Meatball Pasta

My momentum to blog was slightly interrupted due to the short school break for PSLE marking week. During the school break, I prefer to venture out with my boy and spend more time with him rather than sitting in front of the laptop. Oft times, once I turned on the laptop, I would be unknowingly sitting hours in front of it and neglect my little one.

Whilst writing this post, I'm feeling of a mental block and thoughts incoherent. Anyway just record and share another quick and easy meal here.  Since I usually cook for 2 person, I do not do marketing that often. I like to use up whatever limited ingredients and condiments in my kitchen to conjure a satisfying meal of Meatball pasta. Enjoy!

Meatball pasta
(served 2)

Ingredients/ Method
a) Linguine or any pasta

b) 80g minced pork
1/4 yellow onion, diced
1 small garlic, diced finely
salt, crushed pepper, mixed herbs and dried parsley, to taste
1 cream cracker, crushed finely
1 heap tbsp corn flour

c) 1 clove garlic, diced finely
2 tomato, diced coarsely
200g Spaghetti sauce (I used Prego Italian fresh mushroom sauce)

d) 1 hard boiled egg, sliced into quarts

1. In a pot of hot water, add 1 tsp salt, boil pasta per instruction indicated on box.
2. Drained and toss some olive oil to prevent pasta from sticking (if not cooking immediately). 
3. In a bowl, marinate minced pork with all ingredients (b) until well mixed. Roll into 8 small balls and set aside for at least 30 mins. 
4. Fry the meatball in a pot (with enough oil to cover at least up to half the meatballs) on medium heat, and until golden brown. Takes about 5 to 7 mins. Remove and set aside. 
5. In a saucepan, saute garlic till fragrant. Add in tomato and give it a few stirs, followed by spaghetti sauce. Turn off the heat when sauce boils. 
6. Add in pasta to the sauce and stir evenly. Next add in meatballs and stir.
7. Ready to serve, and add sliced egg on top of the pasta. 

Aglio olio

Aglio (garlic) Olio (oil) my-style, with salmon and asparagus added to make it a healthier and delicious lunch.

Cooking a meal for my lil boy has been the only motivation why more thoughts and efforts are put in, if I'm home alone, I'll go for instant noodles anytime (equally delicious but unhealthy, isn't it?)

Aglio Olio
(serves 2)
Ingredients/ Method

Linguine (as I don't have spaghetti)
4 gloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
cracked black pepper
salt
a dash of mixed herbs (as I don't have parsley)
salmon
thin asparagus, optional

1. In a pot of hot water, add 1 tsp salt, boil pasta per instruction indicated on box.
2. Drained and toss some olive oil to prevent pasta from sticking (if not cooking immediately). Reserve some pasta water. 
3. In a pan, pan-fried salmon. Using fork, loosely breakup the salmon. Set aside. 
4. In the same pan, with some salmon oil left-over, add 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil. 
5. Add in minced garlic and stir fry till fragrant and lightly brown, about 1 - 2 mins. 
6. Add in asparagus and fry for another 1 - 2 mins, or 80% cooked. Season with some black pepper, mixed herbs, and salt. 
7. Add in pasta and continue frying for about 2 mins. Add 1-2 tbsp pasta water and let it simmer till sauce reduced, giving it an occasional stir. Takes about another 2 mins. 
8. Turn off heat and add in salmon, and give it a few stirs to mix salmon with the pasta. 
9. Ready to serve. 

Easy vegetarian cream sauce linguine

Another quick and easy lunch.

Easy vegetarian cream sauce linguine
(serve 2 person)

Pasta 
linguine or any pasta
salt

Cream Sauce 
1/5 yellow onion
1 small clove garlic
7 shiitake mushrooms
broccoli
6 strawberry tomatoes
dash of mixed herbs
salt
black pepper
1/2 cup cream or heavy cream
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup water
1 tsp corn flour + 2 tbsp water
1-2 tbsp pasta cheese or mozzarella cheese

1. Cook pasta in a pot of boiling water with a tsp of salt. Drain and set aside. Drizzle with some olive oil and give it a few tosses.
2. Heat up the pan and saute the yellow onion until translucent and golden. Add in garlic and fry until slightly brown. 
3. Add in mushroom, and sprinkle with some salt, mixed herbs and black pepper to taste. Fry until mushroom turn soft. 
4. Add in broccoli and fry until slightly soft, about 2-3 minutes.
5. Next add in tomatoes and give it a few stirs. 
6. In the same pan and on medium-high heat, pour in heavy cream, milk and water. Add salt and pepper to taste. 
7. Let the sauce boil before slowly adding corn flour/ water mixture, and continue stirring at the same time. 
8. When the mixture is boiled, add in cheese and give it a quick stir. Turn off the heat, add in the pasta and give it a good toss. 
9. Ready to serve. 

