Culinary School and Carbonara

Hello everyone!

I'm actually updating from a computer at CCI! I'm so excited to be here, finally following my dream!

I know I haven't updated in a long time or posted any videos to YouTube in a while, but here's a quick recipe that I love and thought I should share with you guys. I made it for the first time ever while I was staying with Ashton in Ireland, and it was a success! I didn't even follow a recipe or anything, just whipped it up, and it came out delicious! I'll check on the measurements shortly to make it as accurate as possible, but for now just experiment with it and enjoy!


Never-Done-This-Before Chicken Carbonara (serves 2-4)

Ingredients:
-2 breasts of chicken, seasoned with salt and pepper to taste and cut into bite sized pieces
-1 package of pancetta, cut into bite sized pieces
-1 box of fettucini, or pasta of your choice (spaghetti works well too, I used fresh pasta to shorten cooking time but dried is fine too)
-1 cup frozen peas (more or less, depending on your taste)
-2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
-2 cups heavy cream (this is not a heart-healthy recipe, keep in mind!)
-2-4 eggs
-garlic salt

To prepare:
-Put cream into a heavy saucepan and heat at medium to medium-high heat until it begins to bubble slightly. Reduce heat and stir in shredded cheese, stirring the bottom of the pan constantly to avoid burning the cheese or cream. Add garlic salt to taste, and simmer cheese sauce until it is slightly reduced and thick and creamy- this can take about 10-15 minutes.
-After cutting pancetta and chicken into small pieces, sautee in a frying pan for 10 minutes or so, until chicken is thoroughly cooked and pancetta has becoming rendered and crispy. Remove from heat.
-Boil water for pasta, add salt to water, cook until al dente.
-Place cup of peas in a microwave safe dish and add about 2 tablespoons of water. Microwave for about 2-3 minutes or until peas are done but not mushy, they should still have a little bite to them.
-Lastly, fry eggs in frying pan and salt and pepper to taste.
-Combine cooked and drained pasta, peas, chicken, pancetta, and cream sauce- toss to coat. Place fried egg on top of each portion, and voila! Enjoy!


This recipe was a hit with Ashton, her friend Jackie, her friend Michaela, and me! I had never made it before, but it came out wonderful and I can't wait to make it again at home.

Well, class starts in a little less than an hour, today we're continuing to learn about food safety and career management (how interesting...). I don't mind the vast amounts of lecturing and note taking though, because I feel productive and accomplished by the end of the day and I know that soon I'll be in the kitchens cooking up a storm!

Oh, and just for the record, I look adorable in my chef's uniform. ;)

Tastefully yours until next time,

Brooke Porter