Shrimp Pasta

Recipe No: 188
My husband loves Cajun Shrimp Pasta, which he orders no matter what kind of a restaurant he is in… American, Italian or even a Steak house!!! It is slightly hot due to the Cajun spices, which I decided to imitate with the usual spices in my kitchen.

Ingredients                                          Serves 2

• Any kind of Long Pasta….100 grams (I used multigrain Angel Hair Pasta)
• Olive Oil……………………....2 Tablespoons
• Shallots chopped…………..4 big ones
• Garlic chopped………….…..3 big ones
• Heavy Cream………………..1 Cup
• Tomato chopped…………...1/2 big
• Dried Basil, Thyme and Oregano…1/4 Teaspoon each (Optional; will taste good without too)
• Salt and Pepper to taste

To marinate the Prawns

• Raw Shrimp……………….15 big ones (Remove shells and veins, wash and dry)
• Black Pepper Powder…..1/2 Teaspoon
• Red Chilly Powder………1/2 Teaspoon (Paprika or Kashmiri Chilly Powder is the best)
• Salt………………………..…1/2 Teaspoon

Method of Preparation

1. Cook the Pasta as per the instructions on its cover (The cooking time will vary with type, brand and shape of the Pasta) in lots of salted Water. Don’t cook it too much as it will finish cooking in the sauce. Drain it and reserve ½ Cup Pasta cooking Water for later use.
2. Marinate the cleaned Shrimp with the ingredients mentioned in the marinade section and keep aside for 10 minutes.
3. Heat Olive Oil in a pan on medium high heat and fry the Shrimp till just cooked for about a minute on each side.
4. To it add Shallots and Garlic and saute for a minute stirring constantly.
5. Add  Cream and the Pasta Water that we reserved and let it boil.
6. Add Salt and Pepper to taste and once boiled thoroughly, add the cooked Pasta and let it boil on high heat for a minute or two till the sauce is reduce to the amount you want. (I like to have some sauce left, as the Pasta tends to absorb more sauce as it sits.)
7. Off the heat and add chopped Tomato and the dried herbs (if using); mix once more and serve hot.

Notes:

• Cook Pasta slightly less and let it finish cooking in the Sauce which will make it taste good.
• If you don’t have dried herbs use fresh Basil or Thulsi if possible.
• A good healthy substitute for Cream is white sauce. If you decide to go with that then, add a Tablespoon of Flour to the pan after sauteing the Garlic and Shallots; fry till the raw smell is gone; add a cup of Milk and stir till it thickens on low heat. Then follow the rest of the procedure of adding Pasta and the cooking liquid. (But I will suggest use Cream at least once to know its real taste!!)
• Add Tomato only at the end to prevent it from mashing.
• If you have more than one stove, then you can multitask making this dish. Start to boil the Water and then clean and marinate the Shrimp, followed by preparing the Shallots and Garlic. Once you drop the Pasta, make the sauce in another stove. That way, you can drop the Pasta in the sauce as soon as it is drained, which I think is important as the Pasta tends to absorb more sauce when it is hot.

 






Make it, enjoy the deliciousness and 
serve it to your family with love…

Egg Noodles

Recipe No:77
This dish makes use of egg noodles that are available in the market. Generally these come without taste makers. Here in this dish I am using only egg but it you want to use shredded Chicken, fried Prawns or Sausage go ahead. That will give a different but very delectable taste.

Ingredients                                      Serves 4

• Egg noodles (Long variety)….200 gm (2 oz)
• Garlic chopped…………………..1 Tablespoon
• Carrot……………………………….1 Small (Slice into thin long pieces)
• Beans……………………………....10 No (Slice into thin long pieces)
• Cabbage……………………………1 Cup (Shredded into thin long pieces)
• Onion……………………………….1/2 Small (Slice into thin long pieces)
• Spring Onion……………………..3 No (Slice into thin long pieces)
• Egg…………………………………..2
• Vegetable Oil………………….....3 Tablespoons
• Red Pepper Flakes……………..1/2 Teaspoon (or more if you want)
• Hoisin Sauce…………………..…2 Tablespoons
• Soy Sauce………………………….2 Tablespoons
• Sesame Oil………………………...1 Tablespoon (Optional)
• Salt and Pepper if needed.

Method of Preparation

1. Boil at least 6 cups of water in a pot over high heat with 1 Tablespoon of salt. Put the noodles into the boiling water and cook till it is done. Time of cooking will be on the back of the cover. Take care not to overcook. Drain and wash it immediately with cold water and keep it aside till ready to be used.
2. Heat Oil in a pan and saute Garlic and Red pepper flakes for 30 seconds followed by Carrot, Beans, Cabbage and Onion. Saute on high heat for 2 to 3 minutes. It should be still crispy.
3. Move all the Vegetables to the sides of the pan and crack the eggs to the middle of the pan and immediately scramble. Once scrambled, mix the Egg with the Vegetables on the side of the pan.
4. Add the cooked Noodles, Soy sauce, Hoisin Sauce and Sesame Oil and mix well.
5. Check for Salt and Pepper and add if needed.  Finish off the dish with Spring Onions.

