Tag: basil
Gluten Free Pasta Bake
I wanted to experiment with gluten free pasta. I actually went shopping for lasagna noodles but couldn’t find the gluten free variety. The store had run out of them, due to their popularity. I instead bought some penne and planned on layering my dish like a lasagna using penne instead lasagna noodles. It turned out delicious!!
- ½ pound gluten free penne (lasagna sheets will be great as well)
Cook 2 minutes short of package instructions. Drain and keep aside making sure
pasta doesn’t stick together.
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 small medium yellow onion, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 yellow squash, chopped
- 2 small zucchini, chopped
- 1 yellow pepper, chopped
- 2 cups tomato sauce
- Salt
Heat a wide saucepan with the olive oil. Add the onion and garlic. Saute on medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the squash, zucchini and pepper. Saute on medium heat until the vegetables are golden brown (careful not to overcook them). Add the tomato sauce and salt. Bring to a boil and simmer for 3 to 4 minutes. Check for seasonings and keep aside.
Ricotta Filling
- 1 cup low fat ricotta cheese
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 cup basil
- ½ cup parsley
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg, beaten
- ½ cup shredded cheese
Preheat oven to 350 F degrees.
Place the garlic, basil and parsley in a food processor and process till chopped well. Place the ricotta in a medium bowl. Transfer the chopped herbs, salt and egg to the ricotta cheese. Mix well.
Layer like a lasagna starting with the vegetable mixture (divide into 3 parts). Top with half the pasta. Place half of the ricotta filling. Repeat the layering. Top with cheese and bake for 30 minutes.
Pork Ragu Lasagna with Pesto Bechamel
Pork Ragu
- 1 pound ground pork
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 sprig fresh thyme
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 3 cups fresh tomato sauce
- Salt
Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan. Add the pork and cook on high heat and separate the meat with a wooden spoon. Saute for a 3 to 4 minutes on medium high heat. Add the onion, garlic, thyme and rosemary. Saute for 5 to 6 minutes. Add the tomato paste and sauté for a minute. Add the tomato sauce and cook on medium heat for 20 minutes. Add salt if necessary and turn heat off and keep aside.
Bechamel Sauce
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 cups milk
- ¼ teaspoon powdered nutmeg
- 2 teaspoons salt
- ½ cup fresh or store bought pesto
Heat a medium saucepan and add the flour and butter. Melt the butter on medium high heat. Cook for a minute or two, stirring constantly. Slowly add the milk and whisk to make sure all the lumps are taken out. Bring to a boil and lower the heat to medium. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes. Add the nutmeg and salt. Turn the heat off and keep aside. Add the pesto and mix well.
Lasagna
- 1 cup shredded Pecorino Romano
- 12 lasagna sheets (I used no boil pasta)
Preheat oven to 400 degree F.
Line a 9 X 11 glass pan with a quarter cup of béchamel sauce. Cover the bottom and add four pasta sheets. Spread one cup of meat sauce on top. Sprinkle ¼ cup shredded Pecorino. Place another 4 sheets on top. Pour about ¾ cup of béchamel sauce- spreading it all over the pasta. Add another cup of meat sauce. Add ¼ cup of shredded Pecorino. Place another 4 sheets on top and cover with the remaining béchamel sauce. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Take the cover off, sprinkle the remaining cheese on top and bake for another 15. Serve hot with salad and garlic bread.
Pasta Arrabbiata with Herbed Breadcrumbs
Just a simple plate of pasta can be so delicious- you don’t need a whole lot of ingredients… just really good ones!!
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 to 3 medium shallots, chopped
- 3 to 4 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 to 2 jalapeno peppers, chopped (seeded depending on how spicy you want)
- 3 cups fresh tomato sauce or canned tomatoes
- ½ pound penne, cooked al dente with 1 cup pasta water
- ½ cup fresh basil, chopped
Heat a saucepan with butter and oil. Add the shallots, garlic and jalapenos. Saute on medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the tomato sauce and bring to a boil. Simmer with lid off for 30 minutes. Add basil and pasta. Mix well and check for seasonings and add salt. Adjust consistency of sauce by adding pasta water if needed. Serve warm with a garnish of herbed breadcrumbs.
Breadcrumbs
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
- Zest of one lemon
Mix all the ingredients and serve on top of pasta.
