Gnocchi, Tuna and Ricotta

Posted by gmirage1 on Dec 3, 2011 in Italian, pasta | 9 comments

I’ve recently found a food fondness (alliteration not intended) that has been long forgotten. Gnocchi, those thick, soft dumplings I like eating with tuna sauce reintroduced itself in our kitchen after a year of absence. ^_^

I think I’ve been overlooking that particular shelf…hmm more of I can’t see it for the height of me. Yep, I sometimes ask someone to help me get the item from up the shelf. I’m 5’3″ and shelves are made for taller people. hihi.

So as simple as this recipe gets you’ll need:

a can of tuna
a can of tomato sauce
ricotta
a pack of gnocchi (you can make them too)
garlic
onion
olive oil
basil leaves
pepper
quattro formaggi (optional)

If you bought gnocchi, simply follow the cooking instructions.  If you’d like to make them on your own, here’s Mario Batali’s Gnocchi recipe. There are gnocchis that have ricotta already so if you get those then opt the ricotta out.

Saute garlic and onion on olive oil.
Pour tomato sauce and let simmer.
Stir in ricotta and tuna flakes.
Flavor with pepper and set aside.
Pour sauce mixture over gnocchi, garnish with basil leaves and cheese.

Serve as is or with baguette.

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Food Friday

Simple Carbonara

Posted by gmirage1 on Nov 4, 2011 in Featured, Italian, pasta | 15 comments

I would like to call this simple dish four-ingredient Carbonara but counting everything in – including pasta, there’s actually more and I forgot to include  two other ingredients in this photo – parmesan and pepper. So let’s say four-ingredient Carbonara sauce. ^_^ Italian Carbonara doesn’t have cream; that’s what I’ve been reiterating in my posts and I’m sorry I just have to say it again. Then again, it always gets creamier with well, cream…and that’s perhaps what we we’re used to having.

Carbonara sauce has 4 basic ingredients, that’s egg, bacon, cheese and black pepper. Going more particular, the bacon used is either guanciale or pancetta but hey any bacon is ok. For the cheese, Parmigiano-Reggiano/parmesan is preferred but I sometimes use the more similar Grana Padano.

Here’s what you need:

250g pasta of your choice (I often have Spaghetti or Tagliatelle)
100g bacon
100g parmesan
2 eggs
pepper

additional:

olive oil
garlic
onion

To cook, saute bacon in olive oil. Prepare pasta per package directions. In a bowl combine raw eggs, a drop of olive oil, cheese and pepper, mix well.

Put pasta in pan while still hot but remove the pan from heat. Stir in raw eggs mixture with pasta. Season with salt and pepper but I find the bacon salty already so I opt to leave out salt. Top your Carbonara with lots of parsley.

This is where your preferences come in. You can add peas, mushroom, broccoli or other vegetables. I sometimes put in tuna in lieu of bacon. Will have to share that recipe too. Enjoy your meal!

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for:

Food Friday, Yummy Sunday

Spaghetti with homegrown basil

Posted by gmirage1 on Jul 12, 2011 in Herb, pasta | 11 comments

At the start of spring the kids planted each an herb in small pots sitting by our kitchen window. Parsley, chives and basil were the contents of the packets we got from the store. They chose them in that order to as to who will plant the said herb. Parsley went to my oldest -daughter, chives went to my older son and basil was left for my younger boy. Months passed and they religiously water them, making sure that they get enough sunlight by the window but the chive withered. The parsley grew but not as much and only the basil was able to make itself thick…

So we had some of the basil plucked for this basic spaghetti recipe.

olive oil
ground beef (precooked – I usually simmer this)
minced garlic
tomatoes, cubed
basil leaves, chopped but leave some whole for garnishing
salt and pepper
pasta

1. Cook pasta per package directions.

2. In a saucepan, heat olive oil, put and cook ground beef until golden brown. Set the ground beef on one side of the pan and saute garlic. Do not overcook. Add tomatoes. Combine garlic and tomatoes with ground beef.

3. Stir in chopped basil leaves. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

4. Serve over cooked pasta and garnish with whole basil leaves.

Voila! Simple, easy and tasty.

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As for the quote, it’s not only Michael Chang, the tennis player who believes that with spaghetti and noodles he’d be ok. My younger son (pictured below) and the whole family loves spaghetti and any other noodles for that matter just like Chang.

