my mum wants to now how to make a good pasta dish?

Answer 1

Over 200 pasta shapes have been invented to date, but the long-established favourite is spaghetti; and even this can be bought in a large assortment of thicknesses and lengths, 'Spaghettini' are thin strands of spaghetti and 'spaghettoni' are thick. This recipe is a healthy version of a traditional Italiandish. The use of lean meat reduces the fat content, and by cooking it slowly you will need less oil. If wished, you can use whole-wheat spaghetti for extra fibre, and replace some of the minced beef with extra mushrooms. Serve with a green salad.

~~~~~~~~~~ Spaghetti Bolognaise ~~~~~~~~~~

1lb / 450g spaghetti
1 large onion
2 cloves garlic
6oz / 175g mushrooms
1 tbsp virgin olive oil
1lb / 450g minced beef
14oz / 400g tin tomatoes
2 tbsp chopped fresh thyme, marjoram and parsley, or 2 tsp dried mixed herbs
1 tbsp tomato puree
1 tsp English mustard
1-2 glasses red wine
1 bay leaf
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4oz / 115g Parmesan cheese

Finely chop the onion. Crush the garlic and thinly slice the mushrooms. Heat the olive oil in a pan and sauté the onion and garlic over a low heat for 15 minutes, until soft and lightly coloured. Add the mushrooms and stir-fry over a moderate heat for a further 3 minutes. Spoon the mixture into a bowl and leave to one side.
Reduce the heat and add the minced beef. Cook slowly over a low heat for 5 minutes until the meat juices appear, breaking up the meat with a spoon. Raise to a moderate heat and cook for another 5 minutes, until browned. Bring a large pan of water to the boil, ready to cook the spaghetti.
Drain the tin of tomatoes, then add them to the pan with the minced beef, along with the onion and mushroom mixture, the mixed herbs, tomato puree, mustard, wine and bay leaf. Bring to the boil, and then reduce the heat and leave to simmer slowly for 30 minutes, adding more wine if necessary to keep the sauce moist. Remove the bay leaf and season.
Cook the spaghetti in the pan of boiling water, according to the instructions on the packet, leaving the pasta cooked but slightly firm. Drain and serve with the bolognaise sauce, and a bowl of Parmesan to pass around.

~~~~~~~~ Chicken, Broccoli & Pasta Casserole ~~~~~~~~

8 ounces medium pasta shells
3 ½ cups low-fat (1%) milk
1/3 cup flour
¾ tsp salt
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
2 packages (10 ounces each) frozen chopped broccoli, thawed
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (4 ounces)
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (about 5 ounces each)
½ tsp dried rosemary, crumbled

1.Preheat the oven to 375 deg F. In a large pot of boiling water, cook the pasta according to package directions until firm-tender. Drain the pasta well and then transfer to a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking dish.
2.In a medium saucepan, whisk the milk into the flour. Stir in ½ tsp of the salt and the cayenne. Bring to a boil over moderate heat and cook, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes or until lightly thickened. Add the broccoli and Cheddar, and cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until the cheese is melted.
3.Pour the broccoli-cheese mixture over the pasta in the baking dish.
Place the chicken on top and sprinkle with the rosemary and the remaining ¼ tsp salt. Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Serves4.

Enjoy! Good luck~..._;-)

Answer 2

An authentic Italian recipe from my Italian mum:
Fry a little chopped bacon and garlic and onions until all browned. Add a few fresh tomatoes, skins and all, fry around then a generous squeeze of tomato puree. Should be smelling absolutely fab at this point. Now a small tin of peeled tomatoes - stir around and leave for about fifteen minutes to simmer and reduce a little. Chuck in a teaspoon of herbs, either dried or fresh.
After about a quarter of an hour simmering, letting the flavours infuse, then turn up the heat to get the mix really bubbling and reducing until the pasta sauce is thicker and not so runny.
Put your pasta on to boil - when it is ready add it to the sauce and mix it in (never put sauce on the pasta, no italians do that!).
Now turn out the lot into a big bowl in the centre of the table, grate over some fresh Parmesan cheese, and let everybody serve themselves. Yum yum and double-yum.
This is a fabulous recipe and should take no longer than 30 minutes from raw ingredients to putting on the table. Enjoy.
Bon appetit!

Answer 3

Here are some very easy pasta recipes

Pasta Vialli
12 oz (350 g) penne rigate
1 quantity Classic Fresh Tomato Sauce
5 oz (150 g) Mozzarella, chopped into ¾ inch (2 cm) cubes
a little finely grated Parmesan (Parmigiano Reggiano),
a few whole basil leaves, to garnish

Start this by gently re-heating the tomato sauce and putting the pasta on to cook. When you are almost ready to eat, stir the cubes of Mozzarella into the warm sauce and let it simmer gently for 2-3 minutes, by which time the cheese will have softened and begun to melt but still retain its identity. Serve the sauce spooned over the drained pasta, sprinkle with the Parmesan and add a few fresh basil leaves as a garnish.

or Penne with Leeks and Bacon

12 oz (350g) penne or macaroni
3 small leeks, cleaned and chopped
6 oz (175 g) streaky bacon, de-rinded and chopped
olive oil
2 oz (50 g) butter

For the sauce:
2 oz (50 g) butter
2 oz (50 g) plain flour
1½ pints (850 ml) milk
6 oz (175 g) Cheddar cheese, grated
3 fl oz (75 ml) double cream
freshly grated nutmeg
salt and freshly milled black pepper

For the topping:
2 level tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
1 level tablespoon breadcrumbs
2 pinches cayenne pepper

Start by bringing a large saucepan of water to simmering point, add some salt, a few drops of olive oil and the pasta, then bring back to the boil and cook for 10 minutes exactly. Then turn the pasta into a colander and, to prevent it cooking any further, rinse it under the cold tap.

