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Pasta Passion

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Pasta Passion

With over 300 varieties of this Italian staple, you can never run out of new spins to the same dish. How about trying these?

Published: Wed 29 Oct 2014, 4:04 PM

Updated: Tue 7 Apr 2015, 10:52 PM

CALAMARATA, SEAFOOD SAUCE, BROCCOLINI, BASIL PESTO

Serves: 4

Ingredients

  • 280 gm calamarata pasta

  • 240 gm clams, with shell

  • 240 gm mussels, with shell

  • 4 gm garlic

  • 80 gm extra virgin olive oil

  • 1 gm chilli

  • 80 gm calamari, sliced

  • 280 gm prawns, halved

  • 80 gm broccolini

  • 100 gm plum tomato

  • 8 gm salt

  • 2 gm black pepper

  • 3 gm parsley

  • 40 gm basil pesto

  • 3 gm thyme

Method

Wash and clean the shellfish and leave to soak in a container, covered with water, for an hour.

Open the shellfish with half the garlic, oil, fresh parsley and thyme.

Clean the shellfish and filter the stock.

In a pan, stew the rest of the garlic in a little olive oil, and add the chilli, calamari and prawns. Roast for a minute, and then add the broccolini and the shellfish stock.

Blanch the tomatoes in boiling water and remove the skin and seeds. Cut into regular cubes and add to the sauce.

Add the clams and mussels and season with salt and pepper.

Cook the pasta in salty boiling water for 12 minutes.

Add to the sauce and cook with the ingredients for 2 minutes.

Add the chopped parsley and a dash of olive oil. Serve the pasta in deep plates and finish with the basil pesto and a basil leaf.

Eggplant and Burrata Cappellacci

Serves: 4

Ingredients

  • 400 gm pasta dough for ravioli

  • 1 kg eggplant

  • 100 gm extra virgin olive oil

  • 2 gm garlic

  • 2 gm lemon thyme

  • 200 gm cheese burrata

  • 80 aged Parmesan

  • 20 gm cheese mascarpone

  • 2 gm basil

  • 4 gm salt

  • 1 gm black pepper

  • 100 gm tomato datterino

Method

For the stuffing, wrap the eggplant in aluminium paper and cook in an oven at 160°C for 45 minutes (till the skin is a little burnt).

Cut the eggplant in half and remove the pulp and strain for a couple of hours to remove most of the water.

Chop the eggplant and cook for a few minutes with half the olive oil, garlic and lemon thyme. Chill.

Mix the eggplant with the chopped burrata, Parmesan, mascarpone, lemon thyme, fresh basil, salt, pepper and olive oil.

Level the pasta very thin and make the ravioli, cutting rounds with a 6-cm diameter ring and giving the shape of ‘cappellacci’ or big hat (refer picture).

For the sauce, cut the tomato datterino into four pieces and cook for a few minutes with garlic and lemon thyme.

Cook the ravioli in salty boiling water then mix with the sauce.

Serve in a deep plate, garnished with extra virgin olive oil and a fresh bunch of lemon thyme.

Linguine with Red Prawns

Serves: 4

Ingredients

  • 320 gm linguine pasta

  • 100 gm red prawn

  • 100 gm plum tomato

  • 2 gm sliced basil

  • 10 gm sundried tomato

  • 10 gm capers

  • 40 gm focaccia bread crumble

  • 100 gm extra virgin olive oil

  • 2 gm garlic

  • 3 gm salt

  • 1 gm black pepper

  • 1 gm lemon skin

    For the sauce:

  • 180 gm red prawn

  • 5 gm garlic

  • 20 ml extra virgin olive oil

  • 120 gm tomato datterino

  • ½ gm chilli

Method

For the red prawns, remove the shell and the stomach.

Cover the prawn heads and shell with water.

Cook them together with the plum tomatoes for 40 minutes.

Place 100 gm of prawns between two baking sheets of paper. Pound it flat and thin to make a carpaccio.

For the sauce, stew the garlic in a little extra virgin olive oil, add the prawns (cut in half) and cook for a minute.

Add the datterino tomatoes and cook for a minute more.

Add a little prawns stock and a touch of chilli.

For the bread, chop the sundried tomatoes and capers very thinly, and mix with the bread.

Toast slowly in a pan with olive oil and garlic.

Cook the pasta in boiling salty water for 8 minutes, add the sauce and stir with all the ingredients for 2 minutes. Add the sliced basil.

