Recipes for Pasta

Ingredients

* 1 quart can of tomatoes
* 1 slice of onion
* 2 cloves
* pepper
* salt
* 1 ounce of butter
* 1 tablespoonful of flour

Instructions

Take tomatoes, put it over the fire in a stewpan, put in onion and cloves, a little pepper and salt; boil about twenty minutes; then remove from the fire and strain it through a sieve.

Now melt butter in another pan, and as it melts, sprinkle in flour; stir it until it browns and froths a little. Mix the tomato pulp with it, and it is ready for the table.

Excellent for mutton, chops, roast beef, etc.

Ingredients

* 2 ounces of butter
* 2 large onions
* 2 pounds of shin of beef
* 2 small slices of lean bacon (if at hand)
* salt and whole pepper to taste
* 3 cloves
* 2 quarts of water

For thickening

* 2 ounces of butter
* 3 ounces of flour

Instructions

Put the butter into a stewpan; set this on the fire, throw in the onions cut in rings, and fry them a light brown; then add the beef and bacon, which should be cut into small square pieces; season, and pour in a teacupful of water; let it boil for about ten minutes, or until it is of a nice brown colour, occasionally stirring the contents. Now fill up with water in the above proportion; let it boil up, when draw it to the side of the fire to simmer very gently for 1 1/2 hour; strain, and when cold, take off all the fat. In thickening this gravy, melt 3 oz. of butter in a stewpan, add 2 oz. of flour, and stir till of a light-brown colour; when cold, add it to the strained gravy, and boil it up quickly. This thickening may be made in larger quantities, and kept in a stone jar for use when wanted.

Time: Altogether, 2 hours.

Ingredients

* 2 tablespoons butter
* 2 tablespoons flour
* 1 cup milk
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* few grains pepper

Instructions

Put butter in saucepan, stir until melted and bubbling; add flour mixed with seasonings, and stir until thoroughly blended. Pour on gradually the milk, adding about one-third at a time, stirring until well mixed, then beating until smooth and glossy. If a wire whisk is used, all the milk may be added at once; and although more quickly made if milk is scalded, it is not necessary.

Pesto can be used as a sauce for pasta or meat, or can be used as an ingredient in a variety of dishes. One classic use is to spread the pesto onto slices of bread which are then toasted.

The following recipe substitutes Romano cheese for the usual Parmesan.

Ingredients

• 4 oz. fresh basil (100g)
• approx. 8 oz. extra virgin olive oil (200g)
• 1/3 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese (In all cases, good quality Parmesan cheese may replace the Pecorino for a milder taste). Crumbled feta cheese also works well for a different taste.
• 1/4 cup pine nuts (optional)
• 4 cloves garlic
• fresh ground pepper and salt to taste

Procedure

Preheat the oven to 425 °F (220 °C). In an ovenproof pan, toast the pine nuts for 10–15 minutes, checking every 5 minutes to prevent excessive browning or burning. In a small frying pan (skillet), heat 2 tbsp of the olive oil on medium heat. Crush the garlic and sauté in the oil until soft, about 2–3 minutes. Combine the basil, garlic, cheese and pine nuts in a food processor or blender and chop finely. While the processor is still running, slowly add the remaining oil to reach a paste-like consistency.

The sauce can be used immediately, covered with a thin layer of olive oil and refrigerated in an airtight container for one week, or frozen for several months. The cheese can be omitted to allow longer storage, as it is most likely ingredient to spoil. Grated cheese is then added right before use.

It’s possible to store it in jars for longer, but it’s advisable to add a little extra olive oil on top of the filled jar, otherwise the top of your pesto will turn brown as it oxidizes in the air.

Traditional method

Traditionally, a mortar and pestle was used to make the sauce, but this has generally been replaced by the food processor. Note, however, that the crushing action of the mortar and pestle produces a more intense flavour than the chopping action of a food processor. You can simulate the additional flavor of the mortar and pestle by placing the basil leaves in a plastic bag and crushing them with a rubber mallet or rolling pin prior to placing in the food processor. Indeed, the word “pesto” derives from the Italian for “pestle”, pestello.

Additionally, the cheese was added at the time of use, as it is the most likely to spoil. Pesto without the cheese can be stored at room temperature for up to a month, or refrigerated for several.

Different nuts

A common change in the recipe is to replace some or all of the pine nuts with sunflower seeds, walnuts, pistachios or almonds. This significantly reduces the cost of the sauce. Besides being cheaper, it is also necessary for people with nut allergies.

Creamy pesto

Take two tablespoons of the sauce above in a sauce pot and heat on medium-low. Add one cup light cream, and bring to a simmer. Use for pasta. Serves two.

Sun-dried tomatoes

Replace the pine nuts with an equal quantity of sun-dried tomatoes. Use as above.

