Spaghetti Carbonara

Serves: 4 
Makes in: 30min

• 500g spaghetti
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 8 slices bacon
• 1 yellow onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/4 cup white cooking wine
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
• 2 tbsp parsley 

1. Cook spaghetti pasta until al dente. Drain and toss with 1 tablespoon of olive oil; set aside. 
2. In the meantime in a large skillet, fry bacon until medium crisp; remove and drain onto paper towels, chop into small pieces. 
3. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil, and heat in reused large skillet. Add chopped onion, and cook over medium heat until onion is translucent. Add minced garlic, and cook 1 minute more. Add wine and cook one more minute.
4. In the meantime mix well raw eggs and Parmesan cheese.
5. Return cooked bacon to pan; add spaghetti. Toss to coat and heat through. Quickly add the egg and cheese mix tossing constantly until eggs are barely set. Garnish with parsley and serve immediately. 

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Orzo with Parmesan and Basil

Hands-down, this is one of my all time favourites! The flavors blend together perfectly for a wonderfully tasty dish that goes well as a side dish to any meat.

• 2 tbsp butter
• 1cup orzo
• 14.5 oz chicken broth
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup fresh chopped basil leaves 

1. Melt butter in heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in orzo and saute until lightly browned. 
2. Stir in chicken stock and bring to boil. Cover. Reduce heat and simmer until orzo is tender and liquid is absorbed, about 15 - 20 minutes. 
3. Mix in Parmesan cheese and basil. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to shallow bowl. Garnish with basil sprigs.
    

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Shrimp Scampi

• 1/4 cup butter
• 5 cloves minced garlic
• 1 lb deveined, peeled shrimp
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
• 1 tbsp parsley
• 1 package (500g) angel hair pasta 

1. Cook pasta al dente. 
2. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in garlic and shrimp. Cook, stirring constantly, for 3. 
3. Stir in wine, lemon juice, and pepper. Bring to a boil and cook for 30 seconds while stirring constantly. 
4. Mix shrimp with drained pasta in a serving bowl. Sprinkle with cheese and parsley. Serve immediately. 

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Celebration Lasagne

In spite of a complex preparation and a lengthy cooking process, this is rather easy to put together. A great and impressive dish for parties - it looks fantastic! I simplified the original Chatelaine recipe (Oct. 2008).

Servings: 12
Makes in: 2 hours
Level: medium

• 300g frozen spinach
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 300g Italian sausages or ground beef
• 1/2 cup sherry marsala 
• 700 ml tomato sauce
• 1 teaspoon each: dried basil, oregano
• 1 white onion, chopped
• 4 large portobello mushroom, sliced
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/3 cup flour
• 2 cups milk
• 2 cups mozzarella, grated
• 1 cup parmesan cheese, grated
• 12 oven-ready lasagna noodles 

1. Thaw spinach, don't microwave.
2. Microwave wine until hot, 1 min and stir into sliced mushrooms. Leave covered while cooking.
3. Meat sauce:

• Coat a large frying pan with oil over med. heat. Crumble and break ground beef, cook until no longer pink, 3 min. 
• Add Marsala. Increase heat to high. Cook till Marsala evaporates, 5min. 
• Add pasta sauce, basil, oregano. Stir often till hot. Remove from heat.

4. Mushroom sauce:

• Melt 1T butter in a large frying pan. Add onion, saute till softened, 3min.
• Add 1T butter, add mushrooms. Add 1t salt. 
• Stir, cook till wine evaporates, 5 min. Remove from heat.

5. White sauce:

• Melt 4T butter, add flour. Whisk till golden colored. 
• Gradually whisk in milk till comes to a boil. Reduce heat till med.-low, whisk about 5min till thickened. 
• Add nutmeg, 1/2 salt. Stir 1/2 of the sauce into mushroom sauce.

6. Preheat oven to 350. Mix cheeses in a bowl.
7. Spread meat sauce just enough to cover 9x13in baking dish. Layer in the following order:

• 4 noodles
• 1/2 mushroom sauce
• 1/2 meat sauce
• 1C cheese
• 4 noodles
• remaining mushroom sauce
• scatter spinach without squeezing
• 1C cheese
• 4 noodles
• meat sauce
• white sauce
• remaining cheese

8. Lay a piece of foil on top. Place on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 1H. Remove foil, bake another 15-20min. Let stand 5 min before serving.

MAKE AHEAD: assemble, don't bake. Cover with foil and refrigerate up to 2 days. Bring to room temp-re and bake. 

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Scampi Linguini

This recipe is so easy and so divinely good!

• 1 12oz package linguine
• 3/4 cup butter
• 1 lb peeled and deveined shrimp
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 3 tbsp fresh chopped parsley 

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C). 
2. Cook pasta until al dente. 
3. In the meantime, put butter or margarine in 13 x 9 x 2 inch glass baking dish, and place in oven until butter melts. 
4. Add shrimp, garlic, and lemon juice to melted butter or margarine; stir to blend. Return dish to oven, and bake shrimp 3 minutes. Mix in parsley, and continue baking until shrimp are just cooked through, about 2 minutes longer. Season with salt and pepper. 
5. Drain pasta, and transfer to a large bowl. Spoon shrimp mixture over, and toss to combine. Serve immediately.  

Original recipe: allrecipes.com

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Spinach And Cheese Roll-Up Pasta

Great and easy dish that makes beautiful presentation.