Creamy carbonara

A quick and get-rid-of-fridge-leftovers lunch! It was oh-so-good (and sinful!)

Creamy carbonara
(recipe adapted from The recipe critic with modification, serves 2 person)

Pasta
70g farfalle (or any pasta)
salt

Cream sauce
2 eggs
1/4 cup cream or heavy cream
1/3 cup parmesan cheese
fresh diced parsley or dried flakes (I omit)
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (I omit)
bacon (I omit)
shiitake mushroom
2 slices of picnic ham
thin asparagus

1. Cook pasta in a pot of boiling water. Drain and set aside. 
2. Beat the eggs, cream, parmesan cheese, parsley, salt and the red pepper together in a bowl using fork.
3. Fry the bacon until crisp (if using), then crumble and set aside.  
4. Saute the onion and the mushrooms until the onions are translucent and golden. Add asparagus and ham and continue frying for 1-2 minutes. 
5. Add pasta to the onions and mushrooms.  Pour cream mixture into the pasta, and stir over low heat for 1-2 minutes. Add some pasta water if the sauce gets too thick. (Do not cook on high heat or you will make scrambled eggs.) 
6. Serve with additional parmesan cheese and some cracked black pepper. 

Baked farfalle with tuna

"What's for lunch tomorrow?"

The last we had a baked pasta was when we were holidaying in States, and it was a home-cooked baked meat spaghetti by my dear sis. It was really good, especially the meatballs with lots of herbs, and even until now, I'm still thinking of it at times.

Somehow, I'm not ready to make the seems-so-tedious meatballs. So when I saw mui mui's Tuna Pasta Bake, I was all ready to prepare it. However, I did not follow her recipe to a T, except for the delicious cheesy/mushroom sauce.

This was actually baked last week but it took me a while to complete jotting down the recipe and method. With the cheesy/ mushroom sauce, this baked farfalle is very delicious!

Baked Farfalle
(serve 6-8 persons)

 (A) about 200g farfalle (or any pasta) (I didn't measure it, just grab 6 handfuls of pasta)
1 tsp salt

(B) yellow onions
olive oil
1 can of tuna in chunks
baby carrots
broccoli
fresh tomatoes, diced
shiitake mushrooms
prawns
some dried mixed herbs
2 cups ready pasta sauce (I used Prego's fresh mushroom italian sauce)

(C) grated parmesan cheese, to sprinkle  (optional)
grated cheddar cheese, to sprinkle (optional)

1. Boil farfalle in a pot of boiling water and salt as per instructions. Drained and set aside.
2. Boil carrots and broccoli in a separate pot for about 3- 5 mins. Drained and set aside.
3. In a pan, fry yellow onions in olive oil till slightly brown. Add in mushrooms, followed by prawns and fry for about 3 mins.
4. Add in carrots, broccoli, tomatoes, tuna and dried mixed herbs and continue frying for about 1-2 mins.
5. Add in pasta sauce and cook till mixture boils. Remove from heat.
6. Stir in farfalle.
7. In a oven-proof dish, pour in farfalle with sauce. Set aside.
8. Top farfalle with cheesy/ mushroom sauce.
9. Sprinkle with some grated parmesan cheese and cheddar cheese.
10. Bake in pre-heated oven 180 deg C for about 10 mins, or when the top is slightly golden brown.

Cheesy (mushroom) sauce
(recipe adapted from My little favourite DIY)
yellow onion
40g butter
100g brown cap mushroom (I omit)
2 tbsp plain flour
300ml milk
60g grated cheddar cheese

1. To make cheesy/ mushroom sauce, fry the onion in the butter till soft.
2. Then add in flour and continue stirring for a minutes.
3. When it's well mixed, gradually add in milk, continue stirring to prevents lumps.
4. When the mixture is slightly thickened and smooth, remove from heat.
5. Stir in cheese.
6. Season to taste. I added slightly less than 1 tsp of salt.