Pasta with Tomato, Garlic & Basil Sauce

 





Spirals from San Remo!

 

Gnocchetti Sardi from granoro!

Penne Pasta!

 

 There are different varieties of pasta available, take the pasta of your choice, cook  Al dente and serve with pasta sauce. It will be an instant hit with children and adults alike.

 

How to Cook Pasta?

Pasta should not be too soft or too hard, it’s best to cook pasta 3/4^th, which is firm to bite. This is what we called ‘al dente’.

For 1 to 2 cups of pasta, pour 4 to 6 cups of water in a large pot and add a tsp. of Olive oil and salt to taste.  When the water boils, add the pasta and cook until firm, not too soft.  Drain the pasta and save the drained water to add it to sauce later.  Adding the drained water enhances the taste. (Quarter to half a cup will be fine.)

As you drain, rinse the pasta in cold water, so that the pasta doesn’t stick to one another.

Now mix the sauce with pasta, (or serve the pasta topped with sauce) garnish with Parsley and/grated Cheese, serve hot.

 For Home-made Pasta sauce recipe, refer to:

http://singaporechettinadrecipes.blogspot.sg/2014/04/home-made-tomato-based-pasta-sauce.html

 
 

Cooked Al dente!

 

With Sauce on top..

 

 

Mixed with Sauce!

Penne Pasta in Creamy Mushroom Soup

Penne Pasta in Creamy Mushroom Soup!

 

 

This recipe is my elder daughter’s contribution.  She’s a busy teenager, who can hardly find

time for herself.  One of her hobbies is cooking. This recipe of hers is a great hit among my

family members, esp. with my younger ones. She adapted the soup recipe from internet,

sometime back, which she says she couldn’t recollect the source. (I apologise for that) She

made lot of changes though...  Anyways, the idea of making it as a meal is hers.

 

Ingredients for Soup:

 

Butter – 30 to 50g

Plain Flour – ¼ Cup

Medium Onion – 1 (finely chopped)

Button Mushroom – 6

Water – 4 Cups

Nestle Cream – 2 tbsp.

Salt and Pepper – to taste

Dried/Chopped Basil – ½ to 1 tsp.

Dried/Chopped Parsley – to garnish

Method:

 

Melt butter in a soup pot over medium heat.  Add chopped onion and salt, fry until golden

brown.  Add mushroom and cook for few minutes.  Add plain flour little by little, stirring

continuously to prevent lumps.  Pour in water little by little, keep stirring in.  Bring to boil,

reduce to low heat and simmer for few minutes.

 

Stir in the cream, pepper and basil, simmer for few more minutes.  Garnish with parsley and

serve hot.

 

Creamy Mushroom Soup!

 

 

You can relish the soup on its own or with bread toast.  When you add cooked

pasta to it, it can be transformed into a fulfilling meal.

 

Penne Pasta:

 

Penne Pasta – 1&1/2 Cups

Water – 4 to 5 cups

Salt – to taste

Oil – 1 tsp.

 

Bring water to boil, add oil, salt and pasta, and cook over medium heat for 10 to 15

minutes.  Check for the doneness then and there.  Pasta need not be cooked through, it will

taste better, when it's 3/4^th done.  It should still be firm, yet cooked.

When the pasta is done, drain the water; wash it once, over running water, to prevent it from

becoming sticky.  Stir in the cooked pasta to a bowl of soup. 

 

Penne Pasta with creamy Mushroom soup is ready!

 

Penne Pasta in Creamy Mushroom Soup!

 

Recipe for Pizza

 

Pizza is an all-time favourite among kids and teenagers. This slightly Indianised

version of Pizza will sure become a great hit among everyone in the family. Try and

enjoy, and… don’t forget to give your feedback.

 



Golden Crust with melted Cheese!

 

  

Mini Pan Pizza!

 

  

Medium Size Pizza! (8 inch)

 

 

Ingredients:

 

Bread Flour – 1 Cup

Plain Flour/Maida – 1 Cup

(This will yield 1 large thin-crust Pizza (or) 2 pan Pizzas)

Olive Oil – 2 to 3 tbsp.

Or

Butter – 40g

(If it is salted butter, avoid salt)

Sugar – 2 1tsp.

Instant Yeast – 1 tsp.

(Preferably DHL Yeast)

Salt – ½ tsp.

Warm water – ½ to 1 Cup

Finely Chopped Garlic – 2 cloves

Finely chopped & deseeded Green Chilli – 1

Dried Parsley flakes – ½ tsp.

Italian herb mixture – 1 tsp.

(Or) Oregano – ¼ tsp.

 

Toppings:

 

 Veggie Mix

 

Thin Crust! (before rising)

 

 

 

With Pineapple Topping!

 

 

 

 

 Toppings for a Medium sized Pizza

 

  

 Mini Pizza (slightly over 6 inch)

 

 

More Cheese for Kids! 

 

 
Mozzarella Cheese - as required

Olive oil (to brush) - 1 tsp.

Prego Pasta Sauce – 1 tbsp.

Preferred Veggie mixture

(Options are endless – to name a few, Capsicum/Bell pepper/deseeded firm Tomato/Onion/Button Mushroom/pickled Olives/diced Pineapples, etc.)

