Another light lunch for another scorching day, we had this creamy soup with chunks of beef, macaroni, and whole corn kernels with toasted bread spread with herbed butter. It was a late lunch that overlapped with breakfast. We had a very hectic weekend and the kids got up late today. The pandan-flavored pancakes I made for breakfast were still on the table by the time this beef, macaroni, and corn soup was done. They ended up eating everything in one meal.
The key to this dish is a good broth. For best results, use beef with bones like short ribs or shanks. That said, if you want to try making this very simple dish, read on. Cook the beef in plenty of water together with the whole garlic, onion, peppercorns, leeks, and salt. Remove scum as it rises. Simmer until the beef is tender (about two to two-and-a-half hours). Remove the beef from the broth and cool. Separate the meat from the bones. Cut the meat into chunks or cubes (how big or how small depends on your preference). Set aside.
Strain the broth and measure about six cups. Reheat. Cook the macaroni in the broth. When the macaroni is almost done, add the beef cubes (or chunks) and corn kernels. Dilute the mushroom soup with a cup of broth or water. Pour into the cooking pan, stirring. Simmer until the soup thickens.
Spaghetti a La Carbonara
This photo has been sitting on my hard drive for about a month. When I took it, I wasn’t sure if I should delete the old Carbonara entry and post a new one. I couldn’t just upload the new photo for the old recipe because I made some improvements when I cooked the one that you see in this photo. Anyway, I couldn’t decide and, eventually, forgot about it. This morning, I tried cleaning out my hard drive by deleting unwanted files. And I saw this carbonara photo and remembered. So, I finally made a decision. I deleted the old recipe and posted this as a better version of spaghetti a la carbonara.
Cook the spaghetti or fettuccine according to package directions. Drain but do not rinse in cold water. Transfer to a serving bowl and toss with 1/8 c. of butter. Keep warm. Cut the belly bacon into 1/4″ slices. Cook in a skillet over medium-high heat without oil. When the bacon starts to render oil, turn up the heat to high and continue cooking until the edges start to brown (you can cook until crisp). Pour off the bacon fat. Turn down the heat to medium and add the remaining butter and pimientoes. When the butter is completely melted, set the heat to low and pour in the milk or cream. Add the grated cheese food or processed cheese and simmer gently until the cheese melts. Turn off the heat season with salt and pepper and add the chopped parsley. Add the spaghetti or fettuccine to the skillet and toss until evenly coated. Return to the serving bowl and serve with grated parmesan or edam cheese on the side.