Homemade Pasta

I’ve always wanted to make my own pasta from scratch. Watching many seasons of Masterchef fills me with inspiration and motivates me to get my brain juices flowing.

But pasta making remained a thought. I figured I’ll probably make some when I get a pasta machine. Well, after watching fascinating episodes of ‘Inside the factory’ ( I love watching programs that take me to the factory), brought me to the last one which was about pasta.

Now, the pasta we buy off the shelves are just made of semolina flour and water… yes, just that, no egg, no added extras, nothing. So, as I would anything new I make, I research recipes and go through lots of reviews to see what recipes work best for most people, there might be additions or less ofs until I choose one to try. And for a choice, it had to be a recipe with darum wheat which is what you see on the labels of your packet pasta.

So, I got out my ingredients, halved the recipe because I had my last cup of flour and it was a first try. All ingredients went into the Kenwood mixer, the machine does all the work. After 10 minutes, the pasta is ready to be rested until needed.

Hmmm… what shape is it going to be? My 9 year old reckoned it was going to bows. Even with half a recipe it looked like a good amount of pasta will be yielded. I gave her a third to make her bows and be creative while I figured with leftover spicy butternut from the other day, why not try some ravioli or something. There’s no set an when you experimenting in the kitchen. Let the creative juices flow and try and test and fail and have voila moments. Enjoy that time and make it fun!

I rolled the dough out super thin that I could see my counter through it, used a large circle cutter, filled it, sealed it … It’s now in half then I pulled the corners together, ha, tortellini!!!

Admit I must, I was afraid once I had made it, the fear of those contestants boiling their ravioli and tortellini only for it to burst in the boiling water – what if we have a disaster right before dinner time. Store bought pasta in the cupboard will come to the rescue should that be the case, we are going all in on this one. And if that’s not all, what sauce goes with it? Sigh, good grief, what turmoil can such an exciting experiment cause.

Well, it turned out great, I called on a few asking what sauce they serve it with. I did a red sauce and a white sauce. The white sauce recipe you will find in my other pasta recipes.

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For the pasta:

3/4 cup all purpose flour

3/4 cup semolina flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 eggs, lightly beaten

2 tablespoons of water

2 tablespoons olive oil

In your mixer, add in the dry ingredients. Start the mixer on the slowest speed and add in the wet ingredients. Increase to medium speed and let the mixer do the work for about 10 minutes. If the dough is too sticky add in little semolina flour at a time until the mixture binds together. I checked mine at 7 and it needed those few extra minutes. . Take the dough out and press your fist into it, if it lifts back up the dough is ready, if not it needs a bit more kneading.

When the dough is ready, cling wrap it and leave aside for 30 minutes before using it or if you want to use it later, place it in the fridge and remove before you need it as it needs to come to room temperature.

Mine rested for about 2 hours before all the fun started. While making the tortellini, place on a floured surface and then in a closed container in the fridge until you require it.

Boil water, add salt and a tablespoon of oil. Add in the tortellini but don’t overcrowd the pot. I boiled the pasta for 10 minutes. I know it’s usually ready once it floats but mine floated too soon.

Remove pasta with a slotted spoon, place in a pan, add a few spoonfuls of the pasta water, some of the tomato sauce and simmer until heated through. Plate and serve. I added a few follows of white sauce over the pasta before serving. This was so moreish and delicious!

Tomato Sauce:

1/2 onion sliced

1/4 green pepper, chopped

4 medium tomatoes, peeled and diced

1/4 cup tomato puree

3-4 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon dried origanum

1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper

1/4 teaspoon sugar

2 cloves garlic

Salt

Heat oil in a pan, add chopped onion. Let onions fry until soft. Add in garlic and green pepper and cook for a minute or two before adding in dried herbs. Drop in the tomatoes and sugar and leave to simmer until tomatoes have softened and you have a nice sauce. Season according to your taste.

Source: selfproclaimedfoodie.com

Chicken Pasta (leftovers)

Chicken Pasta using leftovers

Lockdown!!! That’s where most of us are at right now in the world. It’s crazy with the whole covid-19 pandemic, something we going to remember for the rest of our lives.

We hitting on hard times, some don’t know where the next pay check will come from or if they will even have a job at the end of it all.

Now that families are all home, food needs to prepped all day long. It’s difficult enough thinking of what you going to cook for dinner each but having to think about breakfast, lunch and dinner! Sigh, daunting, I tell you! And let’s not even begin to mention leftovers… meal time doesn’t have to be a drag even though it feels like that now more than ever.

And we need to be saving, trying our best not to waste and make do with we have available. My last post was loaded fries, which was me recreating a new dish from leftovers and today’s post will the same I.e. using up leftovers.

