BURNT GARLIC WITH WHOLE WHEAT PASTA

 wheat pasta flavoured deeply with burnt garlic
Ingredients:

Garlic, sliced thinly

                           15 cloves

Whole wheat penne pasta              

200 grams

Olive oil

4 tablespoons

Green capsicum, seeded and chopped

1 medium

Cherry tomatoes, halved

6

Salt                                                       

to taste

Crushed red chillies                         

1 teaspoon                                                                       
 Broccoli, blanched                            1 teaspoon

Dried mixed herbs                           

  

5-6 florets 

Method:

Boil plenty of water in a deep pan and cook pasta in it till al dante. Drain and refresh.Heat olive oil in a wok. Add garlic and sauté till golden. Add green capsicum and sauté. Add cherry tomatoes and continue to sauté. Press the tomatoes with the back of the stirring spoon so that they release some juices. Add salt, crushed red chillies and dry mixed herbs and stir. Drain the pasta and add to the wok. Add broccoli and mix. Serve hot.

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Penne all'arrabbiata

Firstly, this fiery dish gains its name arrabbiata (angry) because of the use of chilli. When preparing this angry dish, feel free to use as much chilli as you want, it is up to you and to your mouth, to make it angry or very angry!

This is a recipe that has its origin in the central part of Italy, more precisely, it belongs to the Roman cooking tradition. As you can imagine, in Italy there are so many versions of it because of the different regional cooking traditions that influence this famous dish, some are so adventurous that they have nothing to do with a proper arrabbiataouth, to make it very angry!

Ingredients:

• 400 g (14 oz) Penne rigate pasta
• 90 ml (3 ½ oz) Extra virgin olive oil
• 2 Cloves of garlic (finely chopped)
• 2 or 3 Whole dried red chilli (roughly chopped)
• 500 g (1.1 lb) Chopped tomatoes
• A small handful of flat leaf parsley (roughly chopped)
• Salt for seasoning

Method:

1. Chop the garlic and chilli.
2. Heat the olive oil in a sauté pan (medium heat) and add the chopped ingredients (garlic/chilli) into the pan.
3. Sauté for a couple of minutes or until the garlic becomes golden in colour.
4. When the garlic has turned to golden, add the chopped tomatoes.
5. stir for a few seconds.
6. Season with salt.
7. Stir again for few seconds.
8. Now, cook on medium/low heat for about 20-25 minutes, to reduce the sauce. After this time the suace will be ready.
9. A few minutes before the arrabbiata sauce is ready, boil your pasta and when the pasta is cooked al dente, drain it and add it into the pan containing the sauce
10. Stir for few seconds to coat the pasta with the sauce. Do this when the pan is still on the heat.
11. Then, sprinkle with chopped parsley.
12. Give a quick stir and serve immediately.

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Spaghetti With Pesto And Tomato Salad

This pesto sauce and tomato salad can be prepared while the pasta is cooking, and then the pesto sauce is simply tossed with the hot pasta before serving with a scoop of the tomato salad on top.You can also change your pasta to make it your own by adding other ingredients such as diced mozzarella, toasted pine nuts, pitted black olives, or instead of the diced plum tomatoes I used, choose a combination of red and yellow halved cherry tomatoes. I prefer to keep the pesto sauce fairly light, but feel free to add more to adjust it to your personal preference. The flavors are lovely in this dish so I always make extra so I can enjoy the pasta the following day for lunch cold as pasta salad.

Ingredients: 

• 1 Pound Spaghetti
• 2 Cups Fresh Basil Leaves, Washed & Dried
• 1/4 Cup Extra Virgin Olive OIl
• 2 Garlic Cloves, Peeled
• Salt & Pepper
• 1/2 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
• 2 Cups Diced Ripe Plum Tomatoes
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar

Method:

• Cook the pasta in a large pot of lightly salted water until it is al dente. While the pasta cooks, place the basil, olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper in a food processor and process until smooth. Add the parmesan cheese and pulse to mix. 
• Toss the diced tomatoes with the vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Drain the pasta, reserving a little of the pasta water in a cup, and then add enough pesto to lightly coat the pasta. Use a little of the pasta water to loosen the sauce if it seems too thick. Spoon the pasta into individual bowls, and top with the diced tomato salad.

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