pasta

” Mafaldine Primavera “

Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, the true “parmesan” (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

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Whenever I come across fresh mini veggies I tend to buy them and use them in a simple pasta dish such as this one.
No need for heavy sauce or other distraction from the freshness of the vegetables and the goodness of the pasta.
Pasta, vegetables, butter and / or olive oil, garlic, cheese and herbs all come together to be enjoyed in this simple yet most delicious dish.
Replace vegetables with any fresh vegetables you find at the market or whichever ones you might prefer.

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Mafaldine Primavera:

Ingredients:

Mafaldine, cooked al dente, strained, some of the cooking water reserved
Rainbow carrots, simmered until done but still crispy
Pearl onions, simmered until done but still crispy
Cherry tomatoes,
Butter, can be substituted with 50 or 100% olive oil
Parmigiano reggiano, grated
Fresh herbs, parsley / cilantro / basil / oregano, all or your preference only
Garlic, paste
Salt, pepper, to taste

Method:

Cook Mafaldine in boiling water until al dente, strain, reserve some of the water.
Saute garlic, carrots and pearl onions and garlic in butter or olive oil until garlic becomes fragrant but without changing color.
Add pasta, tomatoes, more butter or olive oil, most of your cheese, half of the herbs, some of the pasta water and salt and pepper.
Toss carefully so not to break up the vegetables or Mafaldine.
If consistency is to watery, add more cheese and toss again. If consistency is to heavy, add more of the pasta water.
Plate and sprinkle with more herbs and cheese.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !

” Vegetarian Yaki Udon “

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There are literally thousands of different types of pasta available to us, not including the many types we are able to easily make ourself at home.
If I ever had to pick THE ONE, THE ONLY pasta for that lonely island I’d be stuck at for a long time, together with the only song (Kashmir), the only woman (Maria), the only drink (Iced Tea) and the only book ( So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish, by Douglas Adams) , it would definitely be “Udon”.
In my opinion, udon is the ultimate , most versatile, most satisfying pasta. Readily available in most asian food stores, either fresh or frozen, udon is a great culinary delight. Their ability to hold on to any sauces they are paired with makes them the ideal slurping pasta for a comfortable, homy meal. Last night, this is how I used udon for dinner :

” Vegetarian Yaki Udon ”
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Listen to Kashmir 🙂

Another udon dish I prepared at home, this one with protein.

Yaki Udon Video
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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” Vegetarian Spaghetti Bolognese “

Today I did not feel for meat or seafood for lunch,
so a vegetarian bolognese over pasta seemed just fine.
Pasta and sauce ! What could be wrong ? Nothing 🙂
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Cook the spaghetti until al dente, strain.
Sautee carrots, celery, onion, garlic and oregano in butter,
add crushed tomato, salt, cayenne pepper, maggi seasoning
and simmer until veggies ar done.
Add pasta, generous amounts of butter and grated parmesan cheese.
mix until a light sauce coats your pasta. The texture should be such
that when you plate your pasta there should be no water separating
from the sauce.
(Alternatively, top pasta with sauce as in picture)
If consistency is too liquid, add parmesan cheese.
If too consistency is too thick, add pasta cooking water.

Below find a link to a cooking video of mine where I cooked “Fusilli Bolognese”

Fusilli Cooking Video
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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” Conchiglie A La Mode Du Hans “

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Last night’s midnight snack.
I guess that was one pound straight to the rib’s 😦
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Boil pasta shell’s until al dente, drain, reserve some of the cooking water.
Sautee steak cubes in very hot oil until still rare in center. Remove from pot, reserve.
Sautee vegetables in olive oil very briefly. Remove from pot, reserve.
Deglaze pot with red wine and let it slightly reduce.
Add pasta, beef, veggies, all the accumulated juices from the beef and veggies, a good amount of soft (not melted) butter, plenty of grated parmesan cheese and some of the cooking water from the pasta. Mix all until the sauce coats the pasta lightly.
If consistency seems too thin, add more cheese. If consistency seems too thick, add more pasta water.
To serve, sprinkle with crumbled gorgonzola and scallions.
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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” Breakfast Of Champions ” # 2