We are a tiny little family and I still have not learned the art of cooking small portions especially when making roasts. Seriously, who can cook half a chicken…

So, we had roast chicken last week and as delicious as it was, I needed to think of a different way of using it other than chicken toasties. I shredded the chicken and thought of doing a pasta dish, and this chicken will pair perfectly.

All you need is:

Leftover roast chicken

Leftover mash

Pasta of your choice, boiled

White sauce (see previous post or other pasta dishes on my page)

Green pepper, chopped 

Salt & pepper to season

Pizza/pasta sauce (of your choice)

Boil pasta till al dente and drain out the water, saving a cup of the pasta water to loosen your dish if need be later on.

Add the shredded chicken to the pasta together with the mash, white sauce and pasta sauce. Mix well. Add a little of the pasta water you saved earlier if the mixture is too thick. It shouldn’t be too thick because it still needs to go I to the oven.

Drop the mixed pasta into a casserole, top with grated cheese and pop into a hot oven (180 degrees C) and heat until it’s all bubbly and the cheese is melted.

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Quick and Easy Pasta

Quick and easy meals are some of mine and I’m sure yours too, favourite meals. Being able to use just one pot, is even better. I don’t know about you guys, but I hate washing up!

This pasta dish will be loved by the whole family. It’s easy, creamy, quick and delicious. It’s a perfect way to enjoy a meal with no meat, especially if you have fussy eaters. Perfect for after school lunch or a quick dinner. Adjust this recipe to your liking and you good to go in less than 30 minutes!!! Hip… hip… Hoorah!!!

Super quick pasta:

Half a bag pasta (250g)

Green pepper, chopped

Baby tomatoes

2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon garlic paste

2 tablespoons butter/margarine

1 heaped tablespoon plain flour

Cracked black pepper

1 teaspoon aromat/salt to season

Boil pasta in boiling water with salt and a drizzle of oil. When the pasta is al dente, pour out some of the water. Empty the pot (pasta and a 1/3 of the water) into a casserole dish.

Using the same pot, add the olive oil and garlic. When it sizzles, add the tomatoes, peppers and black cracked pepper (about 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon) into it. Slowly add a little of the pasta water you saved and it will thicken. Just as the tomatoes begin to burst, toss the pasta back into the pot and mix well. Turn it out into the casserole dish again. Doing it this way just avoids unnecessary mess when mixing.

In the same pot, add the margarine and let it melt. Now add the flour to make a rue. Stir well, and add the milk little at a time. Add a handful of cheese. The sauce it thicken but will still be pouring consistency. Add the pasta back into the pot and simmer until the sauce thickens a bit more. Add 2-3 tablespoons pasta sauce, optional. I use the ready made All Joy pasta sauce from my local supermarket.

Empty the pot into your casserole you used earlier and sprinkle with some dried herbs.

Leave to stand for 5 minutes and the sauce will thicken even more making the pasta creamy.  The sauce does thicken up as it cools so don’t worry if it looks extra saucy….

Notes:

– the tomatoes are optional, add as much or as little as you like. Same goes for the pepper.

– use pasta of your choice. I used colourful tomato and spinach pasta screws.

– don’t forget to season and taste as you going along.

– spruce this pasta up with some chicken or how about grilled fish!

Simple Mushroom Pasta

I sometimes get lazy to cook! I bet you have those days too…
I knew I wanted to make pasta with mushrooms but I didn’t know what sort of dish I was heading for. So the laziness in me decided to do a super simple but flavourful dish.
250g Pasta of your choice
1 punnet mushrooms
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
75g butter
1/2 tsp garlic
2 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cups milk

Boil pasta until almost cooked through, drain and put back into pot.

Wash and slice mushrooms. Heat butter in pan. Let it bubble then add garlic and herbs. Fry for a little while then add mushrooms. When cooked through add the mushrooms only to the pasta. You should have the butter with all the mushroom juice in the pot (approximately 3-4 tablespoons of liquid). Add flour to this and braise for 2-3 minutes. The mixture will be thick. Slowly add milk and keep mixing. Let it simmer. You want a pouring consistency sauce. If your sauce gets too thick add a little more milk. Season with salt and pepper and add to pasta. It will look very saucy but remember once it goes into the oven it will dry up a bit.

Empty the pasta into a casserole and pop into the oven until it bubbles. Serve hot!

Chicken Pasta

Pasta is so versatile. No matter how many times you make it there is always a different flavor or ingredient that you can add.