Notes:

• Egg Noodles is available in most of the grocery stores. But I like to use the ones from Chinese stores and other International Grocery stores, where you get dry egg noodles  just like Top Ramen Noodles...but without the taste maker. Look for long and thin Egg noodles that are bundled into blocks  and not the variety that comes in all sort of shapes and sizes.
• Hoisin Sauce is present in most of the Grocery stores in the Asian Isle. This sauce is a bit on the sweeter side and it is perfectly okay to use some extra sauce if you like it.

 





Make it , enjoy the deliciousness and 
serve it to your family with love…

Chicken Noodle Soup

Recipe No: 61

Ingredients                                           Serves 3

• Butter………………...........1 Teaspoon
• Noodles….........................3 oz or 1 packet (I used Top Ramen, but you can use any. Discard the taste maker)
• Carrot………………….…...1 Small (Cut into thin long pieces)
• Beans…………………….....5-6 (Cut into thin long pieces)
• Onion…………………….....1/2 Small (Cut into thin long pieces)
• Chicken………………….....1/2 Cup (cooked and shredded)
• Chicken Stock…………….4 Cups
• Soy sauce……………….....1/2 – 1 Teaspoon (Optional)
• Spring Onion……………...1 (Sliced)
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Method of Preparation

1. Heat butter in a deep pan and add Onion, Carrots and Beans and saute for a minute.
2. Add the Chicken stock, close the pan and let it boil.
3. Add the Noodles and let it cook.
4. Once cooked add Chicken, Spring Onion, Soy Sauce, Salt (If needed) and Pepper. Let it boil one more time.
5. Serve hot after a sprinkle of freshly chopped spring/ green onion.

Make it, taste the deliciousness and
serve it to your family with love…

Sausage Macaroni

Recipe No: 28

This dish, inspired by 'The Olive Garden' advertisement suddenly became one of my daughter’s favorite dishes. As a mom I am happy to see her eating this since I know it is a wholesome meal containing proteins, starch and vegetables. Instead of Broccoli you can add any sort of vegetable your kid likes.

Ingredients                                                          Serves 2

• Macaroni  pasta……...............…...1/2 cup
• Broccoli florets……………………….1 cup
• Raw sausage………………………….1 big
• Oil………………………………………..1 Tablespoon
• Flour/Mai.…………………………….1/2 Tablespoon
• Cold Milk….…………………………...1/2 Cup
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Grated Cheese of any kind for garnish

Method of Preparation

1. Boil at least 4 cups of water with ½ teaspoon of salt. Once boiled, put the pasta in and cook. Cooking time varies with the variety of pasta you are using, so read the cooking instruction in the back of the box.
2. When the pasta is ¾ cooked add the broccoli and let them finish cooking together.
3. Drain and arrange it in the bottom of a serving plate.
4. Cut the raw sausage into bite size pieces.
5. Heat oil in a pan and fry the Sausage pieces thoroughly. Remove the sausage and arrange on top of the pasta.
6. There may be left over oil in the bottom of the pan. If there is not, add an extra teaspoon of oil and add the flour.
7. Fry the flour well on medium heat till a nice aroma comes about 2 minutes and then add cold milk and mix well without lumps. Scrape the bits of sausage that may be stuck to the bottom of the pan. This adds a real good taste to the sauce.
8. Add Salt and Pepper according to your taste.
9. Pour this Sauce over the macaroni and Sausage generously.
10. Add some grated Cheese on top and serve hot. You can see the cheese melting as soon as it hits the hot sauce.

Notes: You can use any vegetables instead of Broccoli but make sure it is cooked like the way you like.
If you are making this for adults try adding a few tablespoons of good Red Wine to the fried sausage. That will be a very nice twist.

 I prefer raw sausage of any kind (Beef, Pork, Chicken or Turkey), as it will render some fat into the pan to make the sauce with. This will enhance the taste of the whole dish. If in case you cannot get the raw ones, do it with precooked sausage of your choice.
Cutting the raw Sausage can be hard as the stuffing might fall out of the casing. So it is easy to cut them in a semi frozen state which will help retaining the shape. 
If you don't like frying the raw sausage directly, then cook the sausage in boiling water for 5 minutes, take it out of the water, then cut and fry till it is brown in color.
You can use any variety of Pasta you like for this dish. But I prefer the small ones like macaroni. 

 




Make it, enjoy the deliciousness and
serve it to your family with love...