By Edeline Anne Goh
When it comes to stomach fillers, rice and noodles are the go-to options in this region. However, sometimes, when you have just too much of a particular type of food for a long time, you tend to get a little sick of it and it could affect your culinary creativity. Thankfully supermarket shelves are now filled with a variety of goods that make it possible for everyone to prepare different types of cuisines from around the world.
So, this month, we bring to you two pasta recipes. An Italian staple that has gained popularity around the world. Pastas do not necessarily need to be served with a tomato or cream based sauce. There are many other ways to serve pasta and enjoy them! Here are two for you to try out!
WARM PASTA BOWL
Ingredients
- 200 g Rotini pasta (spiral shaped pasta, similar to a corkscrew)
- 100 g Cherry tomatoes
- 150 g Fresh arugula
- 1 can Tuna in water
- A sprig of fresh oregano
- Olive oil
- Sea salt
- Black pepper
Method
- In a large pot of boiling water, cook pasta according to manufacturer’s instructions.
- While pasta is cooking, half cherry tomatoes and rinse arugula under cold water and strain.
- Pluck oregano from its stem and set aside.
- Once pasta is cooked, drain water well.
- Then, in a large bowl, mix pasta, cherry tomatoes, oregano, arugula and tuna.
- Drizzle pasta dish with olive oil and season well with salt and pepper.
- Enjoy immediately!
PESTO
Ingredients
- 200 g Fresh organic Italian basil
- 100 g Penne pasta
- 100 g Parmesan cheese
- 50 g Pine nuts, toasted
- Cloves of garlic
- ½ Lemon, juice only
- 30 ml Olive oil
- Sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Method
- In a pot, bring water to boil and cook the pasta according to manufacturer’s instructions.
- While pasta is cooking, with a blender or food processor, blend basil, pine nuts, garlic and olive oil until combined.
- Then, pour pesto sauce into a bowl and mix with lemon juice.
- Season sauce with salt and black pepper according to taste.
- Once pasta is cooked, mix pesto sauce with pasta, followed by parmesan cheese and enjoy immediately.
NOTE: If there is any leftover pesto sauce, simply store it refrigerated to be enjoyed for another meal. You can also use it to marinate meat or use it as a sauce for your chicken sandwich instead of mayonnaise.
