Pasta & Rice – Let's Cook Together

Pasta Arabiata

Denis Martel — Sun, 11 Nov 2012 14:46:36 +0000

I make my tomato sauce every September with my friends, that are Italian of course. We have a lot of fun doing this. For dinner, we usually eat pasta with plain tomato sauce serve with bread and wine. Simple but so good.

Ingredients:

One bottle of tomato sauce
One small can of tomato paste
3 chopped garlic cloves
50 ml fresh chopped basil
10 ml cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper
Penne
Optional: 300 gr. deveined shrimps and washed in cold water several times

Method:

Mix all the ingredients but the pasta together
Let simmer over low heat for about 15 minutes
Cook pasta in salted boiling water
Drain pasta, pour the sauce and serve
Optional: If you want, you may add the shrimps in the last 5 minutes of the sauce simmering

Tomato Pesto Pasta

Denis Martel — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 14:26:31 +0000

This is a fantastic Summer recipe. Fresh basil and tomatoes really gives it a nice summery taste. I usually enjoy it with a glass (OK, maybe 2!) of chilled Beaujolais. This is Natasha’s favourite summer dish.

Ingredients:

4 chopped tomatoes
500 gr of brie cheese, broken in small pieces
175 ml of good olive oil
250 ml of chopped fresh basil
3 or 4 chopped garlic cloves
5 ml of salt
Pepper from the mill
Fettuccine

Method:

Mix everything but the pasta in a large glass bowl
Allow it to marinate on the counter for about two hours
Cook fresh fettuccine
Drain pasta and mix with the sauce and adjust salt and pepper, if required

Spaghettini with shrimps

Denis Martel — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 14:25:05 +0000

Tiger shrimps might be cheaper but they are though. I much prefer white shrimps. I usually buy them frozen on sale.

When I originally created this recipe, I used green pepper instead or red. The girls told me the dish lacked color. Therefore, I suggest you are using red pepper to bring some humph to the dish.

Ingredients:

30 ml olive oil
5 garlic cloves, chopped
2 green onions, chopped
350 ml mushrooms, chopped in large chunks (I use oysters and Portobello but you can use regular mushrooms too)
Half of one red pepper, cut in slices
300 ml white wine
5 ml sel d’espelette (this is a speciality salt. If you do not have any, increase the regular salt by 5 ml and also add 2 ml chilli pepper flakes)
2 ml salt
5 ml curry powder
600 ml uncooked white shrimps
500 gr whole wheat Spaghettini

Method:

In a large frying pan, heat the oil and add the green onions, mushrooms and red peppers
Cook for about 3 minutes then add the garlic
Cook another 3 minutes then add wine, salt and curry
Cook for 3 minutes then add the shrimps
Cook a few minutes, until the shrimps are cooked
Adjust seasoning and serve over whole wheat Spaghettini

Spaghettini with Cherry Tomatoes

Denis Martel — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 14:23:07 +0000

If you have a cherry tomato plant, this recipe will help you make good use of all those fruits when they ripen all at the same time!

Ingredients:

450 gr spaghettini
750 ml cherry tomatoes
Olive oil
2 chopped cayenne or jalapeno peppers
8 chopped garlic cloves
200 ml parmesan cheese
5 ml salt
30 ml balsamic vinegar
Fresh oregano and basil to taste (let’s say 25 ml of each)

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 450⁰ F while cooking the pasta
Place tomatoes on a well oiled cookie sheet and rub them with the oil
Cook in the oven for 10 minutes
During this time, sauté the peppers and garlic in a bit of oil
Add cooked tomatoes and mix well
Drain the pasta and add to the tomatoes
Add vinegar, cheese, salt and herbs and mix well
Serve and top with more parmesan cheese on top

Spaghetti Sauce

Denis Martel — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 14:21:34 +0000

This is Adèle’s recipe. She gave it to me when I moved out of the house to go to university (spaghetti is one of the main meals of a student’s diet!)

The first time my parents came to Montreal to visit me, I served this spaghetti. My dad said it was the best dish he ever ate and told Adèle to ask for my recipe!

Ingredients:

1 kg ground beef
2 chopped onions
4 or 5 chopped garlic cloves
1 can tomatoes
1 can tomato paste
1 can tomato juice
3 bay leaves
5 ml of each, basil, oregano, thyme and parsley
3 ml each of black pepper, cayenne pepper and chili pepper
2 ml sugar
225 gr sliced mushrooms
4 chopped celery stalks
One chopped green pepper
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

In a large pot with a thick bottom (to avoid the sauce from sticking), brown the meat
Drain the fat and add all the other ingredients
Let simmer for about 2 hours
Check seasoning half way through

Smoked Turkey Pasta

Denis Martel — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 14:19:58 +0000

I smoke my turkey and chicken at home. I usually do a large batch and freeze what I am not going to eat right away.

I created this recipe a day when I was in a bad mood. It brought back a smile on my face.