Serves: 4 (2 rolls each) 
Makes in: 60min+

• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1/3 cup white onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 can diced tomato, 14 oz 
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1/2 tsp dried basil leaves
• 1/4 tsp sugar
• 8 dried lasagna noodles
• 1 10 oz thawed, squeezed spinach
• 3/4 cup ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup mozzarella grated cheese
• 2 tbsp Parmesan cheese
• 1 slightly beaten egg white
• 1 tsp salt, pepper

1. For sauce, heat oil in a medium saucepan. Cook onion and garlic in hot oil until onion is tender, stirring occasionally. Carefully stir in undrained tomatoes, tomato paste, basil, sugar, salt, and pepper. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, about 5 minutes or until sauce is desired consistency, stirring occasionally.
2. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Rinse with cold water; drain well. 
3. For filling, drain thawed spinach well, pressing out excess liquid. In a medium bowl stir together ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, and basil. Add spinach and egg white, stirring to combine. 
4. Preheat oven to 350 degree F. To assemble, evenly spread about 1/4 cup filling on each noodle. Roll up from one end. Place two rolls, seam side down, into each of four individual casseroles. Top each serving with sauce. Bake casseroles, covered, for 25 minutes or until heated through. 

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Orzo Pilaf with Mushrooms

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 white onion, chopped 
• 1 cup mushroom, sliced 
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup orzo
• 3 tbsp toasted pine nuts
• 2 tbsp chopped parsley 

1. Heat oil in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and mushrooms and saute until golden brown, about 10 minutes. 
2. Add broth and bring to boil. Stir in orzo. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer until orzo is tender and has absorbed all liquid, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat.
3. Stir in pine nuts and parsley. 
4. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve immediately.
    

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Cajun Seafood Pasta

This pasta recipe is so simple and the taste is rich and absolutely delicious. You can play around with substiting heavy cream for milk for a ligther version.

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon each: fresh chopped basil leaves and thyme
• 2 teaspoons each: salt and black pepper
• 2 teaspoons hot sauce (sriracha, frank's or red pepper flakes)
• 1 cup  parsley, chopped
   
• 1/2 lb shrimp, deveined, peeled 
• 1/2 lb scallops 
• 1/2 cup swiss cheese, shredded
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
• 1 lb dry fettuccine 

1. Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente.
2. Meanwhile, pour cream into large skillet. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until just about boiling. Reduce heat, and add herbs, salt, peppers, onions, and parsley. Simmer 7 to 8 minutes, or until thickened.
3. Stir in seafood, cooking until shrimp and scallops are no longer transparent. Stir in cheeses, blending well.
4. Drain pasta. Serve sauce over noodles. 

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Seafood Lasagne

One of my older favourites, a recipe from Classic Italian Cooking Course.

• 5 tablespoon(s) butter
• 1 lb white fish
• 8oz / 200g shrimp, deveined and roughly chopped 
• 3 cups mushroom, chopped 
• 3 tablespoon(s) flour
• 2 1/2 cups hot milk
• 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
• 1 can 14oz diced tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons fresh basil leaves
• 1 package(s) no-cook, 8 sheets lasagna noodles
• 1 cups grated parmesan cheese
• 1 pinch(s) +pepper salt 

1. Melt 1 tbsp of the butter in a large, deep saute pan, add the monkfish and shrimp and saute over medium to high heat for 2-3 minutes. As soon as the shrimp turn pink, remove them with a slotted spoon and place in a bowl.

2. Add the mushrooms to the pan and saute for about 5 minutes, until the juices run and the mushrooms are soft. Remove with a slotted spoon and add to the fish in the bowl.

3. Melt the remaining butter in a saucepan, add the flour and stir over low heat for 1-2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and gradually whisk in the milk. Return to the heat and bring to a boil, whisking. lower the heat and simmer for 2-3 minutes, whisking occasionally, until thick. Whisk in the cream and cook over low heat for 2 more minutes.

4. Remove the sauce from the heat and stir in the fish and mushroom mixture with all the juices that have collected in the bowl. Add salt to taste, and plenty of pepper. Preheat the oven to 190C.

5. Spread half the chopped tomatoes over the bottom of a baking dish. Springke with half the basil and add salt and pepper to taste. Ladle 1/3 of the sauce over the tomatoes.

6. Cover the sauce with four lasagne sheets. Spread the remaining tomatoes over the lasagne and sprinkle with the basil and salt and pepper to taste. Ladle 1/2 of the remaining sauce over. Arrange the remaining lasagne sheets on top, top with the rest of the sauce and cover with cheese. Bake for 30-40 minutes until golden and bubbling. Serve hot, garnished with fresh herbs. 

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Buffalo Chicken Pasta

If there is a recipe in my collection that I have been making for years, this has got to be this. I've been making this pasta for so long, I cannot remember where I got the recipe from. I love everything about it - the zestiness, the creaminess, and well the flavors bond. Although it is on a heavier side with 1C of mayo, I usually reduce it to 1/2 and some milk till it has consistency of yogurt.

• 1 lb medium shaped uncooked pasta
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed 
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 lb chicken breast
• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons hot sauce (sriracha, Frank's, etc)
• 1 cup celery, diced
• 1/2 cup(s) chopped red onion
• 1 cup low-fat mayonnaise
• 3/4 cup cup milk

1. Prepare pasta according to package directions. While pasta is cooking, combine paprika, salt, garlic powder and pepper; sprinkle over chicken, stirring to coat. 
2. Add 1 teaspoon oil to a large skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Add chicken to skillet and saute over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until chicken is golden brown and cooked through, about 4 minutes. Add hot sauce; cook 1 minute. Remove chicken from skillet. Add remaining teaspoon of oil to skillet; add celery and onion and saute 2 minutes.
3. Combine mayonnaise and milk in a small bowl. Add to vegetables in skillet. Add chicken. Stir constantly and cook over medium-low heat until thoroughly heated. 
4. When pasta is done, drain and return to pot. Add contents of skillet to pot and mix well. Transfer to serving dish and sprinkle with cheese. Serve immediately. 

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