Archive for the ‘PASTA’ Category
Japanese Noodles with Shimeji Mushrooms
The beauty of this recipe, you can use any pasta or noodles, and any mushrooms you like. I made this on 22 May 2017 and it is excellent!
Ingredients
- 200 grams Japanese noodles, Udon, Soba, or even spaghetti, (8 oz)
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
- 150 grams Shimeji mushrooms, base discarded, mushrooms separated, (5 oz)
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons miso paste, or 3-4 anchovy fillets
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped, or 2 teaspoons dried
- salt and pepper, to taste
- cherry tomatoes, halved, optional
Instructions
- Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil and cook the noodles according to package instructions (I would use Fettuccine). Meanwhile, heat the oil in a skillet over a low heat and add the garlic cloves. Saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Turn up the heat and add the Shimeji mushrooms and cook until the mushrooms are soft. Lower the heat and add a ladle of cooking water from the noodles, the soy sauce, and the miso paste, if no miso paste, I would use 3-4 anchovy fillets mashed into a paste. Stir until the miso (or anchovies) is dissolved well. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper and bring the sauce to simmer.
- Drain the noodles well and add them to the sauce. Stir well to coat every noodle and serve with chopped parsley sprinkled on top.
Notes
Low cost.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Shrimp Scampi Pasta
Sounds very good.
Ingredients
- 500 grams dry spaghetti, or linguini
- 4 tablespoons butter, this is 1/4 standard block
- 4 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 2 shallots, finely diced
- 3-4 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
- pinch red pepper flakes, optional
- 500 grams shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails removed
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- juice from 1 lemon
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Cook the pasta in a pot of boiling lightly salted water and cook for 6-8 minutes or until the pasta is just tender. Drain pasta and set aside.
- In a large non stick pan, melt 2 tablespoons butter in 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium high heat. Cook the shallots, garlic, and red pepper flakes, if using, until the shallots are translucent, about 3 to 4 minutes. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper; add them to the pan and cook until they have turned pink, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the shrimp from the pan, set aside and keep warm.
- Add the wine and lemon juice to the same pan and bring to a boil. Add 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil. When the butter has melted, return the shrimp to the pan along with the parsley and cooked pasta. Stir well and season with salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle over a bit more olive oil and serve immediately.
Notes
If using Small White Vanamike shrimp from Tesco, these would cost about 100 Baht/500 grams. You may get them for less from a local farmer. For 4 servings, this is about 75 cents per serving.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Garland Davis, US Navy Cook (Ret).
United States.
United States.
Pasta with Salami and Peas
This sounds really good, a definite must try for me. I you like pasta with garlic and olive oil, this should be similar.
Ingredients
- 500 grams dry spiral pasta
- 2 cups frozen peas
- 250 grams salami, thinly sliced
- 1 bunch spring onions, chopped, white and green
- 3 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
- salt, to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- olive oil, as needed
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. The place pasta in the pot, and cook for 6 minutes. Mix in the peas. Continue cooking 4 to 6 minutes, until pasta is just tender. Drain, and return to pot.
- Heat a nonstick skillet and add the salami, it will release some fat then add the spring onion and garlic and cook until the spring onion is tender. Add the contents of the skillet to the pot with the pasta and peas.
- Mix to coat the pasta with the oil, adding just a tablespoon of olive oil at time to get the right consistency. Add the Parmesan cheese and toss to mix in, serve with garlic bread and a salad.
Notes
I will say Fair Value right now until I can price the salami.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Egg Noodles & Chicken Curry (Khao Soi)
This sounds really good! On my to cook list. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 3 cloves garlic, smash and roughly chopped
- 1 shallot, chopped
- 1-3 tablespoons Thai redy curry paste, depends on how spicy you desire
- 2 tablespoons curry powder
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 2 chicken thighs, boneless, skinless, bite size pieces
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
- 250 grams dry egg noodles, Asian or Italian is fine
Garnishes/toppings of your choice
- shallots, thinly sliced
- fried shallots, OR make from a shortcut
- fresh cilantro
- roasted peanuts, chopped
- lime, wedges
- spring onion, chopped
- pickled mustard greens
- dried chilies
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and chopped shallot and cook for about 30 seconds. Add the curry paste and curry powder and cook for another 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add the coconut milk, chicken broth, chicken thighs, fish sauce, and sugar. Stir everything together, scraping up any curry paste that has stuck to the bottom of the pan. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer uncovered for about 30 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning.
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook noodles according to package directions, timing it so that the noodles will be cooked when the curry is done simmering. Drain and divide between two bowls. Top with curry and the garnishes of your choice. Serve immediately.
Notes
Low cost with just two chicken thighs. Can substitute chicken with beef or pork.
