Culinary Conversation: Pasta provides tasty options
Lugene Hudson New Castle News
NEW CASTLE —
Finding quick and easy meal choices these days doesn’t have to be a challenge.
One of the most versatile and inexpensive choices is pasta.
What’s not to love about it?
It can be dressed up, dressed down, served with or without sauce and supplemented with vegetables or meats. The varieties of shapes runs the gamut. There’s spaghetti, linguini, elbow macaroni, fusilli, tortellini, bows, twists, shells and spirals, just to mention a few. And my favorite — ravioli — can be stuffed with so many fillings.
Pasta is made from a simple combination of eggs and flour. It is valued as a high energy food and a source of complex carbohydrates. It also supplies moderate amounts of protein and by choosing wisely for accompanying sauces or ingredients, fat content can remain low.
So many pasta-bilities.
Its origin goes to ancient cultures who made a form of pasta by preparing a flour and water or milk dough, which was rubbed through a sieve to form small pellets. These were dried in the sun to be stored later for future use.
With so many quality dried pastas on the market, meal prep has less steps.
As somewhat of a pasta purist, though, I confess fresh pasta is the ultimate, and New Castle has some fine homemade pasta makers. Taste is the ultimate test. And I have tasted the best from area cooks.
For the record, I have tested the second recipe and it’s a winner. But scallops are one of my favorite seafoods, so it’s easy for me to love.
The other two were not tested. The second recipe is a little richer than the others, but could be easily lightened in fat content without losing taste.
To quote from one of my favorite movies, “Fried Green Tomatoes,” — “The secret’s in the sauce.”
To sauce or not sauce is up to you.
Spaghetti in Tuna
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
6 anchovy fillets, drained
14-oz. can chopped tomatoes
6-oz. tuna chunks in olive oil, drained and flaked
Salt and black pepper
3/4-lb. dried spaghetti
3 tbsps. chopped fresh Italian parsley
Heat the oil in a large, heavy-based frying pan, then gently fry the onion for 5 to 7 minutes, until softened. Add the garlic and anchovies and fry for 2 minutes or until the anchovies have disintegrated.
Increase the heat, then stir in the tomatoes and simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Add the tuna and plenty of pepper. Mix together well, then reduce the heat and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, until the sauce has thickened.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta in plenty of boiling salted water, until tender but still firm to the bite, then drain. Transfer to a warmed serving bowl, spoon over the sauce and toss well. Sprinkle over the parsley before serving.
Meat Ravioli
With Cream and Parmesan
1 1/2-lbs. fresh beef ravioli
Salt and black pepper
1 cup heavy cream
1-oz. unsalted butter
Freshly grated nutmeg
2-oz. Parmesan, freshly grated, plus extra for serving
Cook the ravioli in plenty of boiled salted water, until tender but still firm to the bite. Meanwhile, place half the cream and the butter in a large, heavy-based frying pan and heat gently for 1 minute or until the butter has melted.
Drain the ravioli and add immediately to the cream and butter mixture. Cook for 30 seconds, stirring, then mix in the remaining cream and plenty of pepper, nutmeg and Parmesan. Toss over the heat for a few seconds, until the ravioli are well coated in the sauce, then serve with the extra Parmesan.
Spaghettini, Scallops
and Bread Crumbs
12 fresh scallops
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2-oz. dried white bread crumbs
4 tbsps. chopped fresh Italian parsley
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp. crushed dried chillies
12-oz. dried spaghettini
Salt
4 tbsps. dry white wine
Slice each scallop into 3 or 4 pieces. Heat 2 tbsps. of oil in a frying pan, then add the bread crumbs and fry, stirring for 3 minutes or until golden. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Heat 5 tbsps. of oil in the pan, then add 2 tbsps. of parsley, garlic and chili flakes and fry for 3 minutes or until their flavors are released. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in plenty of boiling salted water, until tender but still firm to the bite. Drain, return to the saucepan and toss with the remaining oil.
Stir the scallops into the pan and fry for 30 seconds or until they are starting to turn opaque. Add the wine, cook for 30 seconds, then add the spaghettini and cook for 1 minute, tossing to combine. Sprinkle with the bread crumbs and remaining parsley.
