Lemon Flavored Fettuccine with Broccoli

February 6, 2009 · By Deepthi Shankar · Filed Under Italian, Lunch/Dinner · Comment 
I do love cooking elaborate meals. But, there are days when I don’t even feel like lifting my little finger. All I would love to do is to snuggle under my blanket & settle down with a good book or just randomly blog hop for recipes. Fixing a meal on such days is such a pain. I am sure all of you must have gone through this phase. Sometimes I just end up eating a little bit of this - n - that, & when hunger strikes again with its full force, I do realise that those junkies weren’t exactly a good idea.
 

Last week was one such day when I was at my laziest best. Having skipped breakfast, I was too hungry to have eaten those bits n bobs. I had some leftover broccoli florets lying in the refrigirator for nearly a week. With some sundried tomatoes & fettuccine pasta, I whipped up this quick meal.

Here’s how I made it,

You Will Need:

  • Fettuccine Pasta - 300 gms
  • 1 cup Broccoli florets
  • 2 tbsp sun dried tomatoes
  • 2 tsp lemon juice
  • 1 tsp - black pepper powder - coarsely ground
  • A pinch of turmeric
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • Salt as per taste
  • 1 tsp Lemon zest for garnish (optional)

 

Method:

  • Cook Pasta in a huge pot of heavily salted water as per package instructions for about 8 minutes or until cooked. Do Not overcook the pasta. Drain & keep aside
  • I added a pinch of turmeric to the boiling water for that bright yellow color. I know it sounds crazy to add turmeric in an Italian dish, but well, it did look bright
  • Heat olive oil in a heavy bottomed pan & saute broccoli until tender. The florets must retain their cruch.
  • Add sundried tomatoes & pasta. Add in lemon juice & black pepper powder & toss well to combine. Adjust salt as per taste
  • Garnish with lemon zest & Serve HOT.

Can be served as Pasta Salad too at room temprature.

Enjoi !!

I made these on a whim & it turned out to be great. This time around, I experimented with lemons & I wasn’t disappointed. The lemon juice & zest are the highlights add a nice flavor to the dish. The lemony flavor blends well with black pepper & give broccoli a nice spicy & lemony crunch. Sun dried tomatoes add a bit of flavor from their side & binds well with fettucine. Together, it made a great dish.

This did put a satisfying end to my hunger, without much effort. I will be making this again, probably on another lazy day.

NOTE: Since Iam not a big fan of cheese, I didn’t add them. You could top it with grated cheese for that creamy texture. But, It tastes just as lovely without cheese.

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Evelyn’s Favorite Pasta

December 8, 2008 · By Narayan Swamy · Filed Under Italian, Lunch/Dinner · Comment 
I love Pasta. I am a huge pasta eater because it is such a comfort food. I think most of us do love pasta because our bodies are designed to love carbohydrates.

 

I love all kinds of pasta, Penne being my all time favorite. Speaking of Penne Pasta, Iam sure all pasta enthusiasts, particularly CheeseCake Factory fans will be familiar with Evelyn’s Favorite Pasta.

 

Evelyn’s Favorite Pasta is so wonderfully comforting. Tossed with olive oil, some nice roasted vegetables & lovely basil & parmesean cheese, it is sure to please your tastebuds. It is so fully of flavor, hearty & makes a delicious, easy dinner. This is one of the healthier Pasta options if you happen to be a health freak.

Also, I recently discovered that, Whole Wheat pasta tastes exactly like traditional pasta. Why dont you guys switch over to whole wheat pasta too. Its a lot healthier for you.

 

 Since I do not have the option to go over to CheeseCake Factory, Here’s my attempt to recreate the pasta magic at home,

 

Preparation Time: 30 mins

You will need:

  • 2 cups Penne Rigate
  • 1/2 an eggplant - cubed
  • 1 green bell pepper - cubed
  • 1 cup broccoli florets
  • 2 tbsp sun dried tomatoes
  • 1 tsp pine nuts
  • 1 tbsp dry basil leaves
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 cup grated parmesean cheese
  • Salt as per taste

Method:

  • Boil Pasta in heavily salted water as per package instructions.
  • Heat olive oil in a heavy bottomed pan, Add chopped eggplants, broccoli florets & saute for a while.
  • Add chopped bell peppers, sun dried tomatoes, pine nuts & saute over medium flame until the vegetables are well roasted. See to it that the vegetables retain their crunch. Do Not over cook the vegetables.
  • Mix in cooked pasta, basil leaves, parmesean cheese & some salt. Mix well & simmer on low heat for about 4 - 5 minutes until the pasta is well coated with vegetables.