Different bases

You may change the taste by changing the base of the pesto from basil to other easily obtained herbs/vegetables. For example, many variations include using cilantro (for a more aromatic taste) or spinach (more “bang for your buck”, as spinach is much cheaper than basil, yet still has its own distinct flavor). Try to mix up the standard basil/garlic combo by introducing shallots (sweet onions) into the mix, as it adds a slightly sweet taste to the paste. A good alternate favorite pesto is to mix (fresh) chives, marjoram and thyme with the basil, which produces something akin to Valdostano-style pesto. Another nice variant replaces the basil with equal parts of leaf parsley and spring onions. Arugula may also be substituted for basil with surprising, spicy results.

Fettuccine Alfredo is a dish of fettuccine pasta with a sauce made of cream, butter and cheese. In popular American cooking the cream preparation is considered to be a sauce, though this is not the Italian convention.

Alfredo Sauce is rich but simple. Because it is simple you can create many variations. You can add such elements as green peas, asparagus tips, lemon zest, blanched bacon or proscuitto, shrimp, and even bite-sized pieces of smoked salmon. Pretty much anything other than beef or game can be added to this basic sauce.

The tricks to making a good Alfredo are gentle cooking and a proper balance of ingredients. The sauce should be just thick enough to coat the pasta without pooling on the bottom of the plate, but it should not be so thick as to be glue-like. The sauce can be made in the time that it takes to bring a pot of water to the boil and cook the pasta.

Fettuccine Alfredo should be served immediately, because as it cools the large amount of fat in the sauce will congeal too much. If it cannot be served immediately it should be made thinner in the pan than you want it when it’s plated and presented.

This recipe will sauce one pound of pasta and serves 6 as a first course.

Ingredients

• 1¾ cups (400 ml) heavy cream
• 6 tbs. unsalted butter
• 8.5 ounces (240 grams) grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tsp. salt
• fresh-ground black pepper
• pinch of fresh-ground nutmeg

Preparation

1. Combine 1¼ cups (300ml) cream and the butter in a saute pan large enough to accommodate the sauce and later the pound of pasta. Heat over a low flame, stirring frequently, until the butter is melted and the cream comes to a bare simmer. Remove the pan from the heat once the butter is evenly incorporated into the cream.
2. Cook the pasta, draining it a little before it reaches the al dente stage. The pasta should be slightly undercooked before being added to the sauce because it will continue to cook while the sauce is being finished.
3. Drain the pasta and add it to the pan, along with the remaining ½ cup (100ml) of cream, the cheese, the salt, the nutmeg, and several grinds of the pepper mill.
4. Heat the pasta and sauce over a low flame, tossing continuously, until the cheese melts into the sauce and the sauce thickens slightly, about 1 - 2 minutes.

Ingredients

• olive oil
• garlic cloves
• ripe tomatoes
• salt
• ground black pepper
• fresh cream
• oregano

Procedure

1. Finely chop tomatoes or purée them in a food processor - this depends on what consistency you want. Chopping gives a chunkier sauce while using puréed tomatoes yields a smoother sauce.
2. Grind garlic to paste.
3. Heat oil in a pan. Using a pan with non-stick coating needs less oil.
4. When oil is hot (but not too hot), turn down heat and add garlic paste.
5. When garlic is golden-brown, add tomatoes.
6. Tomatoes have to be cooked until done - they’ll look and smell cooked instead of raw, and will be a deeper, redder colour.
7. Half way there, add salt and pepper.
8. When tomatoes are almost done, add fresh cream (more if you want, but less is good too).
9. After half a minute, add oregano.
10. Cook for another minute, and your pasta sauce is ready.
11. Add cooked pasta and vegetables and serve hot.

Rosemary is one of my favourite herbs – its clean, spiky scent pervading my kitchen takes me to the South of France on a warm summer’s day. It is the hardiest plant in my herb garden, surviving our driest summers and putting out new growth as soon as the winter rains begin. You can pick from it all year round and it has useful medicinal properties too.

I love Roast Lamb with generous amounts of rosemary and garlic tucked underneath as it cooks or else I take Nigella Lawson’s advice and mince the garlic and rosemary to a paste with some olive oil and tuck it into small incisions in the meat before cooking. After that the meat just cooks itself (as long as you remember to switch on the oven for it!) and you have a marvellous Sunday lunch for very little effort. A dash of red wine added to the juices from the roasting dish and warmed through gives you a ‘jus’ that any five star restaurant would be proud to own – do spoon off the excess fat first though. For a totally low effort lunch serve the roast lamb with a generous green salad and boiled new potatoes, or expend the effort you’ve saved with the meat on producing loads of crispy roast potatoes, baked butternut squash and tender green peas.

The following pasta sauce recipe came from experimenting with a recipe from Marcella Hazan’s Marcella’s Kitchen. To her tomato and rosemary pasta sauce I added some tuna to create a nutritious and delicious meal for my kids – the balsamic vinegar gives a mellow, rounded note to the sauce and is not in the least overpowering as I thought it might be.

