I better write the recipe down here before that piece of paper finds its way into the trash...

Linguini with Pancetta & Tomato Sauce

Pancetta, cubed
White Onion, chopped
Olive Oil
Garlic, chopped
Salt
Chili
Tomato Sauce, in can, with crushed tomatoes
Romano Cheese, grated
Linguini Pasta

Saute pancetta, onion and garlic in olive oil, add tomato sauce, chili and salt. Simmer. Add previously boiled pasta and a bit of pasta water. Toss. Add grated cheese and serve.

Aah, pardon me if the recipe seems a bit odd to you. But if there's one thing odd about the show is that they never give exact mesurements of the ingredients. And that is fine by me. :)

Since Nico and I are die-hard fans of Italian food, but neither can cook real Italian dishes, we end up drooling over pastas and pizzas and bruschettas and salads as we watch the cooking shows on Travel & Living and Lifestyle Channel. Last night, as we were watching Everyday Italian (and since I've watched this show many times in the past), I realized I could just make note of the ingredients and the general cooking process of each dish so I can practice my cooking skills. I could actually google-up recipes, but I'm not good at following written cooking instructions, hehehe; I think I can do it better if I've seen someone do it.

So, immediately I grabbed my notepad and started remembering every ingredient she's put on her "Linguini with Pancetta and Tomato Sauce" dish. It was a simple pasta recipe and I plan to experiment cooking it soon. The challenge, though, is finding pancetta, an Italian-style bacon, which I gather is not very common in local supermarkets. I think I'll just substitute with spanish sausage (the real thing), if ever pancetta's not available.

So there's my new hobby. I'll be taking down notes of simple dishes instead of drooling over them, hehe, so I can eventually know what they taste like... :)