Pineapple gives a lovely flavour and tangy taste to the Pizza.

 

Method:

In a large bowl, combine sifted bread flour and plain flour, along with salt, sugar, herb mixture, parsley flakes and instant yeast. (Sometimes, instead of parsley flakes I use to add freshly chopped Coriander leaves, which adds a lovely flavour) If using butter, rub in butter with the flour before adding water.  If using Olive Oil, pour olive oil and combine well before adding warm water. Make a well at the centre and pour warm water little by little and knead it into smooth dough.  Keep kneading until it becomes soft and elastic.  Cover it with a towel or plastic wrap and leave it to rise.  It may take an hour or more for the dough to double-up in size.  After it doubles up, to let out the air, punch it down with your fist and knead again briefly.  Then roll it and spread in a Pizza pan, if making 2 pan Pizzas, divide the dough accordingly.  Cover it with a towel and leave it in a warm place for 2^nd rising.  It may take half-an hour or more according to the climate. 

 Preheat Oven to 180◦C (or) 380◦F

 Now, it’s the time for making the toppings.  Brush it with olive oil and spread the sauce.  Spread the cheese and veggies.  If you like, sauté veggies lightly with a pinch of salt before you spread.

If you prefer it to be spicy add a ¼ to ½ teaspoon of paprika/crushed dried chilli to the vegetables.

When the oven is ready, bake the pizza for 12 to 15 minutes, until it is done. (Generally, cooking time of the ovens differ, so check for the done-ness after 12 minutes)

Delicious home-made pizza is ready. Serve hot. 


 

 

Straight from the Oven!

 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 

The crust is little thick..

 

Thin Crust Pizza!

 

Tips Tips Tips…

 For more information on fermenting yeast and raising the dough, kindly refer to my ‘Orange Sugar Bun Recipe’, below is the link:

http://singaporechettinadrecipes.blogspot.sg/2013/03/orange-sweet-buns-recipe.html

For Sauce, I generally prefer, Prego 'Traditional', sauce, though I've tried other brands like, Dolmio, Raghu, etc.,

If you want to increase the quantity of Pizza, here’s a suggestion:

 Plain Flour – 2 and ½ Cups

Bread Flour – 2 and ½ Cups

Instant Yeast – 2 to 2&1/2 tsp.

Olive Oil – 4 to 5tbsp.

Sugar – 3 tsp.

Salt – 1 tsp.

Finely Chopped Garlic – 4 Cloves

Parsley Flakes – 1 tsp.

Italian herb mix/Oregano – ½ tsp.

Warm Water – 2 to 3 Cups (as Required)

The above quantiy can yield 3 large Thin Crust Pizzas (or) 5 Pan Pizzas.

Sizes: (approx)

 
Mini - around 6 inches

Medium -  8 to 10 inches

Large - 12 inches

 Flour :

If you don't have Bread flour, you can use just the plain flour.

On the other hand, if you want a whole-meal Pizza, you can use 1 Cup of whole wheat flour/Atta flour and 1 Cup plain flour.

 

Garlic Bread and Bruschetta Recipe

Lovely Bruschetta!

Garlic Bread!

 

 

Ever since we tried this at ‘Little Italy’ Kota kinabalu, I wanted to make ‘Bruschetta’ at home.  When I tried, it turned out excellent. 

All of us in our family love ‘Garlic Bread’, garlic bread’s new version of Bruschetta, is a great hit among my kids. I’m sure you will love it too..

 

Ingredients:

 

Fresh Garlic!



Natural Himalayan Pink Salt!

 

Italian baguette – 1

Butter – 40g

Olive Oil – 2 tbsp.

Whole garlic Pod – 1

Salt – to taste
(I use Natural Himalaya pink salt)

Dried Basil - 2 tsp.

Parsley flakes – 2 tsp.

Garlic Spread!



 

Brushed with garlic spread, ready to go into oven..


 

Fresh from Oven..

 

 

Garlic Bread!

 

For Bruschetta:



Veggie mix for Topping.. Wow! Look at the color!

 

Firm (deseeded) Tomato – 1

Capsicum (deseeded) – 1/2

Red Onion – 1

Garlic – 1

Salt – to taste

Olive oil – 2 tsp.

 

Method:

Garlic Bread:

 

Preheat oven at 180◦C/350◦F

Cut baguette into circles, peel and pound garlic. Combine butter, crushed garlic, olive oil, parsley flakes, basil and salt well, to make garlic spread.

Brush both sides with garlic spread. Arrange it in a tray and bake in a preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes, until golden brown.  The rich flavour of garlic bread will fill the entire house.

Crispy Garlic bread is ready to serve.  My kids like to have it with ‘Mushroom Soup’; you can enjoy it as an evening snack as well.

 

Bruschetta:

 

Cut tomato, Onion and Capsicum into small cubes and combine with crushed garlic, Olive oil and salt.

Take the garlic bread; top it up with the veggie mix.

Oven fresh Italian Bruschetta is ready to serve.

 



Lovely Bruschetta!

 

Tips Tips Tips…

Make sure to do the topping just before you serve, or else the bread will become soggy.