Shelley's zucchini pasta carbonara recipe
There is nothing like creating a recipe from scratch. Even if it is so close to an actual recipe, it really isn't that made up, but that doesn't matter. I made a creation that my partner loved and I was very proud of. Food is love and creating something unique is a sign of my love put into it.
And, I am a better cook than my mom. Which I admit, is not a very high bar. My mother, may she rest in peace, was an amazing person who made me very proud, but, she was a horrible cook. Atleast that was her reputation. We will actually never know if she was a horrible cook because she hated to cook and didn't do it.
It turned out my mom didn't need to cook. My mom was very social and had many friends and she had too strong allies, my dad and I.
I don't actually remember this, but I've been told this story many times. I was about 2 1/2 and attending a Fall Supper in Fork River, Manitoba with my parents. The person in charge of this dinner announced that pie would be served as dessert. For some reason, the whole hall went silent just long enough for the whole hall hear me ask my mom, "what's pie?" My mom was only embarrassed for a second when she realized what a windfall this was going to be. The rest of the people felt so sorry for a poor little waif like me who didn't know what pie was. Not only did we get all the leftovers of pie sent home with us, we get all the leftovers from the whole Fall Supper. And the pity continued for months. Complete strangers used to drop off entire meals to our house so that atleast the family would be fed. It was small town values at its best !!
Later on, when I was about 4, I was at the curling rink watching my parents play in the annual Farmer's Bonspiel. This was a pretty big event which attracted teams from all over the parkland. I was playing with a girl that I had never previously met. It was ok because our parents could see us from the ice. We found this big black contained and when we opened it, we realized we hit the jackpot. Sandwiches, pastry, just a lot of food. My mom saw us eating the food and thought, "wow, that other little girl's mom is so smart, making a lunch for them to eat and keep them busy." The other girls mom saw us and thought the same thing. Obviously, she had never met my mom. When the games were finished, we found out that we had eaten the entire contents of a CN worker's provisions for his 36 hour shift that he was going to start right after curling. This wonderful man wasn't angry at all, and infact he laughed. He went to the Boulevard Hotel across the street and bought us cheeseburgers, fries and gravy, and milkshakes. Since I was already full, it was a nice free lunch for my parents !! Even though, the incident was decades ago, every time I go to Dauphin, someone identifies me as "Aren't you the girl that stole that lunch?" I admit that I was but remind the person that my mom couldn't cook.
Our neighbours across the street was the town's Commanding Officer of the RCMP. He was extremely stoic and I never saw him express any emotion ever. His devoted wife took her responsibilities as a homemaker seriously. There house was sterile and she was the best cook ever and they were a childless couple. I was about 3 when we moved to the neighbourhood and they invited us over for supper. It was an amazing spread and my dad gushed and gushed about how she was truly a gourmet chef. Her husband said nothing. From that point on, everytime she made anything creative, she would make a double portion and send it over. My dad would phone her and tell her how wonderful it was.
I could go on and one because I really have a lot of stories about my mom's legendary non-cooking. None of this gets you closer to my recipe, but, it makes me remember my mom. I do it everyday, anyway, but it is so nice to laugh while doing it. Also, my mom had a flaw. (Maybe more than one.) It doesn't mean that she wasn't loved, it doesn't mean I wasn't proud of her, and it doesn't mean I am speaking ill of her now that she is gone, ad it doesn't mean she didn't laugh out loud about it, it means she was human.
Parents today seem to be under so much pressure to be perfect. No one expects you to be perfect, but people do expect you to do the best you can and to do it all while leading with love.
1. Take one large zucchini and cut the ends off so that it can sit on a cutting board and remove the skin using a paring knife. If you are lucky enough to be have a spiralizer, you can use it to turn the zucchini into pasta. If you don't, you get use a vegetable peeler to make your pasta. There is a learning curve to do this, but you will get the hang out of very quickly. Try to make the pasta as long and as think as possible. Steam the pasta for about 5 minutes. Rinse with tepid water and make sure it is well drained. Add two tablespoons of milk and swirl around with tongs. Swirl in minced garlic and about a third cup of panko just for a little crunch. Set aside and let it marinade.
2. In a fying pan, lay out 5 - 6 pieces of bacon. 5 is probably enough. Cook until the bacon is almost crumpbly. Remove the bacon and set aside. Leave the bacon grease and add a finely chopped onion, a little bit more garlic, and lots of chopped mushrooms. They can be big slices or a variety of mushrooms.
3. While the vegetables are cooking, cube about a third of a brick of cheese. I used monterey jack, but havarti or white cheddar would also work. Turn the bacon into large bacon bits.
4. Add pasta to the vegetables, swirl around, and add cheese until it is creamy and melted. Add bacon bits. Swirl around. Add 1/3 a cup of lite ranch dressing. Swirl around again. Turn off heat. Cover and let thicken for a few minutes.
