Pasta Fusilli with Zucchini Pesto and Salmon

Fusilli with pesto zucchini (a.k.a. summer squash or courgette) and salmon is a creamy dish with delicate flavor as the soft zucchini pesto made with almonds joins a fresh salmon cut into thin strips, shaded with white wine.
 

Just a good glass of dry white wine is ideal to accompany this first course of fish. You can also use other type of pasta, like farfalle or linguine! Meanwhile, let's try pasta fusilli with zucchini pesto and salmon!

pasta fusilli

Ingredients :
     400 gr pasta 'fusilli'
     250 gr salmon sliced
     1 clove garlic, chopped
     Salt and pepper

 

Ingredients for zucchini pesto :
     2 pcs of medium zucchini ( or about 200 gr)
     2 table spoon of extra virgin olive oil
     10 gr of almonds, slice
     10 gr of fresh basil leaves
     30 gr grated parmesan cheese
     Salt
     30 gr white wine

Cooking and Serving Pasta

Cooking

Pasta is cooked in a heavy bottomed saucepan, 3/4 full of salted water. You can, if you wish, add flavour to the boiling water, such as  freshly cracked black pepper, herbs, spices, garlic, etc. Flavoring the boiling water this way, will eventually flavor the pasta. The pasta needs to be able to move freely in the boiling water, therefore use a big pot and enough water for large quantities. Otherwise, it will become to starchy and sticky. But you do not need massive amounts of water to cook your pasta in. A general rule of thumb is that the pasta must be sealed with the boiling water. Long dried pastas, like spaghetti, need to be gradually pushed into the water. You will put the pasta in the pot and wait till it softens, then push it in slightly, and so on until its covered.
The perfect doneness of pasta is called 'al dente'; which is when the pasta is no longer hard to chew, yet has a slight bite, is firm and holding shape. With fresh pasta, al dente is when the pasta is firm, holds shape and too soft, which is overcooked. Do not over cook pasta - until it is too soft and loses shape.
The cooking time depends on the quality of the pasta, its size and the amount cooked. As a general guide (but do check your pasta while cooking to make sure): Dried Vermicelli takes 4-5 mins; Dried Long Pastas like Spaghetti take 11-12 mins; and large pastas take about 15 - 20 minutes. All fresh pastas take from 3-8 minutes, depending on their size. Timing begins when the water returns to boiling after the pasta had been added.

Pasta Calamarata with Swordfish Sauce

Squid with swordfish sauce is presented as a first course from the Mediterranean taste, it is suitable to be prepared in spring and summer. Use perfectly ripe cherry tomatoes to get more intense flavor.

Ingredients :


     300 gr pasta 'calamarata'
     250 gr cherry tomatoes, cut each tomato into 4 pcs (quarters)
     2 pcs salted anchovies, rinse with water, remove the bones and have them chopped
     5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
     2 cloves garlic, chopped
     1 bunch parsley, chopped
     freshly grounded pepper to taste
     salt
     25ml white wine
     1 pc (about 200 gr) of swordfish / pesce spada

Pasta Types and Their Common Names

1. Campanelle       
2. Mini Bow Ties       
3. Gnocchi  
4. Spaghetti       
5. Manicotti             
6. Penne
7. Ravioli           
8. Linguine               
9. Fine Egg Noodles  
10. Mafalda     
11. Orzo (rosamarina)   
12. Fusilli  
13. Couscous    
14. Small Shell Macaroni   
15. Rotini  
16. Capellini         
17. Wide Egg Noodles       
18. Lumache

Udang Pedas Asam Manis

Bagi penggemar udang seperti saya, ini dia resep yang cukup nendang rasanya. Selamat mencoba!

Bahan :

• 300 g udang besar, bersihkan, jika suka masak dengan kepalanya, jika tidak buang kepalanya
• 1 buah jeruk nipis, ambil airnya
• 1 cm jahe, iris
• 1 sdt gula merah
• 2 sdm saus sambal
• 2 sdm saus tomat
• ½ sdt merica bubuk
• 1 sdt garam
• 300ml air
• 1 butir telur ayam, kocok lepas