WP2: Culinary Curiosities

Food is fuel, a way to sustain our bodies’ daily functions, but it is also so much more. Food is a social activity, a way to bond with those around your shared interests; it is also an enjoyable, simple way to explore unknown cultures and customs all around the world from the comfort of your own home. Cuisine reveals such intricate things about a country and its culture, and yet is much less daunting to dive into than learning a language or traveling abroad. It is often the best dishes that are the least well known, hidden treasures that you would never discover if you did not dive deep into the culture.

Cooking has always been a big part of my life. As the oldest of four siblings, I often took on the pseudo-mother role of cooking dinner or helping the adults prepare something for guests. It may be because I grew up cooking for as long as I can remember, but even now that I live away from home, I continue to try new recipes when I can if I find something that interests me. It is an outlet that allows me to be creative and explore my love of global awareness in a more accessible way.

My goal for this project is to allow my peers to have a more comprehensive way to access recipes they might not be familiar with, using ingredients that they could easily find at their local grocery store or online. For many college students, cooking seems like an impossible feat since they have to purchase many ingredients just for one serving and take time out of their busy lives to complete it. The recipes I produced, one in Korean and one in Italian, can be easily completed in under 30 minutes with either very few ingredients or ones that are non-perishable. I hope that by watching my videos, my peers will be inspired to look into the world of culinary exploration and try something new.

PASTA ALLA GRICIA

This dish is a classic Roman pasta made with only 4 simple ingredients and is the perfect combination of Cacio e Pepe and Carbonara.

Ingredients:

• ¼ lb of Pasta (I used Rigatoni)
• ½ cup Sliced Guanciale/Pancetta
• ½–1 Cup Grated Pecorino Romano
• Black pepper
• 2–3 Cups, Starchy Pasta Water
• Salt

Directions:

1. Cut the guanciale/pancetta into little slices. Make sure you have plenty of fatty pieces as the fat is essential in making the sauce.
2. Get a pot of water up to temperature to cook the pasta in. Lightly salt this water, much lighter than normal, as the meat and the cheese add a lot of salt to the dish already.
3. As the water is coming up to temperature, get a pan on medium heat and add the guanciale/pancetta to the cold pan and let it slowly render out all its fat and brown up and get crispy. Once the fat has rendered and the meat has browned, tilt the pan up to one side to let the fat drain from the meat, then spoon the meat into a bowl and reserve to add back into the dish later. Grate some fresh cracked pepper into the pork fat to let it bloom for a minute and then turn off the heat.
4. The water should be ready by now, add the pasta and cook for about 3 minutes less than the packages requires. Add some pasta water to the pork fat, get it back on to medium heat and then add the spaghetti to the pan. Finish cooking the pasta in the fat and the water, stirring and tossing it around to create a sauce consistency. The pasta will absorb that liquid and all its flavor so if you see it dry up at all, just add a bit more pasta water. The water will save this dish in so many ways so be sure to use it as a crutch but add little bits at a time. Once the pasta is perfectly al dente, add another ladle of pasta water and then shut off the heat. Let the pan cool down for at least 30 seconds before adding the cheese.
5. After 30 seconds, add a handful or two of cheese to the pasta and immediately begin to shake it and stir it up to help the sauce emulsify. If it tightens up at all, add some pasta water to adjust it.
6. Once the sauce is perfect and creamy and the pasta is perfectly cooked, add the guanciale/pancetta back to the pasta, mixed up on last time and make any last-minute adjustments with pasta water and then serve immediately. Finish with extra pecorino cheese and fresh cracked black pepper.

TTEOKBOKKI

This Korean dish is growing in popularity lately. The unique chewy texture of the rice cakes and the sweet and spicy sauce makes this dish irresistible.

Ingredients:

• 200g of rice cakes
• 1 tbsp of honey
• 1.5 cups of stock/broth
• ½ tbsp of gochugaru, korean chili powder (less is sensitive to spice)
• 1 tbsp/1 clove of crushed garlic
• 1tbsp of soy sauce
• 1 tbsp of sugar
• 1.5 tbsp of gochujang, korean chili paste

Directions:

1. Unless your rice cakes are soft already, soak them in warm water for 10 mins.
2. Boil the soup stock in a shallow pot over medium high heat and dissolve the tteokbokki sauce by stirring it with a spatula. Once the seasoned stock is boiling, add the rice cakes.
3. Boil them for a further 3 to 5 mins until the rice cakes are fully cooked. Then, to thicken the sauce and to deepen the flavor, simmer it over low heat for a further 2 to 4 mins.
4. Add the sesame seeds, mozzarella, and any other toppings you would like then quickly stir. Serve warm.

After completing this project, I remembered why I enjoyed cooking so much, particularly for other people. When I had my friends try these dishes and saw their expressions of enjoyment, it made me want to continue exploring new recipes so I can introduce them to more delicious dishes. I highly recommend anyone to go outside of their comfort zone and try cuisine that they are less familiar with, and even try cooking it themselves. Food is a window into the societies of the world, providing an attainable method to dive into the wonders different cultures have to offer.

Enjoy, 맛있게 드세요, and Bon Appetito!