Seafood Black Spaghetti

This pasta recipe is nothing short of awesome. Because you can never go wrong with light on the sauce, just like Italian do. So that a little bit of garlic can be tasted and splash of white wine. Its not too saucy by still very flavorful. Serves for 2-3 person

Ingredients:

200g black spaghetti
1 squid, cut
300g fresh clams
8pcs Argentine langoustine
2 handful of basil
450g fresh red cherry tomatoes, cut in halves
1 tsp squid ink paste
6 large garlic, finely chopped
4 dried chili
extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
1 cup white wine
salt and pepper

Preparation:

1. Add water into pan, bring to a boil. The simmer at medium high heat. Add salt and some olive oil around 2 tbsp. Add the pasta and cook soften (al dente).

2. Mean while, heat around 4 tbsp of olive oil into the skillet at medium heat. Saute garlic and chili until the garlic turn a light brown. Do not let the garlic burn or it has a taste of bitterness. Add the squid then cooked lightly until coated with chili-garlic. Discard the squid from the pan, set aside. Then do this again with the clams and pour the wine into the pan. The wine it create steam needed to cook the clams. Also the wine adds flavor into the sauce. Remove the clam that has started open and set aside.

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By the way cook the langoustine at the same time, just drizzle some olive oil and put them into the oven at 200°C and baked for about 10 minutes on both side. Then take them out from the oven. You can also cook your langoustine into grill pan or charcoal grill if necessary.

3. Back to sauce. Add the tomatoes into skillet and stir for a minute. Then add the squid ink, stir well until combined into the sauce. Pour a 2-3 ladle spoon of boiling pasta water. Then season with salt and pepper, and simmer for 2 minutes or more.

4. Drain the pasta, add into the pan, followed by the clams, squid and basil. Mix or toss well together until the pasta absorb the sauce. Transfer the pasta into the serving dish. Then place the grilled langoustine on top of the pasta and spray some olive oil if desire.

Whole Wheat Spaghetti Carbonara

Just like they do in the restaurant, they like to mix the egg yolk on their pasta, a little bit creamy but it was nice contrast to the fresh flavors. The best thing is it was healthy and delicious yet didn’t take too much time to make. But this dish is not thick and creamy. I used milk instead of cream. In order to cook a healthy pasta meal for my family, as I wanted to put something healthy. So I cooked a whole wheat spaghetti, low fat milk, low fat bacon and a final egg yolks and some chopped parsley enhanced both look and taste. It contain less in high calories and fats.
Ingredients:
400g organic whole wheat spaghetti pasta, I like Bioitalia
1½  cups low fat milk
½  cup white wine
8 sliced low fat bacon or lean bacon, cut into strips
2 large garlic cloves, crushed and finely chopped
1 medium white or yellow onion, sliced115g freshly grated parmesan cheese
a handful of freshly chopped parsley
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 pork cube
egg yolks preferably organic
Preparation:

1. Bring a large deep pan of water to a boil with pinch of salt. Cook the pasta according to directions on package, drain, set aside and keep warm.

2. Heat the oil in saute pan, saute garlic and onion until fragrant.

3. Add the bacon and fry until it starts to go crisp.

4. Add the pork cube low fat milk, white wine and heated through, but do not over boil,  keep stirring to avoid lumps.

5. Add the cooked pasta and mix it up for a few seconds probably near 1 minute.

6. Turn off the flame, add the 2 tbsp chopped parsley, then quickly pour grated parmesan cheese.

7. Stirring constantly and mix well and lifting with the tong so the pasta gets coated. Add a ladle of spoon of the pasta water and create a bit of sauce in the pan if necessary.

8. Twirl the pasta into a shallow serving dish or pasta plates.

9. Then place the egg yolk on top of the pasta and sprinkling some more chopped parsley and grating of black pepper or parmesan cheese. Serve immediately, I eagerly pierce the egg yolk and mix it through the pasta it adds a slightly creamy consistency to the carbonara sauce.

