Category: Italian

Italian, Noodles and Pasta, Western

Spaghetti Primavera

7shasha7

I remember when I was a young Uni grad working part time at this Italian restaurant. And on the menu was spaghetti primavera. All I remembered was simply pasta with a whole lot of vegetables.

And since I am on a mission to feed myself and the family more vegetables, I decided to make my own version of it by adding more vegetables then I could remember in that Italian restaurant version!

I first sautéed garlic in olive oil and then added sliced shiitake mushrooms. Cook till browned. And then added zucchini slices and blanched broccoli followed by cherry tomatoes. And then I added my cooked spaghetti in and toss to mix. The last was from my fridge, I had a glass container full of my oven baked capsicum and slices of garlic in olive oil slices. I added about two huge tablespoons including some of the oil into the mixture. Season with sea salt and black pepper and a handful of grated Parmesan. To serve, sprinkle some red pepper flakes.

I am happy that the family ate this up. Lots of goodness in a plate. If you want to add more vegetables in your diet, I strongly recommend this simple yet delicious and nourishing dish!

Bread and Batter, Italian, Snack, Western

Pinwheel Pizza

7shasha7

I saw a recipe on GoodFood magazine for pinwheel like bread dough with pesto sauce. But since I didn’t have a jar of ready made pesto, I decided to make pizza filling instead. I used Tastemade pizza dough recipe but instead of using plain flour, I used bread flour.

It’s so simple and delicious!! Especially when just out of the oven and the cheese is all gooey and melty. And the best past is that this recipe is really good for making use of leftover cheese!

The dough recipe I used was, in a mixer with the dough hook, put in 4 cups of bread flour, one packet of active dry yeast, two pinches of salt. I’ll use more next time, maybe three pinches of salt. On slow, mix the dry ingredients together. Then add in 1 and a half cups of warm water. To form it into a pliable dough, add a splash of warm water so it comes together, about one teaspoon. Don’t add in too much! Let the machine do its thing. I let it run for about two to three minutes, the form it into a ball, let it to rest for an hour and voila! A puff of billowy dough. Once it’s risen, lightly punch it down and roll.

I used ready made pasta sauce from a squeeze bottle, and all my leftover cheeses from previous bakes – 1/2 packet of cheddar, 1/2 packet of parmesan, 3/4 packet of mozzarella cheese. Then the leftover handful of chives snipped fine. I added 6 slices of chicken honey thin ham and rolled it all as tight as I could.

Using a sharp knife, cut and lay flat but tuck in the end into the center of the dough piece so that it won’t unravel when baking.

Delicious! I’m happy with Sunday breakfast today. 😊

Italian, Noodles and Pasta, Seafood

Spaghetti Vongole – My Style

7shasha7

I was excited when I saw a bottle of sparkling apple juice at my NTUC. Excited because a colleague had recently told me that she used this in lieu of white wine. No wonder, because using just plain water always makes my spaghetti insipid (if not using a tomato-based recipe).

Since I had that bottle, this morning I thought I’d make Spaghetti Vongole using ‘white wine’. Har har. Of course to Non-Muslims, using real white wine would be better but I stick to my dietary restrictions the best way possible. Being a teetotaler (like, duh), I had no idea initially how to open the bottle. Then, when I finally figured it out, realised that once you’ve opened the cork, there is no way to cork the bottle back. Ha ha! I was never really good at concepts. Anyway, using the sparkling apple juice really made a huge difference to the dish.

I used frozen ready boiled clams just because they weren’t selling fresh clams at the supermarket this morning. Also, I added a couple of prawns. And loads of fresh coriander. The result was really good. Oh, and fresh super-sweet baby tomatoes. I had the best dish because after I’ve cooked it, I ate it straightaway. Lazy, I didn’t separate the noodles from the wonderful broth so by the time The Hubby ate the dish, all the liquid had absorbed into the spaghetti. Hee hee. Next time, I’ll separate and make individual portions.

Imported from Spain.

 

In olive oil, add garlic till browned, a dash of chilli flakes, then in goes the tomatoes and then the prawns. Since the clams are already cooked, add them last.

 

Add the sparkling apple juice.
Add the clams and chopped fresh coriander. Add salt. At this point, keep. Don't add the spaghetti in, like what I did. Separate them. If someone wants to eat a plate, in a pan, add some of the broth and then saute with some spaghetti.
To serve, add a sprig of fresh coriander and grated parmesan cheese.
Another look at the broth. I loved them clams. I'm so going to make clam chowder when I get the chance.