Category Archives: Pasta

Recipes of Pasta

Alphabet Soup

May 16, 2016 7:36 am , Leave a Comment ,
Alphabet Soup

This Memorable Dish was requested by my second son because he was sick this past week. It was definitely a sick soup week for all. When one person in the family gets sick, at least two out of the five (but usually more) will also get sick. Luckily (or maybe unluckily) I never get sick, which means I am the one taking care of the sickies. Growing up Chinese, when we get sick, we eat congee such as my Century Egg and Pork Congee. We also avoid certain foods. For example, when we get a cough, we never eat oranges or drink cold drinks. We also make special drinks or soups to nourish ourselves when we’re sick. So on top of making the specially requested alphabet soup, I have also been making drinks and soups using Chinese herbs. But we’ll save special nourishing Chinese soups for another post. Now back to alphabet soup…

I love that the boys request certain foods depending on what mood they are in. They have equated soupy noodles as foods that they like to eat when they are sick. My second son requests special foods quite often. He has been requesting Spaghetti and Meatballs and macaroni and cheese and even offered to help me cook them because he loves these dishes so much. I love to get reminders on what to make from time to time. With busy weekdays, I often make my usual go-to dishes (some kind of meat/fish with rice and veggies). It’s nice to hear special requests because that means they enjoy the food I make for them 🙂 .

When I told the boys that I’m making Alphabet Soup, they all cheered. Sickies and non-sickies alike enjoy this Memorable Dish. Even though you could make this soup with any shaped pasta, using the alphabet pasta was extra special to them. They always ask for seconds for this simple and quick dish. I don’t know why I don’t make it more often because this dish really makes them so happy! Then again, if I make it often, it might not be so special afterall 😉 .Alphabet Soup

Alphabet Soup

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Serving Size: 1

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup of cooked alphabet pasta
  • 1/2 cup diced Ham (or whatever leftover meats you have on hand, I’m using turkey Kolbassa this time)
  • 1/2 cup frozen Corn (defrosted)
  • 2 cups Chicken Broth (Homemade or your favourite store-bought brand)
  • Splash of Vegetable Oil
  • Salt and White Pepper to taste

Preparation

  1. Prepare alphabet pasta according to package instructions.
  2. Drain pasta in colander, add vegetable oil and mix to prevent from sticking.
  3. Bring the chicken broth to a boil and add pasta, ham, and corn.
  4. Once the broth boils again, it’s ready to serve.
https://www.memorabledishes.com/alphabet-soup/

Posted in: Main Course, Noodles, Pasta, Soup, Vegetables , Tagged: , , ,

Spaghetti and Meatballs

December 7, 2015 8:19 am , Leave a Comment ,
Spaghetti and Meatballs

My second son has been hounding me to make spaghetti and meatballs. Everytime I said I was going to make them, I ended up making spaghetti and meat SAUCE instead. I know he loves the meatballs but he doesn’t know the time it entails to make them. Meat sauce is easy, fast, and I can make it without much planning. Even though he does help me crush the tomatoes, it doesn’t shave off that much time 😉 Making meatballs, at least good meatballs, takes time.

I’ve made tons of meatballs and followed dozens of recipes in the past. But I find Lidia Bastianich’s recipe easy to make and uses simple ingredients that produce juicy meatballs. I love watching Lidia Bastianich’s show on PBS or the Canadian equivalent of public television. It’s just so comforting watching her describe and cook her Italian dishes. When I search for “Lidia Bastianich meatballs”, lots of different recipes show up. The recipes are all slightly different but I found this one is the closest to the one I saw on her show.

Spaghetti and meatballs is a comforting dish that I wish I could make more often. It always brings a smile to my kids’ faces. When they heard that I was making spaghetti and meatballs, they got so excited and gave me big hugs and kisses. This Memorable Dish is a tribute to my Bubby. This dish definitely describes him to the core. Round (his round face) and comforting. 🙂Spaghetti and Meatballs

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Prep Time: 1 hour

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 2 hours

Serving Size: 6-8

Ingredients

  • For Meatballs:
  • 1 medium Carrot, coarsely chopped
  • 2 stalks Celery, coarsely chopped
  • 2 medium Onions, coarsely chopped
  • 1 pound ground Beef
  • 1 pound ground Pork
  • 1 pound ground Veal
  • 2 large Eggs, beaten
  • 1/2 cup Parsley, chopped
  • 2 cups Bread Crumbs
  • 1 tbsp Kosher Salt
  • For Sauce:
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin Olive Oil
  • 1 medium Onion, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
  • 2 tsp Kosher Salt, plus more as needed
  • 2 Bay Leaves
  • 1/2 tsp Peperoncino
  • 3 (28-ounce) cans San Marzano Plum Tomatoes, crushed by hands in large bowl
  • 1 pound Spaghetti

Preparation

  1. Preheat the oven to 425°F.
  2. In a food processor, combine the carrot, celery and onion. Pulse to make a fine-textured paste or pestata.
  3. Scrape the pestata into a large bowl and add the remaining meatball ingredients.
  4. Mix well with your hands to combine all of the ingredients.
  5. Roll into golf ball sized meatballs and place on baking sheets approximately 1/2 inch apart. You should fit approximately 24 meatballs on your baking tray. This recipe yields about 4 dozen (48) meatballs.
  6. Bake meatballs until browned all over, about 18 to 20 minutes. The meatballs do not need to be entirely cooked through because they will cook more in the sauce.
  7. While the meatballs are baking, begin the sauce.
  8. In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat.
  9. Add the onion and sauté until softened about 5 minutes.
  10. Add 1 teaspoon of salt and peperoncino. Let the peperoncino toast for a minute.
  11. Add the crushed tomatoes. Slosh out the tomato cans and bowl with 4 cups of hot water and add to the pot.
  12. Add bay leaf and remaining teaspoon of salt.
  13. Bring sauce to a simmer while the meatballs finish baking, about 10 minutes more.
  14. When the meatballs have finished baking, gently add them to the sauce and return to a simmer.
  15. Simmer, shaking the pan periodically to move but not break the meatballs, until sauce is thick and flavourful, about 30 minutes.
  16. Add 1 pound of spaghetti to boiling salted water. When the pasta is al dente, drain with tongs and add directly to half of the sauce.
  17. Toss and serve immediately with some grated Grana Padano or Parmesan cheese.
  18. Top with meatballs and extra sauce to your taste.

