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Favourite pasta dishes

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Favourite pasta dishes

Postby Gillthepainter » Thu Jan 07, 2021 12:11 pm

I go round and round the same 3 pastas. Prawn or salmon pasta (tomatoes and cream), spaghetti bol., or puttanesca if I've got capers in.

Any other favourites that might brighten up my repertoire? I cannot promise to make them, I confess, as OH is super fussy in this department. So much so, he only likes either spaghetti or penne.
If I make linguine, he even comments he prefers spaghetti - what's that about!

But don't feel constrained by this, fire away.

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Re: Favourite pasta dishes

Postby Pepper Pig » Thu Jan 07, 2021 12:23 pm

Jamie’s “Jool’s Pregnant Pasta” is a family favourite here.

https://www.redonline.co.uk/food/recipe ... ant-pasta/

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Re: Favourite pasta dishes

Postby Suffs » Thu Jan 07, 2021 12:31 pm

Tagliatelle with squash is a favourite here ... similar to this https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/butt ... asta_32947
Sometimes I roast the squash first.

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Re: Favourite pasta dishes

Postby Gillthepainter » Thu Jan 07, 2021 12:38 pm

Wow.
They both look fantastic. Thank you. (We can get Tuscan sausages here, PP).

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Re: Favourite pasta dishes

Postby karadekoolaid » Thu Jan 07, 2021 12:41 pm

We probably eat pasta 3 or 4 times a week. I think I´ve got over a dozen dedicated "Pasta" books!
Current favourites (I´ll just use your preferred pasta shapes, Gill):
Penne with broccoli, green chiles and lemon. Cook the broccoli until barely done, sauté with a couple of cloves of garlic and a finely diced green chile, add lemon juice just before serving.
Penne with broccoli, Sicilian style. Gently fry a couple of anchovies in a pan in olive oil. Add 3 or 4 large cloves of garlic, just cut in half, and the broccoli. Add a tiny bit of water and put a lid on the pan. Cook for about 20-25 minutes until the broccoli falls apart. Season with peperoncini.
Spaghetti Isabelita. Fry up some bacon with a couple of cloves of garlic. Add a chopped tomato and some chopped sweet peppers until they´re soft. blitz in a processor, return to the pan and add cream and a tsp of pesto.
Pasta al crudo. Chop two or three tomatoes and put in a bowl. Add goat cheese ( or diced mozzarella), a minced clove of garlic, a handful of chopped green olives, olive oil, black pepper, chopped fresh basil (or oregano). Mix together, marinate for at least 30 minutes. When the pasta is ready, just put it back into the pan , add the sauce and mix it together.

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Re: Favourite pasta dishes

Postby herbidacious » Thu Jan 07, 2021 12:45 pm

I don't eat pasta much at all but this is quite a light and low effort one: tagliatelli (or similar) with a bit of lemon, butter or EVOO, garlic, toasted pine nuts, thyme and parmesan. I sometimes toss in feta and/or peas.

I love cacio e pepe. My one attempt to make it was a bit of a fail but must try again.

I am now going to have to watch the Eddie Izzard thing again about peas getting stuck in penne... :)

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Re: Favourite pasta dishes

Postby Gillthepainter » Thu Jan 07, 2021 12:51 pm

Brilliant, KK & Herbi.
So far, I will be able to make every suggestion. I should add, doused in olive oil, Tony won't want it. Unlike me, he's not an oily fan. Or tuna.
He super adores feta!

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Re: Favourite pasta dishes

Postby liketocook » Thu Jan 07, 2021 1:19 pm

My favourite is spag bol and variations of it. But these I make on a fairly regular basis:_

Spaghetti with sardines, fresh cherry tomatoes, garlic & chilli - no recipe as such just sardines mashed and fried with garlic, diced chilli, a couple of handfuls of cherry toms and some pasta cooking water.
Macaroni with peas and bacon https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyl ... -with-peas using macaroni as orecchiette hard to find around here.
Jack Munroe's salmon paste one https://cookingonabootstrap.com/2019/11 ... ta-recipe/ usually using creme fraiche instead of the yoghurt and if I have any scattering some diced smoked salmon across the top to serve.
"Green" pasta which no doubt started as recipe but has evolved over time. Cook broccoli and spinach, blend the veg reserving some to add back in for texture with some pasta water, a couple of tablespoons of pesto and a dollop of creme fraiche or cream cheese or cream. Works well with most pasta types.

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Re: Favourite pasta dishes

Postby Gillthepainter » Thu Jan 07, 2021 1:31 pm

I've only recently heard of Jack Munroe when Sue has mentioned her.

What's
1 x 75g jar of salmon paste, 25p
I've never heard of it.

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Re: Favourite pasta dishes

Postby Suffs » Thu Jan 07, 2021 1:37 pm

Gillthepainter wrote:I've only recently heard of Jack Munroe when Sue has mentioned her.

What's
1 x 75g jar of salmon paste, 25p
I've never heard of it.



https://www.britishcornershop.co.uk/pro ... gLV8PD_BwE

There are other brands ... e.g. Shippams

A staple ingredient of Sunday School outing sandwiches in the 1950s

I've never seen it that cheap, but perhaps if you buy it in a multi-pack from somewhere?