Shortcut: Fried Shallots.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Baked Eggplant Parmesan
This is a wonderful dish! Step by step photos taken that show my now cluttered counter. Links to the shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- olive oil, as needed
- 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 1 can whole peeled tomatoes, chopped well, retain juice
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- salt, as needed
- 1/3 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped plus for garnish
- 1 large purple eggplant, slice into 1/2 slices
- 1/3 cup all purpose flour
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 3/4 cup Italian bread crumbs, OR make from a shortcut
- 500 grams Mozzarella Cheese, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- cooked pasta, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 220 C (425 F).
- Add a splash of olive oil and the garlic in a large skillet and place over medium heat. When the garlic sizzles and its edges start to brown, add the tomatoes, red pepper flakes and salt to taste. Bring to a simmer and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the chopped basil.
- Heat a large sheet pan in the oven for at least 10 minutes while you bread the eggplant. Line up 3 shallow dishes; fill one with the flour, one with the beaten eggs, and one with the breadcrumbs. Sprinkle both sides of the eggplant slices with salt. Dredge an eggplant slice in the flour (tapping off excess), then dip in the egg, and finally dredge it in the breadcrumbs. Repeat with the remaining eggplant. Set each slice aside on a foil sheet. This photo shows the three bowls after I coated all the slices.
- When all the eggplant slices are breaded, carefully remove the heated sheet pan from the oven and brush it with a splash of olive oil. Place the eggplant on the sheet pan in a single layer. Bake until the undersides are crisp and browned, 8-10 minutes, then flip the slices and continue baking until they are golden on the second side, 8-10 minutes more.
- Both sides baked, not very brown really but almost fork tender.
- Top the baked eggplant with the tomato sauce, Mozzarella slices, and Parmesan.
- Return the pan to the oven and bake, rotating halfway through, until the cheese melts and browns and the sauce is bubbly, 20 to 25 minutes. Top with torn basil before serving.
- Serve with pasta on the side.
Notes
Low cost.
Variant: Use pasta sauce or make from a shortcut using tomato paste as the base.
Shortcuts: Italian Breadcrumbs, Pasta Sauce.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Garland Davis, US Navy Cook (Ret).
United States.
United States.
Sausage Mushroom Pasta
I came up with this after defrosting the freezer in my fridge and sort through what I had frozen and fresh. The King Oyster mushrooms are perfect for this dish as when they cook they maintain their size.
Ingredients
- 190 grams sausage, see Step 1, sliced into 1/4 inch thick slices
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 200 grams King Oyster mushrooms, about 4, sliced into 1/4 inch thick slices
- 3/4 cup dry pasta, macaroni, maccheroni, etc
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- olive oil, as needed
Instructions
- You can use any sausage you have on hand, I used 8 small links, 95 grams each pack, of smoked pepper sausage that turned out very nice. But large smoked sausage or sausage scraps from Makro would work well, as would bratwurst or beerwurst.
- Heat a large non stick skillet with a splash of olive oil, then add the sausage and cook to get some browning going, then add the peppers and mushrooms and reduce heat to a simmer and cook until the peppers are tender yet still crunchy and a bit of browning on the mushrooms.
- While the peppers are cooking, heat a small pot of water to boiling then add the pasta and cook until tender, drain, then add to the skillet and mix together. Then stir in the heavy cream, season with salt and pepper to your liking. Remove from heat, cover for 5 minutes to let everything warm through.
- Serve with a vegetable of your choice for a nice meal.
Notes
I used 2 packages of sausage, 4 links each pack, each pack was 59 Baht. For 4 servings, this is about 87 cents per serving.
My own recipe.
Squid Macaroni
Sounds tasty! This is a cheater version of the Greek dish called Macarontha, which is squid in a tomato sauce served over macaroni pasta and topped with sheep's cheese. I'll pass on that type of cheese however. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 250 grams dry macaroni, (8 oz)
- 500 grams squid, cleaned inside and out, skin removed, (1 lb)
- 4 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 6 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2½ cups tomato puree, Shortcut
- ¼ cup dry white wine
- juice from ½ lemon
- 1 stick cinnamon, broken in half, OR use ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 bay leaves
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- salt and pepper, to taste
- Parmesan cheese, grated, for garnish
Instructions
- Cook macaroni in a pot of boiling water until tender, drain and set aside.
- In a small saucepan, boil the squid in cups of water mixed with the red wine vinegar for 4-5 minutes. Drain, cut into rings, reserve the tentacles and set aside.