5. Enjoy and served best with a glass of wine to toast my mother.
And, I am a better cook than my mom. Which I admit, is not a very high bar. My mother, may she rest in peace, was an amazing person who made me very proud, but, she was a horrible cook. Atleast that was her reputation. We will actually never know if she was a horrible cook because she hated to cook and didn't do it.
It turned out my mom didn't need to cook. My mom was very social and had many friends and she had too strong allies, my dad and I.
I don't actually remember this, but I've been told this story many times. I was about 2 1/2 and attending a Fall Supper in Fork River, Manitoba with my parents. The person in charge of this dinner announced that pie would be served as dessert. For some reason, the whole hall went silent just long enough for the whole hall hear me ask my mom, "what's pie?" My mom was only embarrassed for a second when she realized what a windfall this was going to be. The rest of the people felt so sorry for a poor little waif like me who didn't know what pie was. Not only did we get all the leftovers of pie sent home with us, we get all the leftovers from the whole Fall Supper. And the pity continued for months. Complete strangers used to drop off entire meals to our house so that atleast the family would be fed. It was small town values at its best !!
Later on, when I was about 4, I was at the curling rink watching my parents play in the annual Farmer's Bonspiel. This was a pretty big event which attracted teams from all over the parkland. I was playing with a girl that I had never previously met. It was ok because our parents could see us from the ice. We found this big black contained and when we opened it, we realized we hit the jackpot. Sandwiches, pastry, just a lot of food. My mom saw us eating the food and thought, "wow, that other little girl's mom is so smart, making a lunch for them to eat and keep them busy." The other girls mom saw us and thought the same thing. Obviously, she had never met my mom. When the games were finished, we found out that we had eaten the entire contents of a CN worker's provisions for his 36 hour shift that he was going to start right after curling. This wonderful man wasn't angry at all, and infact he laughed. He went to the Boulevard Hotel across the street and bought us cheeseburgers, fries and gravy, and milkshakes. Since I was already full, it was a nice free lunch for my parents !! Even though, the incident was decades ago, every time I go to Dauphin, someone identifies me as "Aren't you the girl that stole that lunch?" I admit that I was but remind the person that my mom couldn't cook.
Our neighbours across the street was the town's Commanding Officer of the RCMP. He was extremely stoic and I never saw him express any emotion ever. His devoted wife took her responsibilities as a homemaker seriously. There house was sterile and she was the best cook ever and they were a childless couple. I was about 3 when we moved to the neighbourhood and they invited us over for supper. It was an amazing spread and my dad gushed and gushed about how she was truly a gourmet chef. Her husband said nothing. From that point on, everytime she made anything creative, she would make a double portion and send it over. My dad would phone her and tell her how wonderful it was.
I could go on and one because I really have a lot of stories about my mom's legendary non-cooking. None of this gets you closer to my recipe, but, it makes me remember my mom. I do it everyday, anyway, but it is so nice to laugh while doing it. Also, my mom had a flaw. (Maybe more than one.) It doesn't mean that she wasn't loved, it doesn't mean I wasn't proud of her, and it doesn't mean I am speaking ill of her now that she is gone, ad it doesn't mean she didn't laugh out loud about it, it means she was human.
Parents today seem to be under so much pressure to be perfect. No one expects you to be perfect, but people do expect you to do the best you can and to do it all while leading with love.
1. Take one large zucchini and cut the ends off so that it can sit on a cutting board and remove the skin using a paring knife. If you are lucky enough to be have a spiralizer, you can use it to turn the zucchini into pasta. If you don't, you get use a vegetable peeler to make your pasta. There is a learning curve to do this, but you will get the hang out of very quickly. Try to make the pasta as long and as think as possible. Steam the pasta for about 5 minutes. Rinse with tepid water and make sure it is well drained. Add two tablespoons of milk and swirl around with tongs. Swirl in minced garlic and about a third cup of panko just for a little crunch. Set aside and let it marinade.
2. In a fying pan, lay out 5 - 6 pieces of bacon. 5 is probably enough. Cook until the bacon is almost crumpbly. Remove the bacon and set aside. Leave the bacon grease and add a finely chopped onion, a little bit more garlic, and lots of chopped mushrooms. They can be big slices or a variety of mushrooms.
3. While the vegetables are cooking, cube about a third of a brick of cheese. I used monterey jack, but havarti or white cheddar would also work. Turn the bacon into large bacon bits.
4. Add pasta to the vegetables, swirl around, and add cheese until it is creamy and melted. Add bacon bits. Swirl around. Add 1/3 a cup of lite ranch dressing. Swirl around again. Turn off heat. Cover and let thicken for a few minutes.
5. Enjoy and served best with a glass of wine to toast my mother.
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