With the addition of spices you add a range of different flavors to any meal. Even though I add spices to my pasta dishes – I’m not a fan of my pasta dishes tasting like curry. The secret is adding sweet chilli sauce to the filling. This takes the curry taste away and brings a beautiful flavor to this dish. 250g pasta of your choice

2-3 chicken fillets, sliced

1/2 green pepper, sliced

1/2 red pepper, sliced

1 small onion, sliced

1/2 tsp mixed herbs

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp chilli powder

1/2 tsp crushed cumin

1 tsp portuguese/chicken/mochachos spice

1 tsp soy sauce (optional)

1 Tblsp sweet chilli sauce/Mrs Balls chutney

2-3 Tblsp butter

1 tsp crushd garlic

Salt to taste

Saute onion for a few minutes then add sliced peppers. Add chicken and cook until chicken is sealed. Add garlic and pepper. Mix. Then add spices. Once chicken is cooked add sauces.

Boil pasta and drain. Add chicken filling to the pasta and mix through.

WHITE SAUCE:

2 Tblsp butter

2 Tblsp flour

1 cup milk

Cheese

Creamed cheese (optional)

Salt

Chopped coriander (optional)

Melt butter. Add flour and saute for 2 minutes. Slowly add milk and mix until you get a nice smooth mixture. Add cheese. When the sauce has reached a medium thickness add creamed cheese and coriander. Pour over pasta and mix. Bake for approximately 30 minutes at 180 degrees.

Braai Salads

POTATO SALAD

Whenever I am invited to a family braai I am always asked to bring my potato salad along. This salad can be eaten warm or cold.

You probably thinking potato salad is potato salad! But this ain’t just any ordinary salad – it’s creamy with bits of crunchiness, full of flavor and soft potatoes yumminess that makes you just want to indulge more than you want to.

And the secret ingredient is cinnamon! Yes, cinnamon!

6 large potatoes

4 eggs boiled and grated

1 small onion – chopped into tiny cubes

1 small green pepper – chopped into tiny cubes

Half bunch fresh coriander chopped

1 green chilli – thinly sliced (optional)

1/2 tsp mixed herbs/ italian herbs

Mayonnaise

Salt and pepper to taste

2 pinches of cinnamon powder

1-2 tsp butter

Boil/microwave potatoes until soft. Peel and cut into chunks and leave butter to melt into potatoes, add salt and pepper. Toss lightly.

Mix together rest of ingredients (except cinnamon) together with half bottle of mayonnaise. Then add to potatoes and mix well.  Add more mayonnaise if the salad is not creamy enough. Add cinnamon powder and mix into potato salad.

Serve at a braai or with your favourite roast.

 

BAKED BEANS SALAD

A very popular salad at most braais. Served cold. Most people just add chilli, onion and tomato but the green pepper and fresh coriander makes all the difference.

1 tin baked beans

1/2 green pepper, cubed

1/2 onion, cubed

1 tomato, cubed

1/2 bunch coriander, chopped

1 green chilli, chopped

Salt

Pepper

Dried herbs

Pour baked beans into a casserole. Add rest of ingredients and mix.

 

PASTA SALAD

You probably noticed by now that when it comes to salads for a braai it’s the some common vegetables that go into all of the salads (onion, coriander, green pepper) however, the taste brings out a different flavor for each salad.

500g pasta shells

Half bottle mayonnaise

1 small pineapple, cubed

1/4 cucumber, seeds scraped out,cubed

1/2 onion, cubed

1/2 green pepper, cubed

1 tomato, cubed

1/2 bunch coriander, chopped

Mixed herbs

Salt

Pepper

Boil pasta and drain well. Add half the amount of mayonnaise whilst hot then the rest of the ingredients and other half of the mayonnaise when the pasta is cold. Mix well and serve.

Left Over Tips & Ideas

I try my best not to waste food. If I have leftovers I look for ways to turn it into something that the family will enjoy. Here’s some ideas which are hopefully helpful to you…

LEFTOVERS:

PASTA – add mash to the pasta, mix and pat into rounds (like patties). Dip in egg and bread crumbs and fry.

STEAK/CHICKEN: if you have meat or chicken that is saucy – save it for pizza wheels, pizza or even sandwich cuts (which is actually a pie with salad in it).

BBQ / BRAAI MEAT: we always end up grilling too much. Freeze the leftovers to have as a meal for another day, for school lunches or even pizza topping.

CAKE: freeze it for trifles or other desserts.

CURRY: you can use the curry as filling for pies or make toasted sandwiches with cheese.

BAKED BEANS: use on pizza or make bread cups. Roll leftover bread (crust removed) and place into muffin tins. Fill with beans, top with cheese and chopped peppers.

MASH: add a teaspoon of mustard sauce and some grated cheese, dip in egg and roll in bread crumbs. Fry in shallow oil and enjoy.

SPRINGROLL WRAPPERS/ SAMOOSA STRIPS: fry and drain properly on kitchen towels. Season and enjoy.

UNSLICED BREAD/ ROLLS / BUNS: slice, smear garlic butter, top with cheese and mixed herbs. Bake till cheese is melted.

Do you have any ideas that you would like to share? Please do send them in.