Penne with Tuna, Tomato, Rosemary and Balsamic Vinegar

For 450g/1lb pasta

• 8 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 or 4 cloves garlic
• 2 sprigs rosemary
• 450g/1lb tinned tomatoes, drained and chopped
• 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 tin of tuna drained

Put the olive oil, thinly sliced garlic and rosemary sprigs in a frying pan over a medium heat. When the garlic starts sizzling add the tomatoes, with salt and pepper and cook for 10-12 minutes.

When the pasta is just cooked – really al dente – drain and put back in the pan and toss with the sauce over the heat for 1 minute. Add the tuna, stir, then off the heat stir in the balsamic vinegar and serve immediately.

There is a wonderful recipe for a Rosemary Cake in Nigella Lawson’s book ‘Feast’. She allocates it to her Funeral Feast section. as rosemary has always been the herb of rememberance, but this cake is great for any occasion when a light, not too sweet, plain sponge is required. It has apple in it too and the combination of that and the rosemary, gives a moist but aromatic cake. A long sprig of rosemary adorns the top of the cake and as it cooks releases more aromatic oils into the cake. Try it.

To make use of rosemary’s health boosting properties try a cup of rosemary herbal tea. One sprig with a cup of boiling water poured over it and left to stand for five to ten minutes, makes a revitalising and stress-relieving tea. It acts as an anti-inflammatory and aids circulation, helps with stress, anxiety and depression and improves memory and concentration. It also is a useful source of easily absorbed calcium, far more effective than taking pills.

So plant a rosemary bush in your garden or in a pot on a balcony for your own free, energy-boosting calcium supplement!

Copyright 2006 Kit Heathcock

About the Author: Kit Heathcock - worked and travelled in Italy for many years, is passionate about food and loves being a fulltime mother. Co-creator of A Flower Gallery home of original flower pictures and Food and Family!

Add Spice to Your Supper With Italian Pasta
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Pasta is the most versatile Italian food. While it is increasingly popular here in the U.S., believe it or not it is far more popular in Italy. Pasta is basically created from flour. However, various types of grain can also make pasta. In order to make pasta flour is mixed with water and many times also mixed with eggs. When the mixture is complete, it is kneaded and shaped into numerous shapes. The vast amount of pasta that is cooked is first boiled before served, however pasta can be baked, but before doing so it is usually boiled.

Pasta is very budget friendly and can be very filling. It is a starch, and while most Americans are familiar with the dried pasta that is in long thin rods- spaghetti, it can also come fresh and in practically any shape including shells, tubes, spiral, very thick noodles, etc.
Italians refer to all pastas as macaroni, however, here in the United States we usually consider macaroni as small shell type shapes of pasta.

Pasta with Tomato Meat Sauce

• -16 ounces of pasta (spaghetti)
• -1 16 ounce jar of tomato sauce
• -1-1 ½ pounds of hamburger meat
• -1 onion
• -Olive oil
• -Salt and pepper to taste

In a large pan boil water to ¾ full and add a teaspoon of olive oil and some salt. Once the water boils add in the pasta and stir for a minute or two to make sure that it doesn’t adhere to the bottom. In a frying pan, add some oil and then add some hamburger meat along with a chopped onion. Heat the hamburger meat until medium or well done. In a sauce pan, add contents of tomato sauce. Let simmer on a low to medium heat. Do not cook the sauce quickly, it will only burn it and become dry. Once all items are complete, mix all ingredients, season with salt and pepper to taste and serve hot. Yields about 4 servings.

Stuffed Shells in Tomato Sauce
Stuffed shells are a great way to make dinner out of pasta, cheese and tomato sauce. They are easy to create and can be cooked in about 20 minutes. Here is the recipe:

• 1 16 ounce box of large pasta shells. (Make sure that the shells are already pre cooked and ready to be baked. If not, you will have to first boil them and then bake them.
• 1 pound of ricotta cheese
• 1 16 ounce jar of tomato sauce
• Side dishes that go well are spinach, green beans, mushrooms or a Greek Salad

Heat your oven to about 350 degrees. Stuff the shells with ricotta cheese. Generally each shell can be stuffed with about 2 tablespoons of cheese. Once stuffed, place the shell on a baking pan and cover the shell with foil. Cook for about 20 minutes. In a medium sauce pan with a low to medium heat simmer tomato sauce. Once complete cover shells with sauce. Other variations include adding meat to the sauce, spinach, etc.

About the Author: Christine Steendahl, “The Menu Mom”, www.themenumom.com is known online for her popular meal planning programs. For her personal favorite stuffed shells recipe hop over to http://www.dinewithoutwhine.com/stuffed-pasta-shells.htm