It's our pleasure to welcome our friend, the dynamic Leslie Karst, as our special guest here today.
Leslie has a wonderful recipe for Spaghetti alla Carbonara which we can't wait to try and a fabulous giveaway. Make sure you read to the end and leave a comment to get in on the giveaway action.
Now here's Leslie on the background to this delicious dish.
One of my sleuth Sally Solari’s favorite dishes to whip up
for company is spaghetti alla carbonara. Not only is it about as simple as it
gets to make—thus allowing Sally the luxury of enjoying pre-dinner cocktails
along with her guests—but the combination of bacon, olive oil, butter, cheese,
and eggs makes this pasta sinfully rich and delicious.
The origin of this dish’s name is hotly disputed, but most
folks agree that it likely has something to do with the Italian word carbone
(charcoal). Some claim the dish was invented by coalminers; others argue it was
originally cooked over a charcoal flame; and still others assert that the name
derives from a kind of charcoal-cooked ham that was once used for the pasta.
Whatever its history, this rich, creamy dish from Rome makes
for a delicious and quick-to-prepare meal. Serve it with a green salad or fagiolini
al burro (baby green beans sautéed in butter), and a loaf of warm, crusty
bread. (Don’t be alarmed by the use of raw egg; the hot pasta heats it enough
to cook, and the result is a silky, custardy sauce.)
Here’s a sneak-preview of the recipe from my brand new Sally
Solari mystery, A Measure of Murder:
Spaghetti alla
Carbonara
(serves 4-6)
Ingredients
1 pound spaghetti
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
½ pound pancetta or bacon, cut crossways into ½” strips
4 eggs
½ cup grated Parmesan or Pecorino cheese
1 tablespoon chopped Italian (flat-leaf) parsley [I used
green onions for the meal photographed]
salt and freshly-ground black pepper
Directions
Bring a large (at least 4 quart) pot of water to a boil. Add
the spaghetti and 1 tablespoon salt, and cook over high heat until al dente
(still slightly firm in the center, 8-10 minutes), stirring occasionally to
prevent sticking.
While the pasta is cooking, heat the butter and oil in a
heavy skillet. Add the bacon and fry over medium heat, stirring occasionally,
until starting to brown. (This can be done in advance, but reheat before
service if the oil and butter have hardened.)
In a serving bowl large enough to hold the pasta, beat the
eggs with the grated cheese.
Drain the cooked pasta and immediately dump it—without
rinsing—into the serving bowl. Toss until the pasta is coated with the egg and
cheese mixture. (I used whole wheat spaghetti, hence the darker color.)
Add the pancetta or bacon (along with all the butter and
oil), and toss again.
Now here's a bit about the very tasty Sally Solari culinary mysteries series:
A MEASURE OF MURDER, book two in the Sally Solari
culinary mystery series, was just released on February 7, 2017 (Crooked Lane
Books). It's still warm to the touch!
Sally Solari is busy juggling work at her family’s Italian
restaurant, Solari’s, and helping plan the autumn menu for the restaurant she’s
just inherited, Gauguin. Complicating this already hectic schedule, she joins
her ex-boyfriend Eric’s chorus, which is performing a newly discovered version
of her favorite composition: the Mozart Requiem.
But then, at the first rehearsal, a tenor falls to his death on the church
courtyard—and his soprano girlfriend is sure it wasn’t an accident.
Now Sally's back on another murder case mixed in with a dash
of revenge, a pinch of peril, and a suspicious stack of sheet music. And while
tensions in the chorus heat up, so does the kitchen at Gauguin, set aflame
right as Sally starts getting too close to the truth. Can Sally catch the
killer before she’s burnt to a crisp, or will the case grow as cold as
yesterday’s leftovers?
“Engaging characters, terrific writing, and a savory blend
of musical and culinary erudition...polymath Karst sauces her plot without
masking its flavor. And she’s a dab hand with the red herrings.” Publishers Weekly starred review
We're intrigued! Now just who is Leslie Karst?
The daughter of a law professor and a potter, Leslie
Karst learned early, during family dinner conversations, the value of both
careful analysis and the arts—ideal ingredients for a mystery story. She now
writes the Sally Solari Mysteries (Dying for a Taste, A Measure of
Murder), a culinary series set in Santa Cruz, California. An
ex-lawyer like her sleuth, Leslie also has degrees in English literature and
the culinary arts. She and her wife and their Jack Russell mix split their time
between Santa Cruz and Hilo, Hawai‘i. Visit her online at http://www.lesliekarstauthor.com/
and at https://www.facebook.com/lesliekarstauthor/
As well as a hardcover copy of A MEASURE FOR MURDER, Leslie is offering this great Sally Solari swag!
Leave a comment and don't forget your email addy and you could be the lucky winner. The winner will be announced on the sidebar later this week!
Delicious pasta recipe; fabulous-sounding book; and thank you for hosting this generous giveaway! EMS591@aol.com
ReplyDeleteI'm new on this blog and made the creamy corn chowder recipe last week. I cannot wait to try this pasta recipe, it sounds wonderful! I will wait because it is 1:30 AM and it wouldn't be good to start right now making it. Look forward to your mystery series too! Thanks for the opportunity leahleah08@mwn.com
ReplyDeleteI think it would make for a great midnight (or 1:30 a.m.) snack, actually!
