Bacon and Chicken Carbonara Pasta

• • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 200g sliced pancetta, roughly chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1/4 onion (thinly sliced)
  • 2 egg yolks (at room temperature)
  • 2 eggs (at room temperature)
  • 1/2 cup thickened cream
  • 75g parmesan cheese, finely grated
• 
  Cook pasta in a large pan of boiling salted water according to the packet instructions. Meanwhile, heat oil in a frypan over medium heat. 
  Heat oil in a large, non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Add onions, pancetta and garlic. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until pancetta is crisp. Drain on paper towel.
  Whisk egg yolks, eggs, cream and three-quarters of the parmesan together in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
  Add egg mixture and pancetta mixture to pasta. Season with salt and pepper. Toss over low heat until well combined. Serve with remaining parmesan.

Taiwanese Vermicelli Stir Fry

Ingredients

Original recipe makes 4 servings Change 

• 1/2 pound thinly sliced pork loin
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup rice wine
• 1 teaspoon white pepper
• 1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
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• 4 dried Chinese black mushrooms
• 1 (8 ounce) package dried rice vermicelli
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• 1/4 cup vegetable oil, divided
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/4 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon dried small shrimp
• 3 carrots, cut into matchstick strips
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 3 cups bean sprouts
• 4 leaves napa cabbage, thinly sliced
• salt to taste
• 3 sprigs fresh cilantro for garnish

1. Place the pork into a mixing bowl and pour in the soy sauce and rice wine. Sprinkle with the white pepper, five-spice powder, and cornstarch. Mix well, then set aside to marinate. Soak the mushrooms in a bowl of cold water for 20 minutes, then pour off the water, cut off and discard the stems of the mushrooms. Slice the mushrooms thinly and reserve. Soak the rice vermicelli in a separate bowl of cold water for 10 minutes, then pour off the water and set the noodles aside.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil in a wok or large skillet over medium heat. Pour in the eggs, and cook until firm, flipping once, to make a pancake. Remove the egg pancake, and allow to cool, then thinly slice and place into a large bowl. Heat 2 more tablespoons of the vegetable oil in the wok over high heat. Stir in the garlic and dried shrimp, and cook until the shrimp become aromatic, about 20 seconds. Next, add the pork along with the marinade, and cook until the pork is no longer pink, about 4 minutes. Stir in the carrots and onion, and cook until the carrots begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Finally, add the bean sprouts, napa cabbage, and sliced mushrooms; cook and stir until the vegetables are tender, about 3 minutes more. Scrape the pork mixture into the bowl along with the eggs, then wipe out the wok and return it to the stove over medium-high heat.
3. Heat the remaining vegetable oil in the wok, then stir in the drained rice vermicelli noodles. Cook and stir for a few minutes until the noodles soften, then stir in the reserved pork mixture. Scrape the mixture in to a serving bowl and garnish with cilantro to serve.

Pork Chops with caramelised onions

So what can you do to ensure you get a moist, tender, flavorful pork chop?

1. Brine it – One of my secrets to getting a flavorful juicy pork chop every time, is to brine it in a solution of salt and sugar. In the same way that it benefits lean meats like turkey, brining your pork adds flavor and moisture to the meat, lending a helping hand to even the leanest of chops.
2. Don’t overcook it – While you have to decide for yourself what temperatures you’re comfortable cooking your meat to, I tend to cook pork chops to 141 degrees and let it rest for a few minutes before serving.
3. Buy heritage pork – If you can afford it, try finding pork chops that come from a heritage breed of pig such as Berkshire(a.k.a. Kurobuta) or Ibérico. Heritage breeds haven’t undergone the selective breeding aimed at reducing the fat content of pork. They’re expensive, and may not be as healthy, but they certainly taste better.
4. Use rib chops – As with most meats, tenderness in pork chops often comes at the cost of flavor. I like using pork rib chops because they have more fat than a loin chop, but less connective tissue than a blade chop, helping them strike a great balance between the two ends of the spectrum.Best Pork Chops

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Servings	Prep Time	Cook Time	Passive Time
4	5 minutes	10 minutes	240 minutes

