On Monday, 25 October, we celebrated World Pasta Day.
Everyone loves pasta and that love starts from a very early age.
Give a kid a bowl of Mac & Cheese and it is welcomed with a big smile.
It is the one dish that is usually swiped clean, with everyone always asking for seconds.
Many say that pasta originated as early as the 13th Century in Italy, but some believe that the explorer Marco Polo brought it back from his epic voyage to China.
In the early days pasta was said to have been made from rice flour, but as the years went on its main ingredients varied, including flour, eggs, water and even corn.
Although the method of preparing pasta – by boiling or baking – stays the same, the shape of pasta has also evolved over the years.
Today, there are scores of pasta shapes, and their names are usually Italian describing their shapes.
Spaghetti means ‘cord’, vermicelli is ‘little worms’, rotini is ‘spirals’, fusilli, ‘spindles’, tortellini ‘little cakes’, linguini ‘little tongues’, conchiglie ‘shells’, fettuccine ‘small ribbons’, penne ‘quills’ and capellini ‘fine hairs’.
And these are just the most popular.
Pasta is very versatile – you can make an amazing stir fry, creamy pasta, tomato-based pasta, a lekker warm oven bake or even a vinaigrette pasta salad to serve with your braai.
When cooking, it can be difficult to accurately judge how much pasta you actually need.
You either end up with not enough to go round or a mountain of leftovers.
Our friends at Capsicum Culinary advise us to factor in the different shapes and sizes of pasta.
Their tip is to go by the ‘pasta per person rule’:
Dried pasta – 80g to 100g per person;
Fresh pasta – 115g to 150g per person;
Filled pasta like ravioli or panzerotti, around 175g to 200g.
Pretty cool, hey!
This week I am sharing a few of my favourite dishes which include recipes from @iloveavossa and our friends at Capsicum Culinary.
Happy Cooking!
Fettucine Napoletana
Recipe Credit Capsicum Culinary Chefs
Ingredients
500g fresh or dried fettucine
800g whole peeled tomatoes in tomato juice
3 leeks, roughly chopped
1 onion, roughly chopped
5 garlic cloves, crushed
2 red chillies, seeded and chopped
3t olive oil
3t butter
salt to taste
440g-500g pasta, cooked al dente
Parmesan cheese, grated
green peppercorns, to taste
Method
Preheat the oven to 170°C. Place the tomatoes, leeks, onion, garlic and chillies in a large roasting pan and top with the olive oil, butter and salt.
Roast until the tomatoes start to brown around the edges.
Stir and roast for a further 10 minutes.
Toss with the pasta and sprinkle over the Parmesan and peppercorns.
Serves 4.
Chicken and Macon Mac & Cheese
Recipe Credit Capsicum Culinary Chefs
Ingredients
1 onion
¼ each red, green and yellow pepper
15ml mixed dry herbs
1 clove garlic
15ml oil
200g chicken breast fillet, cut into thin slices
200g Macon, cut into bits
500g macaroni cooked (as per packet instructions)
For the sauce
750ml milk
2 heaped tablespoons cornflour
200g grated cheddar cheese, for topping
Spring onion, chopped for garnish (optional)
salt & pepper to taste.
Method
In a large saucepan, sweat the onions and peppers on low heat until the onions are translucent.
Add the herbs and garlic and continue cooking for 5 minutes.
Turn up the heat and add the Macon and fry until it changes colour.
Pour off the excess fat, add the chicken and cook for a further 10 minutes.
When all the meat is cooked add 500ml of the milk and bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes.
When the mixture is hot, combine the remaining milk with the cornflour to create a slurry and add to the hot milk mixture.
Stir continuously until the sauce thickens to a coating consistency.
Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.
Mix the sauce and cooked macaroni until well combined and spoon into a greased casserole dish.
Top with cheese to completely cover the top, grind over some cracked black pepper and place in a pre-heated oven at 200°C until the cheese bubbles and forms a golden crust.
