Carbonara for one

One of my favourite pasta dishes has to be spaghetti carbonara. I found that carbonara was not a readily available dish at most restaurants, and so the first carbonara dish I ever ate was made by yours truly. To date, I’ve had it only a handful of times at restaurants, while I’ve made it several times at home.

Some people are very protective over carbonara; many denounce the use of any meat other than pancetta, no peas, no milk or cream, etc. I actually love variations, but I tried to keep it simple with items found at most grocery stores.

Carbonara is a dish best eaten right away as it turns dry when left over. With that in mind, this is a recipe that feeds one. Adjust accordingly.

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Orange Slice Latte

After seeing photos of what appeared to be a latte with an orange slice floating around Instagram, I tried to decode how to make it. After scouring the internet, I found recipe for a coffee latte… but being me, I decided to try my hand at a tea latte version.

On a barley kick

For me, barley was a late discovery. I first tried it in a beef and barley stew they served over in Fort York (as a former Girl Guide, we camped in odd places), and I was intrigued by this chewy grain that was so superior to the rice I had daily.

Ever since I began cooking my own meals, I decided to venture out and try barley – I’ve made soup, salads, and eaten it as rice, and lately I’ve made some recipes I have really loved.

Barley tea

I have always loved the taste of barley tea but it is not so readily available in Canada, even in my local Asian grocery stores. So the only thing to do was make my own.

Roasting barley is a quick and easy process – just toast dry in a pan until they’re a golden brown, and store them away to brew another day, or brew a large batch that you can keep in the fridge. I followed the recipe from La Fuji Mama as I also had trouble finding unhulled barley.

When I drank this hot, I found that the burnt flavour from the roasting process was quite strong, but virtually disappeared after it cooled in the fridge.

I love this as a cooling drink – especially for when you’ve had too much greasy food – this helps keep the inflammation/canker sores at bay. 

Chicken Pot Pie

I’ve been wanting to try my hand at a chicken pot pie for ages, and finally decided to make on in the middle of summer. This is definitely a very comforting dish for cool weather but it was quite enjoyable in the summer as well.

Adapted from the recipe at Smitten Kitchen, which was adapted from Ina Garten. I just substituted for what I had on hand – also I have to add corn to everything.

What you’ll need:

• 3 whole chicken breasts
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 5 cups chicken stock
• 2 chicken bouillon cubes
• glug of olive oil
• 2 large onions, diced
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 1/2 cups carrots, diced
• 1 cup of frozen peas
• 1 cup of frozen corn
• 1/2 cup minced fresh parsley leaves

For the pastry:

• 3 cups of flour
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 cup of cold unsalted butter, diced
• 1/2 cup of ice water
• 1 egg, beaten