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” Rigatone Carbonara “, with tomatoes and Basil
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Bella and I sharing breakfast.
(Don’t worry, I have my own bowl, on the table. 🙂
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My version of “Carbonara” :
Wisk 2 egg yolks and 1 whole egg with 1/2 cup milk,
2 tbsp parmesan, kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.
Saute 3 cup’s rigatone in butter (use olive oil if you prefer), until
pasta becomes lightly crispy on a few spots.
Add egg mixture, tomatoes and chiffonade of basil and cook
until egg’s start to set. Share with a loved one .

Bon Appetit ! Live is Good !
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” Rotelle, Artichokes, Snails & Grape Tomatoes “

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A few months ago I had one of these “whatever is in the cupboard” moment’s.
Low and behold, some of my favorites : Pasta, snails, artichokes.
The wonderful result of this :
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Personally I think it looks great, and best of all, it tastes even better.
That and the different textures made it an outstanding dish 🙂
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Boil the rotelle, strain, reserve some of the cooking water.
Make a mixture of cornstarch, flour, salt, garlic powder and lemon-salt.
Dredge the snails in the mix and fry at 375 degrees until crisp on the outside,
but moist and plum on the inside. Reserve on absorbent paper.
Fry the artichokes and reserve the same way.
Saute finely chopped garlic and onion in olive oil until opaque.
Add rotelle, a good amount of soft (not melted) butter, finely grated
parmesan cheese, tomatoes and some of the cooking water to the pot
and stir until a sauce forms that coats the pasta lightly.
Season with salt and pepper.
To serve, place pasta on bottom of plate or bowl, top with snails and
artichokes and sprinkle with parmesan and chopped parsley.

Bon Appetit ! Live is Good !
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” Asian Garlic Noodles “

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Although when we hear Asia we don’t automatically think of
Parmesan Cheese and Maggi Seasoning, you would be surprised
how many of our western ingredient’s have found their way to Asia
for the asian version of fusion cooking.

Especially Malaysia and the Philippines have become culinary melting
pot’s, not only in restaurants in business and tourist areas, but also
in ordinary homes. You can omit the cheese and maggi in this dish to
be more authentic asian, but you will miss out on a lot of flavor and texture.
There are a million variations of this dish, this is one of my favorites 🙂

It’s your call, maggi & parmesan, or not 🙂

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Ingredient’s :

Salt
Chili pepper, flakes or ground
Garlic (2 heaping tablespoons)
Fish sauce (1 tablespoon)
Maggie sauce (1 tablespoon)
Oyster sauce (1 tablespoon)
Sugar (1 tablespoon)
Pasta, your favorite type (20 oz)
Water, reserved from cooking pasta
Butter, unsalted (1 stick)
Parmesan cheese, grated (1 heaping tablespoon)
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Method :Boil pasta i salted water, strain, reserving some of the pasta water.
Melt butter, sautee chili flakes, add pasta, add all other seasoning and cheese.
If texture is too dry, add pasta water ’til you reach the proper consistency
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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” Osso Buco “

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Poor people who go through life saying : Food? Yeah , whatever. 😦

Tonight’s dinner , another few ounces sticking to my rib’s.
” Osso Buco ” , this one made with beef shanks instead of veal shanks.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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” Yellow “

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Had leftover pasta from yesterday and did not feel to have a big production.
This hit the spot : Pasta, butter, eggs, kosher salt, sriracha, garlic powder.
Will call this dish officially ” Yellow ”
(Must use yellow china, no other color or garnish unless it’s yellow :-).
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” Pasta, Morcilla & Poached Egg “

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” Pasta, Morcilla & Poached Egg “

(Morcilla = Blood Pudding, Blutwurst, Blood Sausage)

What a tasty, satifying dish. Familiar ingredients, not so familiar combination.
If you like morcilla, you’ll love this dish.
If you usually don’t like morcilla , you will probably still like this dish 🙂

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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