Serve HOT with some grated cheese. Enjoi !!!

NOTE:

You could also add some roasted artichoke & olives. I omitted it as I didn’t want to mix in too many flavors. I DO NOT recommend adding these. But you can go ahead & add them if you like to.

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Spaghetti with Sauteed Vegetables

October 18, 2008 · By Deepthi Shankar · Filed Under Italian, Lunch/Dinner · 57 Comments 
Italian cooking is among the world’s richest & most varied, with dishes perfect for every occasion. My family just loves Italian Food & Spaghetti is a family favourite. It is very nutritious, easy & can be made within minutes.

There are tons of easy ways to eat your spaghetti. The one that I want to share with all of you today is definitely one of the easiest & has a perfect assortment of sauteed vegetables. Even though its one of the ‘Hurried-Up’ meals at home, it is very delicious & is definitely a comfort meal. This one is a sure winner among kids too.
Preparation Time: 20-25 minutes

You Will Need:
  • 500g spaghetti
  • 2 ripe tomatoes/ 1/2 cup tomato puree
  • 1 carrot - diced
  • 100g mushroom - sliced
  • 1 small bowl of sliced broccoli
  • 2 - 3 tbsp - extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tbsp - grated cheese
  • salt as per taste

Method:

  • Cook spahetti in a large pot filled with heavily salted water, as per package instructions
  • Boil tomatoes in water, Peel off the skin & puree them using a blender
  • Heat oil in a wok, Add diced carrots, mushroom & broccoli. Saute the vegetables for about 5 minutes
  • Add pureed tomatoes & cook on low flame, until the vegetables are tender.
  • Add cooked spaghetti & salt as per taste
  • Mix well to combine, top with grated cheese & serve

Enjoi !!

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Macaroni Tomato Delight

September 16, 2008 · By Deepthi Shankar · Filed Under Italian, Lunch/Dinner · 54 Comments 

When it comes to Italian cuisine, I am a Macaroni & Cheese aficionado. It may not exactly be a gourmet fare, but, it definitely is one of the most popular comfort foods. Nothing can be more soothing than a hot bowl of macaroni on a rainy afternoon.

It was pouring here a couple of weeks ago & I was in no mood to eat Rice for lunch. What I was craving for was a bowl of piping HOT Macaroni dipped in Tomato sauce. Yummilicious !!!

Since authentic Italian Macaroni is quite bland for my taste buds, I went ahead to make my own version of Macaroni, All spiced up for a rainy afternoon & ofcourse with very little cheese :)
Here is my version.

Time Required: 20 mins

Ingredients:
  • 1 packet Macaroni
  • 2 large Tomatoes/canned tomatoes/Tomato puree
  • 1 onion
  • 2 Green chillies
  • A small piece of ginger
  • 1/4 tsp of Red chilli powder ( optional )
  • 1 tsp of black pepper powder
  • 2 tsp of grated cheese
  • chopped cilantro
  • salt as per taste

Method:

  • Cook Macaroni in a large pot of salted water as per package instructions. Cook until tender, Rinse in cold water & set aside.
  • Boil tomatoes & onion - this takes about 10 minutes.
  • Grind together green chillies, tomatoes, onion, ginge, red chilli powder into a smooth with little water
  • Heat cheese in a heavy bottomed pan & when it melts, add the ground paste & bring to a boil
  • Add macaroni & cook on low flame for another 2 minutes. DO NOT saute vigourously as the macaronis will tend to break
  • Add salt as per taste
  • Transfer it into a bowl & sprinkle black pepper powder
  • Garnish with grated cheese & cilantro

Enjoi !!!

NOTE: You can add more quantity of cheese as per your liking. You could also garnish macaroni with Basil- Fresh/Dried for a different flavour.

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