Ingredients

• 4 1 inch thick pork rib chops
• 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 4 cups water
• 1 large clove garlic
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 large onion sliced thinly
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 cup white wine
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon whole grain mustard

Servings: 

Instructions

1. In a gallon size sealable freezer bag, add the sugar, salt, garlic and water. Seal the bag and swish it around to dissolve the sugar and salt. Add the pork, press out as much air as you can, then seal the bag. Let this sit in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, or preferably overnight.
2. Remove the pork chops from the brine and use paper towels to remove as much moisture from the surface of the pork chops as you can. If there's water on the surface of the pork chops, they will not brown.
3. Add the oil to the pan and heat over medium high heat. Place the pork chops in the pan while the pan is still cold. Because the pork chops are brined with sugar, they'll burn before they cook through if you put them into a hot pan.
4. Flip the pork chops over and fry the second side until well browned and an instant read thermometer reads 141 degrees F (60.5 C). Transfer them to a plate and let them rest.
5. Drain the excess oil out of the pan, and then add the onions and garlic. Sauté until the onions are soft.
6. Add the wine, honey and mustard and then turn up the heat to boil off the alcohol and thicken the glaze.
7. When the glaze is nice and thick, add the pork chops back to the pan and flip them over repeatedly to coat them with the glaze. Once there is no liquid left in the pan, the pork chops are done. Top with the caramelized onions and and serve with mashed potatoes.

Japanese Glazed Chicken Wings

• Tebasaki 
• Crispy Japanese fried chicken wings glazed with a sweet and garlicky glaze.

Ingredients

• 800 grams chicken wings
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar packed
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons sake
• 3 tablespoons mirin
• 1 teaspoon ginger juice
• 1 medium clove garlic grated
• 1 tablespoon black vinegar or balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon potato starch
•  vegetable oil for frying

Instructions

1. Put the chicken wings in a large bowl and sprinkle the pepper and salt. Toss the chicken to coat evenly and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or preferably overnight. This step not only infuses the chicken with the black pepper, the salt draws out extra moisture from the chicken, which will help in making the skin crisp.
2. Make the glaze by putting the sugar, soy sauce, sake, mirin, ginger juice, and garlic in a shallow pan. Heat over medium high heat until the glaze is at a rolling boil, like in the photo above. Add the vinegar, then transfer to a large bowl and allow the glaze to cool.
3. Add about 2" of vegetable oil to a heavy bottomed pot and heat to 320 degrees F (160C). Take the chicken out of the fridge and use paper towels to remove as much moisture from the surface of the chicken as possible. Sprinkle on the potato starch, and toss the chicken to evenly coat each piece with a thin layer of starch.
4. Fry the chicken wings for 10 minutes in batches. You can actually cram quite a few wings in, as long as they are fully submerged and get the oil temperature back up to 320 relatively quickly. Transfer to a plate and continue frying the rest of the wings.
5. Increase the heat of the oil to 375 degrees F (190C). Fry the chicken in smaller batches, being careful not to overcrowd the pan. The chicken is done when the wings are golden brown (about 2-3 minutes). Transfer the wings directly to the bowl of glaze and quickly toss to coat. Don't let them sit in the glaze too long.
6. Transfer the tebasaki to a serving platter, and sprinkle on some toasted sesame seeds and black pepper. Serve immediately.

Tomato Cream Soup

3 tablespoons good olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped red onions (2 onions)
2 carrots, unpeeled and chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
4 pounds vine-ripened tomatoes, coarsely chopped (5 large)
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/4 cup packed chopped fresh basil leaves, plus julienned basil leaves, for garnish
3 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup heavy cream
Croutons, for garnish

Directions
Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-low heat. Add the onions and carrots and saute for about 10 minutes, until very tender. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, sugar, tomato paste, basil, chicken stock, salt, and pepper and stir well. Bring the soup to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer, uncovered, for 30 to 40 minutes, until the tomatoes are very tender.

Add the cream to the soup and process it through a food mill into a bowl, discarding only the dry pulp that's left. Reheat the soup over low heat just until hot and serve with julienned basil leaves and/or croutons.