pasta and ?

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judder

Active Member
As I seem to eat a lot of pasta nowadays usually with chicken tuna or salmon..
I usually mix in a bit of cream or lemon juice, a chef I'm certainly not..
What do you use and what are your easy favourites for a novice to try.
Am hungry just thinking about it.
 

TVC

Guest
Pancetta + peas

Fry cubed pancetta (supermarket ready chopped) with a little shallot in plenty of olive oil. When ready mix in a similar amount of thawed peas and warm. Serve mixed through tagliatelli.
 

Hacienda71

Mancunian in self imposed exile in leafy Cheshire
Passata. Quick cheap and tastes great with a bit of Oregano. You can then add Tuna or Ham or just a bit of grated Regiano Parmigano or similar. :thumbsup:
 

Scilly Suffolk

Über Member
Easy peasy, super nutritious sauce:
roughly chop tomatoes, a red onion, sweet peppers & garlic; drizzle with olive oil and roast in the oven with seasoning and herbs (basil and oregano works for me); blitz with a stick blender and add to your pasta; keeps for a couple or three days in the fridge.

Use whatever veg you fancy (courgettes and mushrooms also work well), but tomatoes and onion are the base.
 

theclaud

Openly Marxist
Location
Swansea
Anchovies, chilli, garlic, parsley, tomatoes, olives and capers. Fry the first three gently, add the fourth, then the fifth, simmer awhile and add the last two when the pasta is nearly done. No cheese needed.
 

al78

Guru
Location
Horsham
This is what I cook occasionally.

It is simple to prepare, just a case of cook the pasta, mix everything together in a bowl, put in ovenproof dish, sprinkle cheese on top and bake for half an hour or so. You can scale up the ingredient quantities and cook enough for a meal plus the following days lunch.
 

upsidedown

Waiting for the great leap forward
Location
The middle bit
Pesto and shredded chicken.
 

longers

Legendary Member
Carbonara.

Bash a couple of cloves of garlic, fry gently in a tablespoon or more of olive oil for three or for minutes.
While this is doing, stick a pan of water on to boil.

Remove the garlic then chop and fry half a pack of bacon in the same oil.
Put the spaghetti on to cook and grate some cheese (parmesan if you want but strong cheddar works well) and keep ready.

Just before the spaghetti is cooked, get the bacon and oil nice and hot.
Once the spaghetti is cooked, drain it and get it back in the pan without it cooling down too much. Crack a couple of eggs over the pasta and add the cheese, add the bacon and oil, stir it up and season well.

It's easier to cook than type!
 

Arch

Married to Night Train
Location
Salford, UK
My basic pasta sauce is thus:

Chopped onion, sauted, then add chopped pepper, and courgette. If I'm using mince or other meat that needs cooking, I add that now, and fry it 'til browned. Then a tin of chopped tomatoes, a squidge of tomato purree, a good grind of black pepper, a sprinkle of mixed herbs, and then if it's not a mince dish, I add the protein - tinned tuna, or chopped up hotdog sausage, or cooked chicken.

I'll happily eat this three days in a row, which is handy, because the above makes three servings.

My other fave is carbonara - fried onion and chopped bacon, mixed in with the pasta and a couple of beaten eggs, over the residual heat in the hotplate to gently thicken the egg. A dollop of cream cheese adds creaminess.

I'd happily eat pasta (especially spaghetti) every day. I expect I'll go straight to 'big fat Italian mamma', without ever having been the 'alluring Latin beauty'...
 

TheDoctor

Europe Endless
Moderator
Location
The TerrorVortex
Cheaty Carbonara.

While the pasta is cooking, fry up some shredded bacon (the Tesco Value cooking bacon works well).
When the bacon is cooked, drain off the fat, and add a generous dollop of garlic and herb soft cheese - Roule, Boursin, own-brand, any is fine. Stir it about till it melts. Drain the pasta, throw it in on top of the bacon / cheese mess, stir well and add black pepper. And parmesan if you've got any.
It almost takes longer to type than to cook.

And re Passata - if you blitz a tin of tomatoes with a hand held blender, it goes just like Passata, but it's well under half the price.
Take the toms out of the tin first, obviously...
 

Mozzy

New Member
Location
Taunton Somerset
Smoked Salmon bits when on offer pop into a frying pan with a drizzle of olive oil, wind round then squeeze some lemon juice over it, black pepper and a pinch of salt, when warm enough, pour in a small carton of fat free natural yoghurt, switch OFF heat, do not bring to a bubble or yougurt will spilt; pick up the pan with your cooked drained pasta, remove lid and wind in the frying pan contents.

Serve with chopped parsley on top or mixed in whilst cooking salmon; either works. Sit down and enjoy the mouth watering flavours. If you wish you can put a wedge of lemon on top for a squeeze of additional citrus flavour. Mmmmmm, wonderful. I'm peckish now.
 
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