DeleteTerrific giveaway, who doesn't like pasta, and with bacon, yum! And with a sleuth named Sally this is a must-read!
ReplyDeletesallycootie@gmail.com
Yay for Sallys the world over!
DeleteI have done pasta with eggs before myself with prosciutto and it is a yummy combination. Thanks for the chance :)
ReplyDeletejslbrown2009 at aol dot com
Yummy recipe. Thanks for the chance to win a copy of your book. Sounds great. elainehroberson@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to find a new culinary series. suefoster109 at netzero.net.
ReplyDeleteThis look great! I've never added the cheese into the eggs. That's something I need to try.
ReplyDeleteYummy recipe which I will be preparing this week. Thanks for this wonderful giveaway. elliotbencan(at)hotmail(dot)com
ReplyDeleteWelcome, Leslie! Great dish--it's a staple at our house. Even my husband makes it. And your series sounds delicious too.
ReplyDeleteLove this recipe; Leslie's book looks enticing!
ReplyDeleteThe recipe would be a winner for the family. What a great feature and giveaway. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com
ReplyDeleteMy mom made a similar dish for our family when we were kids and it was always a big hit. And if you make the full recipe, it serves 6, easily.
DeleteThe recipe sounds great! Thank you for the chance to win the book, it sounds great too! Dnrocker at yahoo dot com
ReplyDeleteI'm going to save the recipe to my Pinterest page and play with it when I have time. I have to figure out what I can replace the cheese with or else find a soy based bacon substitute for the bacon. Yes please I'd love to be entered in the giveaway and add this great book to my home library.
ReplyDeleteWhat a delightful recipe! And I'd love to win this book (and swag) giveaway. rebarger@bellsouth.net
ReplyDeleteThanks for the recipe - love Spaghetti alla Carbonara.
ReplyDeletejtcgc at yahoo dot com
Love this recipe! Jamuller312@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteI'm always ready for a new cozy mystery!! Thanks for offering this giveaway!
ReplyDeleteThis is an entertaining book. I enjoyed reading it.
ReplyDeleteA question on the recipe--
In the book you list 1 tablespoon of salt in the ingredients.
But here you say salt and pepper with no specific amount.
Why the difference?
The 1 tablespoon salt in the book is to be added to the pasta water (Sorry that I neglected to include that in the ingredients list here!--Good eye, Libby!). The S&P at the end are to season the finished dish, to taste.
DeleteI seem to be the unofficial "eyes" here!
DeleteThis makes perfect sense. Thanks
I love Italian food so I'll have to try this recipe. Would it be possible to lighten it up a bit by draining off the bacon grease?
ReplyDeleteThanks for the contest.
suefarrell.farrell@gmail.com
This comment has been removed by the author.
Delete(Only deleted because I wanted to revise it.) If you don't want the bacon fat, then cook the bacon first, drain off the fat, and then melt the butter with the cooked bacon. And you might want to drizzle some milk or cream on the dish at the end, so it doesn't end up too dry from the lack of bacon fat.
DeleteTerrific plot and terrific recipe! Can't wait to read and to make recipe. dbahn(at)iw(dot)net
ReplyDeleteOh, yum, that sounds so good! So does your book!
ReplyDeletekpbarnett1941[at]aol.com
This sounds like a fun series to try!
ReplyDeleteAm so glad that I saw the recipe shared here today. I have been in a cooking slump and forgotten how easy carbonara is to make. Many thanks!
little lamb lst at yahoo dot com
this pasta dish is something we have not tried yet, definitely want to try making it, sounds delicious. Your new book sounds like a lot of fun. thanks for the chance. Spaghetti embam1969@comcast.net
ReplyDeleteI really like spaghetti alla carbonara and the recipe looks amazing. This is a new series to me and I would enjoy reading "A Measure of Murder".
ReplyDeletediannekc8(at)gmail(dot)com
Always great to discover a new culinary mystery series AND a good recipe! aut1063@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteI like that your able to use your professional & educational experiences to write your stories.
ReplyDeleteturtle6422(at)gmail(dot)com
I love culinary series. They are one of my favorite type of mysteries and this sounds like a good one.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the giveaway, also, the great sounding recipe.
Nancy Foust
The recipe is a bit too rich for me. But, the book, is another thing. That sounds perfect for me.
ReplyDeletelkish77123 at gmail dot com
I love cooking series! Zeta(at)iwon(dot)com
ReplyDeleteI love pasta so can't wait to try this. Thanks for the wonderful giveaway. doward1952(at)yahoo(dot)com
ReplyDeleteThat recipe sounds delicious! Thank you for the giveaway!
ReplyDeletedebprice60@gmail.com
Loved this post. Loved the recipe. My daughter loves anything pasta as long as I don't tell her what's in it. Thank you for the recipe. And a chance at the book. Looks most intriguing. Della at deepotter (at) peoplepc ((dot) com
ReplyDeleteWhat could be better than Spaghetti Carbonara? A great book!
ReplyDeletesomesmartcookle @ aol.com with an L not an I
This is something I plan on making. Anything with pasta is wonderful! Thank you for the recipe. Mbcncc@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteWhat could be better a pasta recipe to go with reading a pasta mystery, amysue511 (at)gmail(dot)com
ReplyDelete