It may sound surprising but even Geneviève found this recipe very delicious!

Ingredients:

3 chopped green onions
3 chopped garlic cloves
30 ml butter (or olive oil)
125 ml chopped green pepper
4 tomatoes, seeds removed, cut in cubes
Salt and pepper to taste
500 ml smoked turkey (or chicken breast), chopped in cubes
2 ml paprika
50 ml white wine
25 ml brandy
250 ml cream 18% (yes, I do not always use 35% cream!)
5 ml basil

Method:

Melt butter in a thick pan and cook green onion, garlic and green pepper for 5 minutes
Add the tomatoes and cook another 5 minutes
Add the other ingredients and let simmer on low heat for another 5 minutes
Check seasoning and serve on hot pasta

Smoked Salmon Pasta

Denis Martel — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 14:14:05 +0000

This is an easy recipe to prepare and it is a nice change from the Bolognese sauce.

The taste of the watercress and smoke salmon go very well together in this cream sauce.

Ingredients:

One chopped green onion
One chopped garlic clove
20 ml olive oil
3 chopped tomatoes, seeds removed
30 ml brandy
30 ml white wine
Salt and pepper to taste
500 ml light cream
200 gr smoked salmon, cut in thin strips
One pack watercress, without the stems
2 ml lemon juice

Method:

Sauté green onions and garlic in oil for 3 minutes
Add tomatoes and simmer for 5 minutes
Add brandy, wine, salt, pepper and cream
Cook for 5 minutes while stirring
Add salmon, watercress and lemon juice and mix well
Serve on hot pasta

Seafood Risotto

Denis Martel — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 14:12:42 +0000

This is an excellent recipe for risotto! It will warm you up.

It is easy to do but I would recommend reading the recipe a few times before you start cooking. There are several steps and some of them need to be done quickly.

Ingredients:

400 gr Monk fish, cut in 2 cm cubes
30 ml olive oil
50 ml butter
1 medium sliced onion
1 medium sliced carrot
1 sliced celery stalk
4 garlic cloves chopped
4 large tomatoes, seeds removed, and cut in cubes (or use one can of cubes tomatoes, including the juice)
15 ml tomato paste
75 ml brandy
250 ml white wine
250 chicken soup base
5 ml thyme
3 bay leaves
Salt and pepper from the mill
125 ml cream
50 ml butter
1 small chopped onion
500 ml Arborio rice
500 ml chicken soup base
250 gr large scallops, sliced in two
12 large shrimps, cut in 1 cm pieces (keep four large shrimps for decoration for when you will serve the risotto)

Method:

Roll the fish in flour
In a large pot, heat the oil and sauté the fish for 2 minutes
Remove the fish and add sliced onion, carrot and celery and sauté for 5 minutes
Add garlic, tomatoes, tomato paste and cook for 5 minutes
Add wine and brandy and let diminish by half
Add soup base, thyme and bay leaves and bring to a boil and let simmer for 15 minutes
Add cream and simmer an additional 5 minutes
Adjust seasonings and put on the side
In another pot, melt butter and cook chopped onion for 2 minutes
Add rice and mix for 1 minutes
Add 250 ml of liquid, alternating between the soup base and tomatoes base, stirring often until the liquid is absorbed each time (about every 3 minutes)
Add shrimps and scallops and cook another 5 minutes

Pasta Amatraciana

Denis Martel — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 14:10:24 +0000

It may sound strange but my daughters love this dish. It is a good way to use a surplus of tomatoes from your garden!

Ingredients:

125 ml olive oil
4 chopped onions (about 800 ml)
250 gr bacon, cut in 1 cm wide pieces
5 garlic cloves
1 l tomatoes, seeds removed and chopped in 1 cm cubes
30 ml sugar
10 ml Chili pepper flakes
175 ml red wine
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

In a good frying pan, heat the oil and cook the onions for 10 minutes
Add bacon and sauté for another 5 minutes
Add the other ingredients and let simmer, uncovered, for 45 minutes with low heat, stirring from time to times
Serve on pasta with grated cheese

Mushroom Risotto

Denis Martel — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 14:08:59 +0000

I found a white mushroom risotto recipe on a website a few years ago. I liked it but I did not file it properly and then lost it. One day, I decided to give it a try and develop one of my own. Since I liked the taste of wild mushroom, why not add them to the recipe!

Ingredients:

200 ml chopped shitake mushrooms
200 ml chopped oyster mushrooms
200 ml chopped white mushrooms
30 ml olive oil
500 ml Arborio rice
1 l chicken stock
250 ml cream
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Heat oil in a large pot
Sauté mushrooms, stirring occasionally, for about 5 to 7 minutes
Mix in the rice
Add 150 ml chicken stock and mix
When liquid has been absorbed, add another 150 ml to the rice. Repeat until all chicken stock has been absorbed
Add cream to rice
When cream has been absorbed, add salt and pepper and serve immediately