Showing posts with label Tomato. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tomato. Show all posts
I know I've not been the biggest advocate for pasta. For the longest time I wondered what all the fuss was about. It was just pasta right? like carbs, like rice. It all depended on the sauce you added to it. So most times, I'd chuck the pasta and use other stuff instead with the sauce. Like when I made my Boozy Pasta Sauce. But over the last one year, I've been taking packed lunches to work and it made so much sense to make simple pasta dishes which would remain sturdy and fresh for lunch. I guess this one's more a salad than a saucy pasta. It takes hardly anytime to make and is not messy to pack and go. And also very good for summer when you don't want to be near a stove too long.
It is not advisable to wash cooked pasta when there is a sauce to bind the dish together. But in this case, since there is no sauce, I rinse the pasta in cold water just once to wash the excess starch away.
After all this, you must be thinking I've made some awesomely new, outlanding dish here, but read the title. It is not called 'My Simplest Pasta Recipe' without a reason. There is actually no recipe :-)
You only have to be careful with your ingredients.
Serves: one person
Ingredients
70g dried spaghetti
10 cherry tomatoes halved (if you'r counting, else a handful)
10 fresh basil leaves torn
1/tsp chilli flakes (adjust to taste)
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp grated parmesan
Salt to taste
Method
1. Cook pasta till al dente. Rinse once under cold water. Drain.
2. Toss in cherry tomatos, basil, chilli flakes & olive oil.
3. Toss by hand or with tongs to spread all the ingredients uniformly.
4. Season with salt to taste.
*5. You can at this point gently reheat it on a non stick pan. Be careful not to wilt the veggies.
6. Garnish with grated parmesan.
7. Serve immediately, pack for lunch or into the refrigerator it can go to be reheated in a microwave later.
I don't observe step 5. I reheat in the microwave if required.
My Simplest Pasta Recipe
What do you do when you wake up at 5:45 in the morning really hungry? Like so hungry you can't go back to sleep but you don't want to be standing by the stove making breakfast kind of hungry.
PS: this excludes folks who keep cereal at home and enjoy having it in the morning.
Me, on the other hand, I don't enjoy sweet stuff so much in the morning. I'd rather have idli or dosa or puttu or idiyappam or any of those nice savoury things. Toast & eggs are always welcome too! But all of the above requires being near the stove and really who wants to do that early in the morning.
Which is when you say hello to casseroles. The easiest breakfast in the world where all you need to do is shred some bread, add in some veggies of your choice, whisk a couple of eggs in milk, throw it all in a dish and bake for half an hour. If your stomach can wait for half an hour that is.
Mine does wait, cos the end product is so good and feels so indulgent while not being really indulgent at all. How could it be? All you've done is changed around toast and eggs to a casserole. Perv that I am about toast, my toast probably takes more effort on the stove than this.
To add a little more sparkle to this plain dish, I drizzle some extra virgin olive oil before baking and well, while serving. I'm extra indulgent about olive oil these days. You can use any kind of spice mixture - pepper, chilli flakes, za'atar and probably even add a chilli sauce to the custard mix if you're so inclined. I'd add sausages and other cooked meats if I feel like having a meaty casserole. There actually is no recipe for a casserole. Or atleast the kinds I make. All you need to remember is a ratio of 2 eggs to 1 cup milk. I also occasionally go for 1 egg for 3/4 cup milk, but then that takes longer to cook. Today 2 eggs to 1 cup milk works. You could also use cream instead of milk or half milk and half cream. Whatever floats your boat.
For this recipe I used a 7" x 3" baking dish. And it serves one really hungry person. It can also be stretched to two not so hungry people.
Ingredients
4 slices day old bread shredded by hand
2 handfuls baby spinach torn
1 large tomato sliced
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp pepper
Extra EVOO & chilli flakes to serve (optional)
Method
1. Preheat oven to 200 C
2. Shred the bread and evenly distribute in a baking dish
3. Top with spinach and tomatoes. Toss around if you want it evenly distributed. I just layered them.
4. Whisk eggs, milk, salt & pepper in a bowl
5. Gently pour over the bread mix and let it spread it evenly.
6. Press down on the mix from top with a spatula and let the bread soak up the egg mix.
7. Let it rest for 5 mins (if you have patience)
8. Drizzle olive oil on top
9. Bake in oven for 30-35 mins till the egg mix has set but is slightly jiggly.
10. Slice up to a plate, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil & chilli flakes
11. Serve!
Voila! Breakfast ready.
The best part? You could also make this in advance and warm it up when it's time to eat. Wooohoooo!!!
Baby Spinach & Tomato Breakfast Casserole
It doesn't need any further explaining, does it?
Tomato, Basil & Feta on Toast
I have a slight aversion to pasta. Which would make you wonder what I'm doing putting up a pasta sauce recipe. But surprise! Surprise! I've just figured out I can really enjoy pasta sauce without having to put up with pasta. Blame me: I don't think I've gotten the hang of cooking pasta alright. Or it could be that I don't like the packaged variety (unless its angel hair pasta). Or lets just assume, I'm real picky!
Boozy Pasta Sauce - Pasta Alla Vodka!
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