Minestrone Soup

Minestrone Soup

This is my version of minestrone soup

Ingredients:

strips of bacon or pancetta
1 cube onion minced
2 cloves garlic minced
1/4 cup chopped celery
3 gallons of beef stock
1 cup diced tomatoes
1/2 cup of green beans
1/2 cup of kidney beans
1/2 cup of potato or potato
1/2 cup carrots in small cubes
250 grms of elbow macaroni
3 tbsp parsley (optional)
3 tbsp basil (fresh)
pinch of pepper

Procedure:

1. Cook bacon/pancetta in olive oil then saute the garlic and onions.

2. Add diced tomatoes, green beans then kidney beans and garbanzo beans.

3. To this add celery then the carrots.

4. Add small amount of water and par boil until the vegetables are tender.

5. Add beef stock and bring to a boil.

6. Add cooked elbow macaroni.

7. Bring to a boil then simmer.

8. Add parsley, basil, salt and pepper.

*Image from Wikipedia. Thanks

Quick Lenten Veggie Pasta

Summer comes the Lenten Season. In the observance of the Holy week, traditionally, Catholics prepare themselves through prayer, penitence, almsgiving and self-denial (Asceticism) in commemorating the sacrifice, death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Easter Sunday, to save the World. It is a catholic tradition not to eat meat during Holy week and so I think it would be great to share with you this simple pasta recipe.

1lb macaroni pasta
2 medium tomatoes
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
garlic minced
onion minced
basil
grated cheese
salt and pepper to taste
preferred veggies like broccoli, eggplant or zucchini

1. Cook pasta until al dente. Drain and set aside.
2. Heat olive oil in a pan and cook the sliced eggplant/zucchini (crosswise). Sprinkling with a bit of salt and pepper. If you are using broccoli you can steam it. Then, set them aside.
3. In the same pan with added oil, toss the  garlic, onion and tomatoes.
4. Mix the pasta and bits of fresh basil.
5. Top with veggies and cheese.

Bacon Margherita Pasta

This is just a quick pasta recipe that you'll surely enjoy.
This afternoon, I made it for my honey and he enjoyed it but
still asking for more. It's so easy to prepare that I did not
hesitate to head into the kitchen and do it once more!
I hope you'll like it too. Sorry I forgot to take pictures.
I bet it's gonna be one of hunny's favorite so
next time I'll be posting pics here. I named it Bacon Margherita Pasta
since it's an italian pasta recipe with the 3 colors representing its flag.

Bacon Margherita Pasta

Bacon cut into Strips
Basil (fresh or dried)
tomatoes (cherry or regular) 2
garlic 4 cloves minced
250 grams macaroni
extra virgin olive oil
spanish paprika
parmesan or cheddar cheese
salt and pepper

1. cook macaroni pasta as instructed in package. set aside
2. in a wok, put 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3. add in the bacon
4. saute the garlic and tomatoes for about a minute, do not let the garlic turn into brown.
5. toss pasta into the wok and sprinkle with basil, paprika, salt and peper to taste.
6. serve with grated parmesan.

You can add some chili flakes if you wish for more enticing hot taste.

Types of Pasta to Enjoy

I have always been inlove with pasta dishes. When I was so much younger than I am right now, I thought that pasta is just spaghetti. My curiosity and love for food lead me to something more than just eating. It is knowing what you cook and cooking it with passion at the same time enjoying the taste.

Pasta is unleavened dough, made of wheat flour, water, and sometimes eggs, that is molded into any of a variety of shapes and boiled. Spaghetti is the classic dried pasta shape and its name is synonymous with pasta itself in many parts of the world. But it is not the only type of pasta that you can enjoy. There are long pasta shapes, such as linguine or reginette, are flattened, while others, like fusilli lunghi are spiralled or curved. Some broader types, such as reginette, have fluted or scalloped edges. Long pasta generally works well with smooth, olive oil based sauces that can be twirled around a fork. These pastas are made in varying widths, from the thinnest angel hair to the plumpest bucatini.

These are but some long types from a large lists of pasta that you can find.

Ziti
Fettuccelle
Linguine
lasagna
Fusilli lunghi
Mafaldine
Reginette
Bucatini
Cappellini
Spaghetti
Spaghettini
Spinach Spaghetti
Whole-wheat (wholemeal) spaghettie
Tomato spaghetti


other types:
elbow macaroni
manicotti
farfalle (butterflies/bow tie)
rotini (twists)
conchiglie (shells)
ruote (cart wheels)
cannelloni

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