Penne with Tomato Sauce and Burrata
When it is super hot outside and you want to eat something yummy!! This is this the thing to make…
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- ¼ cup basil stems, chopped
- 3 cups fresh or bottled tomato sauce
- Salt
- Sugar
- 1 pound penne, cooked al dente with 1 cup pasta water to spare
- 1 burrata ball, torn into small pieces
- 1 cup basil leaves, sliced
Heat a large frying pan with the oil. Add the onion, garlic and basil stems. Saute on medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the tomato sauce and cook on a simmer for 30 minutes. Season with salt and sugar to taste. Add the cooked pasta, burrata cheese and some pasta water if desired. Mix and cook till everything is warmed through. Add the basil, cook for another few minutes. Check for seasonings and serve.
Pasta Primavera with Roasted Vegetables
Yummy and healthy dish for Meatless Monday!!
- 2 cups zucchini, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 large red pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 3 to 4 garlic cloves, with skin on
- Olive oil
- Salt
Place the vegetables and garlic on to a line cookie sheet. Drizzle some olive oil and sprinkle some salt. Mix well and roast in a 400 degrees oven for 30 minutes. Take out and let cool. Slide the garlic out of the skins and mash with fork.
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 cups fresh or store bought tomato sauce
- ½ cup fresh basil, chopped
- 1 cup roasted corn
- ½ cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano
- Salt
- ½ pound pasta of choice, cooked al dente and 1 cup spare pasta water
Heat a large frying pan with the olive oil. Add the onion and sauté on medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the tomato sauce, basil and the roasted garlic. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the corn and the roasted vegetables. Bring to a boil and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the cheese and pasta. Mix well and add the spare pasta water if needed. Check for seasonings and add salt.
Sausage Basil Dumplings
This is a great way to keep kids busy after school. These are delicious dumplings with yummy Italian flavors… serve it with marinara sauce!
- 3 sausage links, squeezed out of the casings (any kind of sausages)
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 medium shallot, chopped
- ½ cup basil, chopped
- 1 cup marinara sauce
- 1 pack wonton skins
- Small bowl with water
Heat a non-stick pan with the olive oil. Add the meat from the sausages and brown for 2 to 3 minutes while separating the meat with the back of a wooden spoon. Add the shallot and garlic. Saute for 4 to 5 minutes on medium heat. Turn heat off and cool for 10 minutes. Add the chopped basil and keep aside.
Take one wonton skin, wet the edges with a finger. Place one to two teaspoons of filling in the middle. Fold the wonton skin in half and seal the top while pleating at the same time. Repeat the process using up the remaining filling.
- ¼ cup olive oil
Heat a frying pan with 1 teaspoon oil. Add enough dumplings making sure not to over crowd. Brown the dumplings on both sides on a medium heat. Add ¼ cup of water to the pan and cover with a lid. Cook the dumplings on medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Take the lid off and cook any excess moisture. Transfer the dumplings to a platter and cook the remaining dumplings. Serve with marinara sauce.
Penang Curry- My Version
A great version to make at home…
Curry Paste
- 2 to 3 dried chilies, soaked in warm water until soft and seeds removed
- 1 inch galangal, grated
- 3 to 4 stalks lemongrass, grated
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 small shallots
- 2 tablespoons cilantro stems
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- ¼ cup peanuts
- 1 teaspoon shrimp paste
- 1 teaspoon salt
Roast the coriander seeds, cumin seeds and peanuts in a small frying pan till aromatic, about 2 to 3 minutes. Take out and grind in a spice grinder. Add to a mortar and pestle. Add the soft red chilies to the spices in the mortar and pestle.
Add the grated galanga, lemongrass, cilantro stems, garlic and shallots to a small food processor and process till smooth. Add the mixture to the mortar and pestle. Add the shrimp paste to the whole mixture and pound the paste till incorporated together and relatively smooth. Add the salt and keep aside.
- 1 can low-fat coconut milk
- 3 to 4 kaffir lime leaves, sliced thin
- 1 ½ pounds chicken breast, sliced thin on a bias
- 1 cup haricot verts (green beans), cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 teaspoon palm sugar
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- Juice and zest of one lime
- ½ cup basil, shredded
Heat a saucepan on medium heat and add the curry paste. Add ¼ cup of coconut milk and sauté on medium heat while stirring constantly. Make sure the milk does not burn. Keep adding as the liquid evaporates and more is needed. This should take about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the beans and bring to a boil and cook for a minutes. Add the chicken and bring to a boil. Simmer and add the lime leaves, palm sugar, fish sauce, juice and zest of the lime. Mix well and check for seasonings. Turn off as soon as the chicken is cooked through. Garnish with basil and serve with rice.