Notes

Note #1: You could use two out of the three combination of meats. If you like, substitute ground turkey for one of the meats but be aware that the meatballs might be a little bit drier because it has less fat.

Note #2: The original recipe has 1 teaspoon of ground oregano in it. I omitted it so that I can use my extra meatballs for different recipes.

Note #3: After baking the meatballs, I freeze the extra ones to be used in other recipes.

https://www.memorabledishes.com/spaghetti-and-meatballs/

Posted in: Beef, Main Course, Pasta , Tagged: ,

Tuna Casserole

May 19, 2015 8:27 am , Leave a Comment ,
Tuna Casserole

You’d be surprised that I run out of food at my house. Yes, I do cook a lot but I try to buy fresh food as much as possible. I have nothing against the freezer. I do buy meat in bulk and freeze it. I make baby food and freeze it. And I buy frozen veggies and other frozen instant products when I’m in a food jam. But on one cold winter’s day, I actually had no meat in the freezer. I didn’t want to venture out to the grocery store in deep-freeze weather. What to do?…What can I make?…Tuna casserole!

Since I didn’t grow up with a North American mother, tuna casserole was not a childhood dish of mine. I don’t quite remember when I was first introduced to it. I might’ve eaten it at a friend’s house or I might’ve made it by myself since it’s such an easy dish to whip up. I didn’t discover tuna casserole until I was much older.

This seems like a dish of yesteryear when everyone today is eating designer foods. But there’s a comfort and simplicity to this dish. A can of cream of mushroom soup, cans of tuna and egg noodles (I use whole wheat rotini pasta). I also use grated cheese as a topping instead of the usual bread crumb topping I’ve seen in other recipes.

Whether you’ve had tuna casserole while growing up or never had it, give it a try! You can stock the items in your pantry and freezer and cook it in a pinch. Or like me, when you run out of meat in the house!

The first time I served this dish for the kids, they exclaimed, “We used to have this at daycare!” That was heartwarming to hear that they recollect eating this Memorable Dish at daycare where the ladies who cared for them were like family.

Tuna Casserole

Tuna Casserole

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Serving Size: 4

Ingredients

  • 1 box whole wheat Rotini Pasta (375 g)
  • 1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup
  • 1 cup Milk
  • 2 cans Tuna (7 oz can)
  • 2 cups frozen mixed Vegetables
  • 2 tsp Olive Oil
  • 1 cup grated Cheddar Cheese
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan Cheese

Preparation

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
  2. Boil the pasta based on the instructions found on the package.
  3. Drain the pasta into a colander and mix with olive oil to prevent from sticking.
  4. In a large bowl, mix the mushroom soup, milk, tuna (drain the liquid) and vegetables together.
  5. Put the pasta into the mixture and mix until everything is combined.
  6. Pour tuna mixture and pasta into a baking dish and top with cheeses.
  7. Bake for 20 minutes or until pasta is bubbling.
https://www.memorabledishes.com/tuna-casserole/

Posted in: Fish, Main Course, Noodles, Pasta , Tagged: , ,

Macaroni Soup with Ham

April 27, 2015 6:36 am , Leave a Comment ,
Macaroni Soup with Ham

I love Macaroni Soup. My mom used to make it for us when we were kids. I don’t quite recall but I think she used to make it specifically when we were sick. But it was definitely a favourite childhood Memorable Dish of mine. I used to suck on the macaroni tube when it was in my mouth to drink the soup that was trapped in there. What am I saying? I still do it now! I just remember having a lot of fun eating it.

I did a little research and have come to realize that this is a Hong Kong-Western style dish! I thought everyone grew up eating this. In Hong Kong, Macaroni soup with ham is usually eaten for breakfast or lunch. When my kids are sick, the first thing I think of making them is macaroni soup. It’s easy to make, brothy, warm and so yummy to eat.

This is a great alternative to macaroni cheese and a great dish to make for the kiddies. It covers all the basic food groups – carbs, proteins and veggies. I’m sure this Memorable Dish will please children anywhere!

It’s super easy to make when you have everything on hand. It makes a great one-dish meal for children and adults alike. Have this Memorable Dish for breakfast and pretend you are at a Hong Kong-Western style café!

Macaroni Soup with Ham

Macaroni Soup with Ham

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Serving Size: 1

Ingredients

  • 1 cup of cooked Macaroni pasta
  • 1/2 cup diced Ham
  • 1/2 cup frozen Corn, Peas, Carrot mix (defrosted)
  • 2 cups Chicken Broth (Homemade or your favourite store-bought brand)
  • Splash of Vegetable Oil
  • Salt and White Pepper to taste

Preparation

  1. Prepare macaroni pasta according to package instructions.
  2. Drain macaroni in colander, add vegetable oil and mix to prevent from sticking.
  3. Bring the chicken broth to a boil and add macaroni, ham, and vegetables.
  4. Once the broth boils again, it’s ready to serve.
https://www.memorabledishes.com/macaroni-soup-with-ham/

Posted in: Main Course, Noodles, Pasta, Pork, Soup, Vegetables , Tagged: , , , , , ,
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