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Re: Favourite pasta dishes

Postby Stokey Sue » Thu Jan 07, 2021 1:50 pm

Gillthepainter wrote:I've only recently heard of Jack Munroe when Sue has mentioned her.

What's
1 x 75g jar of salmon paste, 25p
I've never heard of it.

Just old fashioned fish paste for sandwiches Gill

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Re: Favourite pasta dishes

Postby Gillthepainter » Thu Jan 07, 2021 1:51 pm

Right u r. Thank you.

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Re: Favourite pasta dishes

Postby Pampy » Thu Jan 07, 2021 2:01 pm

A super easy one that I make, usually with penne, is to fry chopped garlic, chilli flakes (to taste) and anchovies in oo until the anchovies melt. Put broccoli florets in with the pasta for the last 2-3 minutes, then drain the lot and put into the garlic/chilli/anchovy mix, adding a bit of cooking water to loosen if needed.

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Re: Favourite pasta dishes

Postby WWordsworth » Thu Jan 07, 2021 2:36 pm

I often make a big pan of Hairy Bikers ragu, turn half into lasagne and freeze the other half for adorning pasta.

It's pretty healthy, lots of veg and no added fat.

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Re: Favourite pasta dishes

Postby mistakened » Thu Jan 07, 2021 2:41 pm

My post disappeared who know where

karadekoolaid wrote:Spaghetti Isabelita. Fry up some bacon with a couple of cloves of garlic. Add a chopped tomato and some chopped sweet peppers until they´re soft. blitz in a processor, return to the pan and add cream and a tsp of pesto.
I have been making something similar for years, without the pesto

A simple sauce is to fry thinly sliced onions in butter and oil until they have collapsed, add to pasta together with Parmesan, simple and delicious
I also make, courtesy of Diane Seeds Top 100 Pasta Sauces, , Tagliatelli agli Asparagi, using thin local asparagus that I froze earlier in the year. Cook the asparagus until not quite tender. Add white breadcrumbs to melted butter then add a little stock and cream. Cut asparagus into short lengths, add cream mixture. Cook for another five minutes then add the cooked tagliatelle . Add grated Fontina cheese, I cannot usually get that so use Emmenthal
I buy local frozen artichoke hearts. Defrost then slice them. Stew them in olive oil together with chopped garlic for about 20 minutes. Add chopped parsley, salt and pepper. I usually use green pasta otherwise it is a bit beige

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Re: Favourite pasta dishes

Postby liketocook » Thu Jan 07, 2021 2:46 pm

Sorry yes just old fashioned fish paste, the link's a few years old so prices have changed though Tesco "Stockwell" jar is still 25p.
It's a surprisingly good dish, much tastier than it might sound.

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Re: Favourite pasta dishes

Postby KeenCook2 » Thu Jan 07, 2021 2:48 pm

Pampy wrote:A super easy one that I make, usually with penne, is to fry chopped garlic, chilli flakes (to taste) and anchovies in oo until the anchovies melt. Put broccoli florets in with the pasta for the last 2-3 minutes, then drain the lot and put into the garlic/chilli/anchovy mix, adding a bit of cooking water to loosen if needed.


That's one of our favourites too, can be nice with crunchy breadcrumbs on top

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Re: Favourite pasta dishes

Postby KeenCook2 » Thu Jan 07, 2021 2:53 pm

Prosciutto e piselli - parma ham and peas with cream, start with softening some shallots, add the peas, cream and ham
This little book has some terrific recipes in it if you ever come across it in a 2nd hand bookshop - should you go in one ever again :(

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pasta-Italian- ... 0859415244

I got one from Abe Books and sent it to my son in LA as he was looking for t & t easy pasta recipes.

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Re: Favourite pasta dishes

Postby Amyw » Thu Jan 07, 2021 2:58 pm

Oooh I love pasta and haven’t really eaten much so will be looking forward to trying some of these ... a few suggestions

Those mixed seafood packs you get in the supermarket with tinned tomatoes , a slosh of white wine and garlic

Deskinned sausages turned into meatballs in a tomato chilli and fennel sauce

Mushrooms in a creamy garlic sauce , if I have some I’ll add some thyme as well

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Re: Favourite pasta dishes

Postby Seatallan » Thu Jan 07, 2021 3:36 pm

Seafood spag is one of our mid-week regulars. Just gently stir-fry a mix of fish (Sainsbury's do a very reasonably priced fish pie mix which is what I generally use) in a wee bit of olive oil, add some garlic and (if you have it) a sprinking of dried seaweed, add the juice and grated rind of a lemon, cook spag whilst you're doing that, drain and add spag to the wok/pan and mix through. Add chopped parsley and plenty of pepper. Sometimes I use finely-chopped anchovies (the sort that come in a tub with brine) instead of the fish-pie mix.

Another one I do often is penne with stir-fried corgette ribbons, tinned tuna and pesto.
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