While the Pasta Boils Recipes...

Hi all,

I've been gently chivvied in this direction from the Religion forum by suzysunshine, so I thought I'd pop along and ask for some pasta recipes.

I'm a bit of a pasta fiend, and plus I tend to get home late-ish and I'm a lazy cook during the week, so things I can throw together whilst the pasta is boiling are perfect.

These are my two favourites, has anyone got any other ideas?

Chilli Broccoli Pasta
1. Pop your pasta on to boil, and add broccoli florets at the appropriate time. I like tortiglione or penne for this.
2. Meanwhile, chop enough fresh chilli to get a nice zing going and slice some garlic (you can add capers, too, if you like them) and soften in a pan with some nice olive oil. Grate some nice parmesan (a small handful per person) while you're at it.
3. Drain the pasta and broccoli, and throw in the garlic/chilli oil. Stir through for a minute or so to let the pasta pick up the flavour. Stir in the parmesan, season and serve.

Proscuitto/Pine Nuts/Artichoke/General Yummyness
1. Put the pasta on to boil - I usually use spaghetti.
2. In a separate pan, heat some olive oil and gently fry sliced garlic, pinenuts and torn proscuitto until it crisps.
3. Smush up some marinated artichokes and warm them through in the same pan.
4. Add the pasta, and a nice handful of freshly grated parmesan, a squeeze of lime juice, season and serve.

Hi there Isobel!
I didn't realise that you were new to us on here! I'm so glad that you came to check us out! Almost anything goes on in this Forum - silly, serious - and also special friendships! - there is no clique either, everyone is just so warm and friendly.
Just feel free to dive in and I really hope that you enjoy yourself! :o>

I am obsessed with carbonera style pasta!.......Creamy Courgette & Bacon Pasta.

Serves 3 - 4 // Prep: 10 mins // Cook: 20 mins
1 teasp olive oil // 150g diced pancetta or smoked bacon lardons // 4 courgettes, coarsely grated // 1 garlic clove, crushed // a handful freshly grated Parmesan // 200g low-fat crème fraîche // 300g tagliatelle.

Heat olive oil in large frying pan and sizzle pancetta or bacon for about 5 mins until starting to crisp. Turn up heat and add grated courgette to pan. Cook for 5 mins or until soft, starting to brown, then add garlic and cook for a minute longer. Season and set aside.

Cook tagliatelle according to packet instructions and scoop out a cupful of cooking water. Drain tagliatelle and tip into frying pan with bacon and courgette. Over low heat toss everything together with crème fraiche and half of Parmesan adding splash of pasta water too if you need to loosen the sauce.

You can also throw in cherry tomatoes, or peas and sweetcorn, chilli's, spring onions - anything you fancy really!

Season to taste and then serve twirled into bowls with remaining Parmesan scattered over. ENJOY! :o>

Hi Isobel, this is my fav pasta dish. It serves 6 but easy to adapt, no hard and fast rules.

6 Tbsp olive oil
3 Tbsp fresh rosemary leaves finely chopped
1/2 dried chilli flakes
4 garlic cloves finely chopped
2 tins of tomatoes, snip them with scissors in the tin
1/2 Tsp dried oregano
pinch of sugar
1lb penne
2 Tbsp Balsamic vinegar
7oz courgette slicedthinly and do not peel, I like a bit more so judge for yourself.
in a frying pan large enough to hold the amount of pasta you have cooked place 5Tbsp oil, rosemary, red chilli flakes, garlic and a pinch of salt. Keep an eye on it and heat through til aromatic. Garlic should be just golden and remove from heat as it will continue to cook in the hot pan.
Add the tomatoes and pinch of sugar, crush the tomatoes with the spoon as you go. Simmer for 15 mins or so for a nice thick sauce...it will smell devine!
In a large fry pan heat the remaining 1Tbsp oil and saute the courgettes until just golden, season with salt and pepper and the dried oregano and add to the cooked sauce.
Add the cooked pasta and stir to mix...stir in the balsamic vinegar and serve in bowls with parmesan.....Tastes amazing!