Rigatoni Arrabbiata

Tomato and basil are a winning and perfect combination sometimes the simplest things are the best as is the case with this freshly made tomato sauce is so yummy and healthy and easy but still tasty pasta dish.
Ingredients:
300-350g rigatoni pasta
1.2 lbs red ponderosa tomatoes
7 pcs sun dried tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 spring basil
2 whole hot red chillies
2 tbsp freshly chopped basil
1 tbsp freshly chopped parsley
½ cup white wine
1 chicken cube
1 tbsp finely chopped garlic
2 tbsp freshly grated parmesan cheese
extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
Preparation:

1. Soak sun dried tomatoes for about 20 minutes until softened then drain, set aside.

2. In a copper stew pan or any deep pan over medium heat, bring 3 litre water to a boil.  Drop the tomatoes into the boiling water until the skins start to peel back on their own. Use a slotted spoon to move them to a bowl and let it cool. Use a fingers to remove the skin from the tomatoes. Then Coarsely chop the tomatoes and transfer them to a bowl.

3. In a pan boil water with 1 tbsp olive oil. Cook the pasta until it’s al dente, but fully cooked not overly soft.

4. Once cooked, drain the pasta into the colander. 

5. Set the pasta aside.

6. Heat 4 tbsp olive oil in a 28cm saute pan or large skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic and chili to it. Stir time to time until turning light and golden.

7. Add the boiled tomatoes, stir for a few minutes.

8. Add the chicken cube (Optional: You can add ¼ cup of chicken stock) tomato paste and white wine.

9. Followed by the basil, stirring a few times, cover and bring to a boil until just cooked through, about 15-20 minutes.

10. Add the dried tomatoes, chopped basil, chopped parsley, add to your taste the salt and freshly ground pepper.

11. Gently stir and break the chili to release the heat if your prefer a hotter sauce.

12. When the sauce is ready, add the pasta to the sauce and mix well.

13. Turn of the gas and stir with parmesan cheese and divide among individual serving plate. Garnish the pasta with more fresh basil leaves and sprinkle some fresh chopped parsley, if you like.

Fresh Vegetable & Chicken Pasta

A very simple, quick light and healthy pasta dish. This recipe serves 2 person, adjust the amount of ingredients if you need more or less.

Ingredients:
1 pcs. boneless and skinless chicken thigh
1 tbsp coarsely chopped garlic
1 small white or yellow onion, sliced
1 tbsp fresh chopped parsley
80g asparagus, cut into one-inch lengths
½ cup white wine
1 cup light cream
½ cup chicken stock
85g broccoli, cut into bite size pieces
75g fresh or unfrozen peas
75g fava-lima beans
250-300g linguine or any pasta
30g unsalted butter
freshly grated parmesan cheese
250-300g  linguine
salt and white ground pepper
Preparation:

 1. Bring a casserole or large saucepan of water to the boil. Add some salt then add the fava beans and simmer for 3 minutes. Remove the beans with a slotted spoon, set aside and later on peel the skins from the beans.

 2. Add the asparagus and broccoli to casserole and simmer for 5 minutes or until tender but still crisp. Drain with a slotted spoon and set aside.

3. Add the linguine to the casserole and cook for 8-10 minutes or until the pasta is al dente.

4. Meanwhile, while cooking the pasta. heat the butter in a stainless saute pan.

5. Saute garlic and chicken and cook in moderately medium-low heat until translucent or browned.

6. Add the onion and stir for a few minutes, add the wine, chicken stock and cream.

7. Add the peas and fava beans season with salt and pepper, cook and simmer for 5 minutes.

 8. Add broccoli, asparagus and parsley into the pan.

9. Follow by linguine, then stir with 3 tbsp grated parmesan cheese. Toss lightly to coat, turn off the heat. Transfer to the plate then sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese if desired.

Seafood Trio Spaghetti in Tomato Sauce

Ingredients:

1 pack spaghetti pasta

3 tbsp olive oil

10 medium shrimp, cleaned
10 pcs mussels
200g king crab meat
40oz fresh finely chopped red tomatoes

5 garlic cloves finely chopped
1 tbsp tomato paste

2 dried red chili

Pinch of salt and pepper

1 ½ tbsp freshly chopped parsley

basil

Preparation:

1. In a skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add shrimp and mussels and cook until shrimp turn pink. Remove shrimps and mussels from skillet and discard. Saute garlic and chili until brown. Add chopped tomatoes to oil and stir. Add some water and simmer for 20-30 minutes or until the ingredients has been absorbed.

2. In the meantime, put a large saucepan of water on to boil. Add the pasta into boiling water and cook until al dente.

3. Add the seafood into skillet, put the parsley, basil, season with salt and pepper and cook a little bit. Drain the pasta and add to the skillet and mixed it well with the sauce and serve with fresh chopped basil.