding a delightful something-or-other to your virtual shopping cart and having it appear on your doorstep 7-10 (international standard shipping) days later? Let’s not worry about the credit card bit for now…

If there’s one thing that I’m not that good at, it’s keeping track of my purchases. I have too many black ponte dresses to count, and the online magazines are filling up my virtual bookshelves. I actually forgot that I had a short subscription to delicious magazine and bought this month’s real-life copy as well. Better make the most of it by trying another recipe from its tasty pages (this cheesecake is from the same issue).  Here's a mushroom carbonara that has no cream and is boosted by some porcini mushrooms.

Mushroom Carbonara

Serves 2-3

Ingredients

20g unsalted butter

1 tblsp olive oil

2 eschalots, finely chopped

2 tsp crushed garlic

8 sage leaves, shredded

250g button mushrooms, sliced

¼ cup dried porcini mushrooms

250g spaghetti

2 eggs, beaten

Grated parmesan and chopped chives, to serve

Method

1. Soak the porcini in 1 cup of hot water for 10 minutes. Then drain and chop into 1cm pieces.

2. Melt butter in a frypan over medium-high heat. Add eschalots and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until softened.

3. Add garlic and stir for 30 seconds.

4. Add sage, mushrooms and chopped porcini. Cook for 3-4 minutes, until golden.

5. Meanwhile cook pasta in boiling salted water for 8 minutes. Drain the pasta, and while it is still hot, mix in the eggs to coat the pasta. Season with salt and pepper.

6. Divide the pasta into bowls, then top with the mushroom mixture.

7. Serve with parmesan and chopped chives

recipe adapted from delicious (April 2012)

Ingredients, including mushrooms, eschalots and sage. I also added porcini for something extra.

After coating the cooked spaghetti with egg, you could leave out the mushrooms and just sprinkle on some truffle salt - divine!

Finish off the dish with a sprinkle of chives.

Creamy (though without cream) and luscious (without being too rich), this recipe is worth having two copies of.

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Tabitha vs Henry

Ep 8: Cat Chase (conclusion)

Where were we? Oh, yes.

The story so far: Evil Henry had invaded Tabitha's space and cornered her by the fishpond where Henry had  previously killed Spot the goldfish.

What did Tabitha do next?

Note: Our neighbour does not like cats, and was trying to get the cats off her fence. I would have taken a picture of her but didn't want her to see me doing it ;)

The End.

Score: Tabitha 1. Henry 0. Angry neighbour -1.

 Stay tuned for more adventures of Tabitha and Henry