Set aside to cool slightly before grating over fresh parmesan and a light sprinkle of chopped spring onion if using.
Curried Pasta
Recipe Credit Farzana Kumandan @sprinklesandspicect
Ingredients
250g pasta of your choice
2 tablespoons butter
½ finely diced onion
¼ finely diced red pepper
1 punnet mushrooms sliced
1 large, grated garlic clove
3 chicken fillets cut in strips
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 ½ teaspoons cumin (jeera)
1 ½ teaspoons coriander (koljana)
3 teaspoons red tandoori spice
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons lemon juice
240g tub tomato puree
1 cup fresh cream
Method
Boil the pasta in salt water with a dash of olive oil until al dente, strain, rinse in cold water to stop the cooking process and set aside.
On a stove top on a medium to high heat, melt the butter.
Add the onion, pepper and garlic and braise until light brown.
Add the chicken and mushrooms and braise until dry and golden brown.
Add the spices, salt, and sugar and mix well.
Add the tomato pure and fresh cream and bring to boil.
Simmer for 5 minutes.
Add in the pasta, mix and garnish with freshly chopped coriander
If you are making it before hand, heat the sauce and mix in the pasta just before serving, this ensures your pasta is creamy and saucy.
Spaghetti Aglio e Olio
Recipe Credit Capsicum Culinary Chefs
Ingredients
400g-500g dried spaghetti
2 red chillies, deseeded and cut at a 45-degree angle
1 large clove of garlic, very thinly sliced
10g parsley, very finely chopped
30g grated parmesan cheese
45ml olive oil
Method
Get a pot of water on the boil and add some salt (it must taste like the ocean!)
It all happens very quickly so make sure you have all your ingredients ready.
In a frying pan add 40ml olive oil and the garlic, heat up the pan slowly to allow the garlic to toast in the olive oil and be a light golden-brown colour.
Add ¾ of your sliced red chillies and fry them off.
Add the pasta to the water and boil until al dente.
Once the pasta is cooked, drain and add to the frying pan, along with about 20ml of the pasta water, and toss.
Add half the parmesan and ¾ of the chopped parsley, taste and check seasoning, adding salt and pepper if needed.
Garnish with remaining, chilli, parmesan and chopped parsley.
Lemony Avocado Pea Pasta
Recipe Credit @iloveavossa
Ingredients
140 g spaghetti
2 large ripe avocados, peeled and diced
100 g frozen petits pois or garden peas
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
4 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
50 ml avocado oil or extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Method
Bring a large pan of lightly salted water to the boil and cook spaghetti according to instructions on the packaging. Add the peas for the last 2-3 minutes. Drain and reserve ¼ cup of the cooking water.
Toss the pasta and peas with diced avocado, and cooking water, stir in the lemon zest and 3 tablespoons of the Parmesan, the reserved cooking water and the avocado oil.
Season with salt and pepper, and then pile it into two serving bowls. Sprinkle the dill and the remaining Parmesan over the top and serve immediately.
Creamed Spinach and Mushroom Pasta
Recipe Credit Farzana Kumandan @sprinklesandspicect
Ingredients
2 cups chopped spinach
1 punnet baby button mushrooms
1 chopped Onion
1 large clove garlic grated
1 tablespoon Cajun spice
1 tablespoon garlic and herb spice
Salt and pepper to taste
3 cups milk
1 tin ideal milk
1 packet white onion soup
250g cooked pasta of your choice (I used penne)
Method
Braise the onion until its golden brown.
Add the garlic, mushrooms and spinach and sauté.
Add the spices, ideal milk and 2 cups milk.
Mix the soup powder in the remaining cup of the cold milk, add to the sauce and continue stirring until the sauce thickens and boils.
Once it starts to boil, add in the cooked pasta, stir and serve.
You can swop the soup powder for 3 tablespoons flour or cornflour, but the white onion gives the pasta extra added flavour.