Ooh, that sounds good! Might swap the courgette for asparagus, though.

Also, you and Pixie are very good - posting proper directions and everything. I tend to be a bit of a bung it in and see what happens cook
- its why I'm terrible at baking!

Beef Stroganoff with Herb Pasta?
If you usually just serve stroganoff with rice, you should also try it out with some pasta instead - it just works beautifully with the creamy sauce. This is an old BBC Goodfood recipe that I like very much. It is very important to slice the beef as thinly as you possibly can - or you can use beef fillet, and/or flash-fry it first, so that it is very tender.

Serves 3 - 4 // Prep: 10 mins // Cook: 20 mins - plus freezing.
400g beef rump steak // 1 tabsp butter // 1 tabsp olive oil // 300g small button mushrooms // 400g pappardelle or penne pasta // 3 shallots, finely chopped // 1 tabsp plain flour // 300ml beef stock - or 3/4 stock and 1/4 red wine // 1 tabsp Dijon mustard // 1 tabsp tomato purée // 3 tabsp crème fraîche // 10g flat-leaf parsley, chopped.

Freeze beef for 45 mins before you begin, then slice as thinly as you possibly can, and then season. In large, non-stick frying pan, melt half butter with half oil. Increase heat, then quickly sear beef in batches until browned on both sides. Remove meat and set aside. Repeat with mushrooms, then set aside with beef. Boil pasta.

Add remaining butter and oil to pan and soften shallots for a few mins. Stir in flour for 1 min, then gradually stir in stock. Bubble for 5 mins until thickened, then stir in mustard, tomato purée, crème fraîche and seasoning. Bubble for 1 min more, then return beef and mushrooms to pan.

Drain pasta, toss with half parsley, season, then serve with stroganoff, sprinkled with remaining parsley. And maybe some paprika.

To make it more spicy?.....
Follow recipe up to end of stage 2, but instead of pasta, boil 300g basmati rice. Soften shallots in butter, then stir in 2 tbsp curry paste, tomato purée and flour, then fry for 1 min. Add stock and bubble as before, then stir in crème fraîche, or you can use natural yogurt instead. Serve with rice and scatter with some chopped coriander.

Sounds yummy too!

I do exactly the same Isobel, it's great fun to just play around with the ingredients! - and you can do it quite easily with just about everything when you are 'cooking' really, too. But 'baking'? well that's a bit different, I think, because it involves a certain amount of chemistry between all of the ingredients - and so it usually has to be quite accurate for it all to come together and work.

I usually stick with the original, basic recipe when posting, and then I can add any of my own twists that I have found to work for me. And if someone else finds any other ways, then they can also add to any of my posts - and we can all get excited and race back to our kitchens to have a go!!! ;o>

Ohhh, and please don't mind my EDITS !!! - I'm dyslexic - so I often put words in the wrong order, then correct them!!!

Don't worry - I'm a bit dyslexic also. Worst with numbers and when I'm tired.

Yeah, that's why I don't bake much - it doesn't take much mucking about with and that's half the fun!

I very rarely follow a single recipe. If I want to make a beef stew, for example, I tend to take the bits I like out a two or three recipes and make something up!

I'll leave this for the inspiration of others, methinks. Mushrooms are evil. Evil, I tell you!

HA HA HA!!! - you could try some thinly sliced pre-cooked peppers instead?

Now there's an idea!

What sort of mushrooms did you ingest, Isobel? The last time I ate any mushrooms, I felt very much the same way.

Ha - just ordinary white mushrooms. It's the texture I can't stand - like earlobes. My parents did make me try all sorts of edible mushrooms, though, including puffballs. Ick.

Chicken & Dolcelatte Tagliatelle.......serves 4 // Prep: 5 mins // Cook: 8 mins.
400g fresh tagliatelle // 350g chicken breast, boneless and skinless cut into thin strips // 200g Dolcelatte cheese, cut into chunks // 50ml dry white wine // 150ml double cream // 3 tabsp chopped flat-leaf parsley // 1 teasp smoked paprika // 2 tabsp olive oil // salt to taste.

