Impromptu and Planned

Agent W was off on some secret mission to the Pacific Northwest so Wife and I decided that he needed some home cooking (not to mention that I still feel guilty over the shed incident)

I cooked too dishes - one that I improvised and one that is a classic dish.

Improv - Fresh Salmon Cakes.

Start with some fresh salmon. Chop it into pieces then put in a chopping bowl. I sauteed some onions with garlic, New Mexico red chile powder, and Mexican oregano and added it to the salmon then chopped further with a chopping blade

I added eggs then used the mixture to fry some patties



I served it over some leaf lettuce with a little red chile spiked vinaigrette.


Next I served a classic from Italian cuisine, Spaghetti Carbonara

Now for all you who way you can't cook, this is an incredible dish with fantastic flavor that is simplicity itself to make.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound spaghetti
• 1/2 cup of bacon (or pancetta - Italian salted bacon) cut into small batons about a half inch long
• 3 tablespoons of olive oil
• 3/4 of a cup Parmesan cheese - finely grated (use fresh not pre-grated if you can)
• 3 eggs at room temperature

Directions:

1. Boil a lot of water for spaghetti
2. Saute the bacon in the olive oil. When they are crisp take the pan off the heat.
3. Get a large bowl and put some boiling water in it to get it warm
4. Cook the spaghetti per instructions on package
5. While pasta is cooking, pour water out of the bowl and dry it
6. Break eggs into the bowl, put in the cheese and mix well
7. When pasta is done, dump into strainer and quickly put into bowl with egg cheese mixture
8. Add bacon oil mixture
9. Salt and pepper to tast and mix thoroughly

The heat from the spaghetti cooks the eggs, melts the cheese and creates this wonderful sauce with the great bacon bits.

Pasta cooking and Bacon frying

Eggs mixed with Cheese

Finished Pasta

Oh ya...We had some wine too