Seashells with Basil, Tomatoes, and Garlic

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  Ingredients

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• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil 
• 2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
• About 3/4 tsp. kosher salt
• 1 1/4 pounds (1 qt.) small cherry and teardrop tomatoes 
• 3/4 pound medium seashell pasta
• 1/2 cup shaved parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced fresh basil leaves

Preparation

1. 1. Combine oil, garlic, and 3/4 tsp. salt in a large bowl. Chop 1 cup of the tomatoes and add to bowl. Cut remaining tomatoes in half and stir into mixture; let stand about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. 2. Meanwhile, cook pasta as package directs in a large pot of salted boiling water.
3. 3. Drain pasta, saving 1 cup water. Toss pasta with tomato mixture, then with cheese and all but 1 tbsp. basil. Mix in a little pasta water if needed for a looser texture. Sprinkle remaining basil on top and season with salt.

Spinach With Ravioli

Italy is famous for pizza and macaroni. Majority of people outside Italy assume that Italians eat only these two items and to some extent it is true as they are more than 100 varieties of pasta.

The main ingredients of this dish are cheese and spinach. Spinach as we all know is one of the healthy vegetable. It has vitamins and calcium and the greatest thing is it does not contain any fat.

As far as cheese is concern, you can always go for low fat cheese which will make your dinner healthier.

Ingredients for Spinach with Ravioli:

• Low fat cheese Raviolis – 2 packet

• Olive oil – 6 tablespoon

• Garlic cloves – 8 chopped

• Red pepper flake - 2 tablespoon crushed

• Fresh Spinach – 2 pound

If you want this dish with simple and delicious, try and get fresh spinach only.

• Onion – 2 small chopped

• Salt – 1 teaspoon

• Parmesan cheese - 6 tablespoon fresh grated

In case you are unable to get parmesan cheese, you can use any other cheese of your choice but the flavor will be slightly different.

Method of Preparation

1. Take 5 cups of salted water and bring it to boil. Simmer it and put raviolis in it. Cook for 10 minutes.

2. Take a large frying pan till the water boils and mix onion and garlic in the olive oil for 2 minutes.

3. Add red pepper flake and mix again for a minute. This will give you the flavor of the red flake.

4. Take spinach. Use cold water to wash it. Remove all the hard stems and just keep the leaves. Always use cold water to wash spinach as keeps spinach fresh.

5. Put it in garlic and onion mix. Mix well and cover it till the spinach is cooked. Cover it while cooking.

6. By this time your ravioli is cooked.

7. Pour the spinach mix on the top of the ravioli and sprinkle the grated cheese on top.

This preparation can be enough for 6 to 8 people and according to the Italians this dish tastes best when taken with wine.

Cheesy Ham Pasta

Ham is a superb symbol of a vacation meal. Glazed with decorations like exotic fruit, some cloves and zigzag spiraling or cuts, they have rich quality which appeals to each and everyone on the holiday table. Ham is perfect for dinner and there are many ham dinner recipes also.

Ham goes well with spicy or sweet seasonings, rubs, sauces and glazes. Ham can be cooked in different forms such as roasted, stuffed, glazed, grilled and soup. Cheesy Ham Pasta is a comforting and delicious dish which uses chopped bell pepper (green), ham, and onion and cheese sauce of 2 kinds. The preparation time is 15 minutes and cooking time is 15 minutes. This means the total time needed for preparing this dish is 30 minutes.

Ingredients needed for preparing Cheesy ham pasta:

• One tablespoon of butter

• One chopped onion

• One chopped bell pepper (green)

• Two cups of chopped ham

• 1/3 cup of milk

• Two cloves garlic (minced)

• One package of fettuccine pasta

• One bottle of double cheddar sauce

• ½ jar of cheese dip

• One tablespoon of olive oil

Method Of Preparation

Bring a big pot and fill it till half level with water and place it to boil. Till the time water is boiled, take a large skillet and place it on medium heat and not on high heat. Add butter as well as olive oil on the skillet. Add chopped garlic and chopped onion and stir frequently and cook it for 3 minutes at least. After that add chopped bell pepper as well as chopped ham then cook and stir it properly for about 4 to 5 minutes.

In the boiling water add pasta and stir it properly and after sometime drain the water. You need to add sauce, milk as well as cheese dip to the mixture present in the skillet. Now simmer the whole mixture and reduce the heat and again simmer so that pasta can be cooked nicely. When pasta is cooked remove it from the heat and now your cheese ham pasta is ready to serve. Spoon some sauce over it as well as serve it immediately. This simple dinner recipe is easy to cook and save lots of your time.

Basic Pasta Dough Recipe

Although some recipes call for pasta dough made in a food processor or stand up mixer, the classical way is to mix and knead it all by hand. This recipe calls for a couple of extra yolks for added richness and a deep yellow flavor.

• 2 cups finely ground semolina flour
• 2 large eggs, whole
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil

Preparation:

1. Mound the flour on a work surface and make a large well in the center.
2. Crack the whole eggs, yolk, salt, and oil into a small dish (discard any shell that falls in).
3. Pour egg mixture into the center of the well and beat with a fork until blended.
4. Continue to beat egg mixture, incorporating flour a little at a time by taking it from the inside wall of the well.
5. Try to keep the rest of the wall intact by supporting the outside of it with your other hand.
6. When the mixture becomes a thick paste, begin to mix in the flour with your hands.
7. Continue to knead enough of the flour into the dough to allow it to form a soft ball.
8. Brush the remaining flour on the work surface to the side and knead dough, flouring the surface of the dough as needed to keep dough from sticking. Knead until smooth and elastic. This should take about another 5 minutes.
9. Shape the dough into a tight ball and lightly dust the dough with a bit more flour, wrap it in plastic wrap, and let stand at room temperature for about an hour before working with it.

Gorgonzola Macaroni and Cheese Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, sliced thin
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped fine
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 cups whole milk
• 1/4 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese
• 4 oz. creamy Gorgonzola
• 1/4 cup grated Romano cheese
• 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
• Salt and pepper
• 1 pound penne pasta, cooked to al dente
• 2 Tbsp. fresh thyme leaves
• 1 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary
• 2 tsp. unsalted butter

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F.
2. In a heavy bottomed pot, heat the oil on medium-low heat and slowly cook the onions until they are tender. Do not allow them to brown.
3. Remove the onions from the pot and add the butter and the garlic to the pot and cook over low heat until the butter is melted.
4. Add the flour and mix well with a wooden spoon to combine.
5. Cook flour mixture for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently.
6. Heat the milk over medium heat.
7. Whisk milk into the flour mixture 1 cup at a time, adding the next cup as needed so that the mixture becomes smooth and the lumps are whisked out.
8. Simmer the sauce over low heat, stirring constantly for about 5 minutes until it has thickened.
9. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the cheeses, the cayenne, and salt and pepper to taste.
10. In a bowl combine the cooked pasta with the cheese sauce and fresh herbs and season to taste.
11. Butter a 9-inch square baking pan with the remaining butter.
12. Fill the pan with the pasta mixture and place on a baking sheet.
13. Bake for 40 minutes until bubbling and golden brown on top.