Heat oil in medium size saucepan. Fry chicken for 4 minutes until golden all over. Pour in wine and cook for a further minute. Stir occasionally with wooden spoon. Add Dolcelatte and cook for 2 minutes over a low heat stirring, until melted. Pour in cream with paprika and continue to cook for a further minute, stirring continuously. Mix in parsley and season with salt and plenty of black pepper. Remove from heat and set aside. Meanwhile, cook pasta in large saucepan with salted boiling water until al dente. Once pasta is cooked, drain and tip into pan with sauce. Stir all together, away from heat, for 30 seconds allowing sauce to coat pasta beautifully. Serve immediately.
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Frittata Di Spaghetti Con Rucola........(Beef & Spaghetti Frittata).......serves 6.
300g dried spaghetti // 500g lean beef mince // 4 tabsp flat-leaf parsley, chopped // 1 carrot, peeled, finely chopped // 1 medium onion, peeled, finely chopped // 4 large eggs // 400g passata // 100g parmesan cheese, freshly grated // 100g rocket leaves // 3 tabsp extra virgin olive oil // salt and pepper, to taste.

Preheat oven to 180C /Gas mark 4 and brush 22cm diameter baking dish, approx 5cm deep, with a little oil. In large saucepan, fry chopped onion and carrot in two tabsps of the oil for five minutes until soft. Stir occasionally. Add minced beef and continue to cook for a further five minutes, stirring continuously to brown meat all over. Pour in passata, season with salt and pepper and continue to cook on medium heat for 10 minutes. Stir occasionally.

Meanwhile cook pasta in plenty of salted boiling water until al dente. Drain pasta and add to saucepan with the meat sauce. Stir well and leave to cool. Break the eggs into saucepan with pasta and meat then add parsley and grated cheese. Mix together well. Pour pasta into greased baking dish and smooth surface. Cook in preheated oven for 20 minutes or until crispy and set. Take out of oven and allow to rest for five mins. Transfer frittata to serving plate, scatter rocket leaves on top. Serve warm or cold.
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Pasticcio Dolce.......(Sweet Amaretto Pasta Cake).......serves 6.
250g vermicelli or thin noodle pasta // Olive oil for greasing // 4 tabsp Amaretto liqueur // 150g raisins // 4 eggs // 130g caster sugar // 80g almonds, chopped // zest of 1 orange // 4 granny smith apples // Juice of ½ lemon // 4 tabsp Demerara sugar // salt.

Place raisins in small bowl and pour over Amaretto liquor. Leave to soak for 10 minutes. Preheat oven at 180C / Gas mark 4. Peel, core and coarsely grate apples. Place in bowl and squeeze over lemon juice (so they do not turn brown). Line a 20 x 20cm loaf tin with baking parchment and lightly brush with oil.

In large saucepan, cook vermicelli in salted boiling water. Drain and rinse under cold water and set aside. Meanwhile in large bowl, lightly beat eggs with sugar. Add in almonds, orange zest and raisins with Amaretto liquor. Then fold in pasta and apples. Pour mixture into loaf tin, cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes.

Once the 40 minutes are up, remove foil, sprinkle with Demerara sugar and continue to bake for a further 10 minutes until lightly browned and crispy on top. Rest the Pasticcio out of the oven for 15 minutes. Serve at room temperature with a touch of cream.

Right, that last one is being tried this weekend! Sweet pasta, who knew?

Interesting, isn't it? I have a few recipes for sweet pasta, but that is the only one that I can find right now.
However, it is very nice! I've made it several times just for fun and the family do really like it! :o>

I suppose it makes sense - we have sweet rice, why not pasta?

Wow you girls are making me hungry and I,ve just had dinner...what lovely ideas,who needs a recipe site with you two around.. I,m the same as Isabel when it comes to recipes, I look up several and pick out the bits I like. The trouble is remembering what came from where when I come up with a cracker....do you think it,s too late for me to get organised and write it down.....boring