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shared to:

Fresh Food Friday, Foodie Friday, Show and Tell, Foodie Friday, Simply Delish

Pineapples on Spaghetti

Posted by gmirage1 on May 29, 2011 in pasta | 6 comments

I truly have Pinoy (Filipino) preferences when it comes to Spaghetti. I’ll have it sweet than the salty Jamie Oliver’s or bolognese or the sour marinara and ascuitta sauces. Even if  original italian sauces tend to swerve on the two than sweet, I’m used to having it with lots of catsup (we say ketchup) and for this recipe, pineapple tidbits.

Ingredients

pasta of your choice
minced beef
leek, sliced into rings
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 can pineapple chunks or tidbits
salt
pepper
200ml cream
1/2 cup of tomato ketchup
a pack of tomato sauce

How to:

1. Cook pasta per package instructions. Drain pineapple saving the juice.

2. Heat oil in a large frying pan and saute meat until brown.

3. Add leek and drained pineapple to the beef and saute. Add a little pineapple juice.

4.  Add ketchup and tomato sauce; mix everything well and simmer covered on low heat. Adjust according to taste, add more juice, salt and pepper.

5. Stir in cream. Remove from stove.

6. Serve over cooked pasta.

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A post for Food Friday, Foodie Friday, It’s a Keeper, Recipe Swap, Fat Camp Friday, Friday Potluck, Weekend Eating.

Salmon-Parsley Pasta

Posted by gmirage1 on Nov 15, 2010 in Food Quote, pasta, salmon | 8 comments

“No man is lonely eating spaghetti; it requires so much attention.” -Christopher Morley

Two weeks ago I received a whole 5 kilo salmon right in our kitchen. Well, it’s more of bought because I paid 50€ (60$/2,999Php) for the whole of it. This is really a steal considering such expensive fish. I usually get salmon cuts for sushi at 20 a kilo! And since it was delivered at home, I do not need to worry about losing the freshness. So I got salmon stacked in our freezer, enough to feed us through a whole winter month. (Reminds me of bears happily catching their salmon by a river!)

Since the kids love salmon, they won’t be bored eating it as sashimi, in a soup, grilled, baked or in pasta. This is one of the simple dishes I prepare with salmon. I think I had this featured here before but with a different twist. This version has 2 or 3 more added ingredients. (lol)

Ingredients:

salmon fillet, skinned

pasta of your choice

cherry tomatoes, halved or pressed

low-fat crème fraîche

chopped fresh parsley

orange zest

salt

ground black pepper

Procedure:

Cube salmon and dust with salt and pepper. Sear the pieces and set aside.

Cook pasta per package directions.

Drain pasta and toss in tomatoes and salmon.

Mix in crème fraîche, parsley, orange zest and pepper to taste.

Top with as much salmon pieces as you want.

As the quote above says, eating spaghetti or pasta for that matter requires much attention. Add salmon to it and you need to double the concentration savoring the flavor.

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Scampi (recipe)

Posted by gmirage1 on May 3, 2010 in pasta | 9 comments

Scampi could be the culinary name for a lobster specie, the menu name for shrimp in Italian-American cuisine or the name of a shrimp dish served in garlic butter and dry white wine.

I found a magic bottle of spices last week! A mixture of sea salt with dried tomato flakes and dried basil which is perfect for pasta. So off I went to the kitchen and tried it. For this dish I simply put in olive oil, tomatoes, shrimp and basil in a pan, heat them up and serve over pasta.

Here is a recipe more complex than what I had.

Ingredients

* 8 ounces pasta of your choice (fettuccine is preferred)
* 1/4 cup olive oil
* 4 garlic cloves, minced
* 2 cups plum tomatoes, chopped and seeded
* 1/2 cup cooking wine
* 1/4 cup lemon juice
* 4 scallions, chopped
* 1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined, rinsed, patted dry
* 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
* 4 tablespoons dried basil
* 4 tablespoons parmesan cheese
* fresh basil leaves (optional)

Directions

1. Cook fettuccine for 8 minutes or until tender but still firm. Drain well; keep warm.
2. Saute garlic in olive oil in large skillet over medium heat for 2 minutes. Add tomatoes. Cook 5 minutes.
3. Pour in vermouth or cooking wine, lemon juice. Simmer 6 minutes.
4. Add scallions, shrimp and red pepper flakes. Cook until shrimp turn pink and are cooked through, about 3 minutes.
5. Stir in basil and parmesan cheese.
6. Toss with cooked pasta; top with fresh basil and serve immediately.

Happy RT!

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