Serve the pasta in a flat plate with the carpaccio seasoned with salt, pepper, olive oil and lemon skin.

Finish with the crispy bread crumble.

PENNE WITH SALMON AND ZUCCHINI SAUCE

Serves: 4

Ingredients

  • 100 gm green zucchini

  • 120 gm salmon

  • 3 gm salt

  • 1 gm black pepper

  • 2 gm thyme

  • 80 ml extra virgin olive oil

  • 60 gm Roma tomato

  • 40 gm butter

  • 5 gm garlic

  • 80 ml cream

  • 40 gm pitted olives

  • 320 gm penne pasta

  • 2 gm parsley

Method

For the sauce, wash the zucchini and cut it in half. Remove the heart and cut the green into a half-moon shape.

Cut the salmon in cubes and marinate with salt, pepper, thyme and olive oil.

Blanch the tomatoes, remove the skin and the seeds and cut in cubes.

Melt a little butter in the pan, add the zucchini and the garlic, stew for a few seconds and add thyme.

Remove the whole garlic and add cream and a little water.

Add the olives and reduce the sauce for 1 minute. Add the salmon.

Cook the pasta in boiling, salty water for 8 minutes, add the sauce and cook for 2 minutes.

Add the tomatoes and the parsley.

Serve the pasta in a deep plate and finish with olive oil and a bunch of thyme.

GREEN PEAS RAVIOLI

Serves: 4

Ingredients

  • 400 gm fresh green peas

  • 20 gm shallot

  • 4 gm salt and pepper

  • 80 gm extra virgin olive oil

  • 2 gm parsley

  • 1 gm mint

  • 100 gm goat cheese

  • 400 gm pasta dough (for ravioli)

  • 100 gm Roma tomato

  • 50 gm butter

  • 2 gm green pea sprouts

  • 4 gm garlic

Method

For the filling, clean the peas. Chop the shallot and stew it in a little butter, blanch the peas for 1 minute, set 40 gm aside for garnish and add the rest to the shallot; stew for 3 minutes.

Cover with a little water and cook till the peas become tender.

Chill the peas and mash it very thinly (keep aside a part of the cooking water for the peas).

Add salt, pepper, olive oil, chopped parsley, chopped mint and 60 gm of the goat cheese.

Level the pasta very thinly and make a classic round ravioli. Put the filling between two layers of pasta and cut with a round ring (5 cm diameter).

Blanch the tomato, remove the skin and the seed and cut into four; season with salt, pepper, garlic and olive oil, then dry it in the oven at 85°C for 2 hours.

For the sauce, use the pea stock, add butter and a little oil then add some fresh green peas.

Cook the ravioli for 3 minutes in boiling, salty water, add the sauce and cook for 1 minute more.

Serve in a deep plate with the sauce and finish with dry tomatoes, green peas, green pea sprouts and the remaining goat cheese.

HAND-CUT BEEF RAGOUT TAGLIATELLE

Serve: 4

Ingredients

  • 200 gm veal shank

  • 150 gm veal ribs

  • 150 gm beef ribs

  • 80 ml extra virgin olive oil

  • 2 gm garlic

  • 5 gm rosemary

  • 30 gm carrot

  • 30 gm red onion

  • 30 gm green celery

  • 2 gm salt

  • 1 gm black pepper

  • 10 gm tomato paste

  • 40 gm butter

  • 80 gm Roma tomato

  • 400 gm pasta dough

  • 500 ml water

• ½ gm dried bay leaf

Method

For the beef ragout, clean the meat and roast it with olive oil, garlic and rosemary; add salt and pepper and put them in a oven tray.

Cut the vegetables in big cubes and roast them as well; add to the meat with the bay leaves.

Add the tomato paste and cover with water. Cook in the oven at 165°C for around 3 hours. Remove the meat and chill. Reduce the sauce till it becomes thick.

Break off the meat from the bones and cut into regular small cubes.

Cut 10 gm of each of the vegetables in cubes as well and stew it in a little butter and extra virgin olive oil.

Add the meat and cover with the reduced sauce. Cook for around 5 minutes.

Blanch the tomatoes, remove the skin and the seeds and cut into cubes.

Level the pasta dough and cut into the tagliatelle shape.

Cook it in boiling and salty water for 2 minutes, add the sauce and cook for 1 minute more then add the fresh tomatoes and a little butter.

Serve in a flat plate with a bunch of rosemary on top.



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