- Heat the olive oil in a large heavy non stick skillet. Cook the onion and garlic until onion is tender but not brown. Stir in the squid and cook for 2 more minutes. Pour in the tomato puree, white wine, and lemon juice. Season with cinnamon stick, bay leaves, oregano, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat and simmer partially covered for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove from heat, remove the bay leaves and cinnamon stick pieces then mix in the macaroni. Serve with Parmesan cheese for topping.
Notes
Squid will run about 100 Baht/500 grams, for 4 servings this is about 74 cents per serving.
Shortcut: Tomato Puree.
Grandma's Goulash
This is an excellent version of goulash, made on 24 Dec 2017, hit with the family as well. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 1 onion, chopped
- 500 grams ground beef
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
- 1 1/2 - 2 cups tomato pasta sauce, OR make from a shortcut
- 1 can whole peeled tomatoes, chopped, drained
- 1/2 can tomato paste, this is the 170 gram can
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 1 cup dry macaroni
- 1 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded
- salt and pepper, to taste
- olive oil, as needed
Instructions
- In a large pot, heat a splash of olive oil then add the garlic, onion, and bell pepper (I also added 3 Shiitake mushrooms, chopped) and saute until the onion and bell pepper are softened.
- Then add the beef and cook until no pink remains then drain off any fat.
- Add the pasta sauce, tomato paste, chopped tomatoes, seasonings, and water. Mix together, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. If you want a thicker goulash, simmer for a bit longer to reduce some of the liquid. If too thick, add some of the tomato juice from the canned tomatoes.
- Add the macaroni and mix in, cover and simmer until the macaroni is tender, about 20 minutes or so, stirring occasionally.
- Top with the shredded cheese if desired, cover and let sit for 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
- Serve.
Notes
Ground beef will cost about 100 Baht/500 grams, the cheese will cost 90 Baht for 1/2 block. For 8 servings this is about $1.40 per serving.
Shortcut: Pasta Sauce.
Inspired by Spend With Pennies and the link to this recipe is here.
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Garlic Shrimp Pasta
This sounds really good, a must try for me. Basic ingredients that are normally on hand.
Ingredients
- 500 grams white shrimp, peeled, deveined, and tails removed (or any shrimp you want)
- 500 grams Fettuccine pasta, or spaghetti
- 6-8 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
- 1/4 cup butter, this is 1/4 of a standard block of butter
- olive oil, as needed, a few splashes
- Italian seasoning, to taste
- salt and pepper, to taste
- red chili flakes, to taste
Instructions
- Cook the pasta in a pot of boiling water until tender, save 1 cup of the pasta water then drain the rest and set the pasta aside.
- In a large non stick skillet, melt the butter over medium heat and add the shrimp. Let the shrimp cook until starting to turn pink then add the garlic and cook until the shrimp are all pink and cooked through, then add a splash or so of olive oil. Mix together then add the pasta. Add the seasonings to your taste and add about 1/4 cup of the pasta water so that the pasta is not dry but not soaked in liquid either.
- Continue to toss the pasta, using additional pasta water as needed to maintain the consistency you like and is heated through, serve.
Notes
White shrimp at Tesco will cost about 140 Baht/500 grams. Everything else is low cost. For 4 servings, this is about $1.02 per serving. If you get local farmed shrimp, you can reduce the cost.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Stephen Connell.
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United States.
Deep Fried Eggplant & Pasta
This is the large purple eggplant, this used to be imported but are now grown in Thailand. This sounds really good as side dish, an appetizer, or even served on pasta with a tomato sauce. This is easy to prepare and low cost. I cannot price this until I buy more eggplant. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 1 purple eggplant, sliced about 1/4 inch thick
- all purpose flour, as needed
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons water
- all purpose flour, as needed, see Step 2
- Parmesan cheese, grated, as needed, see Step 2
- pasta, for serving
- tomato pasta sauce, for serving, OR make from a shortcut
Instructions
- Heat your deep fryer.
- Place some flour on a plate or shallow dish and season with salt and pepper to your liking, mix and set aside. In a shallow bowl add the egg and 2 tablespoons of water and beat slightly, place that next to the plate of seasoned flour. In another plate, add equal amounts of flour and Parmesan cheese and mix together, place that next to the egg wash plate.
- When the oil in the deep fryer is hot, take a slice of eggplant and coat with the seasoned flour, then dip into the egg wash to coat, then into the flour and cheese mixture, then into the deep deep fryer. Repeat the steps for the all the slices but do not overload the deep fryer. Cook until golden brown then place on a plate lined with paper towels to drain.
- Serve on pasta with tomato sauce as a light main dish or simply with a bowl of tomato sauce for dipping as a side or appetizer.
Notes
Low cost side dish.
Shortcut: Tomato Sauce.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Garland Davis, US Navy Cook (Ret).
United States.
United States.