While the pasta's cooking, melt the butter in a pan and soften the leeks and bacon over a low heat and, in another pan, make the white sauce with the butter, flour and milk and leave it to simmer very gently.

Now turn the pasta, leeks and bacon into the prepared pie dish and mix them well together. Next stir the grated cheese into the sauce, season to taste with salt, pepper and nutmeg and, finally, add the cream. Then pour the sauce over the ingredients in the pie dish, sprinkle the top with the Parmesan, breadcrumbs and cayenne pepper.

This is a dish which can be prepared well beforehand then, when it's needed, put into an oven pre-heated to gas mark 4, 350°F (180°C) for 30-40 minutes till the top is nicely browned and the sauce bubbling.

or Roasted vegetable pasta

2 courgettes, cut into sticks
1 red pepper, seeded and cut into strips
2 garlic cloves, sliced finely
3 tbsp olive oil
300g/10oz pasta shells
200ml/7fl oz tub half-fat crème fraîche
2tsp wholegrain mustard
85g/3oz cheddar, grated

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 220C/425F/Gas 7.
2. Put the courgettes and red pepper in a roasting tin and sprinkle over the sliced garlic. Drizzle with olive oil, then season and toss to make sure all the vegetables are coated with oil.
3. Roast for 15-20 minutes until the vegtables are tender and beginning to brown.
4. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Add the pasta and cook for 10-12 minutes until just cooked. Drain and stir in the roasted vegetables with the crème fraîche, mustard and grated cheddar.

Answer 4

PASTA PRIMAVERA

1/2 Cup Ricotta Cheese
1 Cup Vegetable broth
1 Tblspn Unsalted butter
1/2 Tspn Salt
1/2 Tspn Pepper
6 Aspargus spears in 1/2 inch pieces
1 Cup Diced Zuchinni
1 Cup Diced Yellow Squash
10 oz of Peas & Carrots
1 Lb Fettuccine
1/2 Pint Cherry tomatoes
1/4 cup Pine nuts(OPTIONAL)
1/3 Cup Parmesan Cheese
Basil to Garnish

METHOD:
Heat a large pot of salted water to a boil.

In blender/food processor Puree Ricotta,Broth,Butter,Salt and Pepper. Put in a heat proof bowl.

Add Zucchini,Squash,Carrots,and Peas to Pot.

While Vegetables are cooking,Place heat proof bowl ontop to warm the sauce.Cook 2 - 3 minuets.

Remove with a slotted spoonto bowl with sauce.

Add some pasta to boiling water and cook 3 minuets;drain;toss well with vegetables,sauce,and tomatoes.

Top with Pine Nuts,Parmesan and Basil.

Serve Immediately


ENJOY!!!

Answer 5

a good pasta dish is started out with home made pasta and a sauce that simmers a long time. Pasta is flour, eggs, and olive oil. you could use a jar sauce and make it your own by adding your own things to it like Italian sausage and ground beef, mushrooms tomatoes and etc.

Answer 6

BOSCIOLA

Cream
Garlic
Bacon
Mushrooms
Salt & Pepper

Boil some long pasta, like fettucine or linguini, and drain it.
Heta some olive oil and butter in a pan, cook sliced garlic, chopped bacon and sliced mushroms for a few minutes.
Add as much cream and s & p as you like, toss through your pasta. Thats it, simple and delicious!

Buon Appitito

Answer 7

tell Mum to check out the site below has loads of recipes for free on anything you can think of, there are tooo may diferent ways to cook pasta to make a concise answer to your question, how a bout treating her to a holidya in Italy so she can see it first had.
The main thing to remember is plenty of hot boiling water

Answer 8

easy one to do would be chicken tonight country french make up with chicken add in dish with pasta ,macaroni or spirals are ok and put in oven to heat and thicken the sauce bit more ,you can add some chopped mixed pepper if you want ,everyuonme in my house loves it.
another easy one fry some chopped bacon and onion make up few packets of cheese sauce knorr is my fav and boil up macaroni put them all in dish and sprinkle on crumbled cheese and onion crisps again put in oven to heat serve straight away this is yummy and my kids have plates filled up everytime.

Answer 9

treat you mum to a new cookery book they do loads of books now and they do them just or pasta . it is nearly mothers day. 18th march i,m sure if she is interested in cooking she will love it and you for thinking of her.

Answer 10

Couple of cans of Hunt's Spaghetti Sauce w/garlic and herbs. Brown some hamburger meat or sausage. Boil noodles of your choice. Drain the meat, put it all in one pot and mix. Dinner is served.