Noodles or Pasta, which came first?

If you ask the Chinese, most will say noodles were invented way before pasta, and the other would be true if you ask the Italian. The truth is, I don’t know. However, growing up, I was told that Marco Polo went to China around the 13th century, and saw Chinese people eating noodles with ground pork sauce, also known as 雜醬面 and fell in love with the dish. However, when Marco Polo returned to Italy, he forgot/lack all the necessary ingredients, so instead, used a tomato based sauce, and therefore created Spaghetti Bolognese.

Regardless of the history, I love both noodles and pasta. In fact, my kids often call long pasta (spaghetti, linguine, etc.) 面面 (mian mian) and the short pasta (fusilli, penne, etc) pasta. Anyway, the past couple weeks have been very busy in our household, and I know it’s only going to be busier in the coming weeks with all the holiday stuff. So, I’m going to share a pasta recipe my friend Marieanne taught me, it’s extremely simple and quick (30 min or less from start to finish), and it’s a gourmet meal my kids love!

Pasta Carbonara 

Ingredients:

1lb          Thin Spaghetti (I like Barilla)
1 T          Minced garlic (more if you like)
3 oz        Prosciutto or Pancetta, diced or sliced
2              Egg Yolk
1              Whole Egg
1C           Grated parmesan cheese
2 T          Fresh Italian parsley, chopped
3 T          Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste

 Direction:

1. Cook Pasta according to package direction until al dente. (about 7-8 min)
2. Beat egg yolk and egg with a folk, mix in grated parmesan cheese until the mixture resemble a thick paste. Add salt and pepper.
3. Heat about 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in a large sauté pan, add garlic, and prosciutto, about a min
4. Pour cooked and drained pasta into the sauté pan, toss lightly so the pasta is coated with the olive oil.
5. Transfer the Pasta into the egg mixture, toss quickly so that the egg doesn’t scramble. Season again with salt and pepper if needed. Add parsley and enjoy!