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

Glühwein / Mulled Wine

 

One of my favorite memories of the famous German Christmas markets is the mulled wine stands. Whenever I got too cold, I would just sidle up to the closest stand and order some glühwein served in a plastic cup. After a few sips of this hot brew of spices, sugar, citrus, wine, and booze, I’d be revitalized enough to push on through the cold weather. This sweet-smelling punch recipe is great for fireside sipping and can be kept warm in a slow cooker to serve at your next holiday party.

Tom Yum Sup Seafood

 

Tom Yum sup merupakan favorit saya, terutama tom yum udang. Sebagai penggemar seafood, sup satu ini sangat memunculkan rasa seafood didalamnya tanpa membuat perut terasa penuh.  

 

Bahan:

• 150-250 gr udang besar yang telah dikupas, belah punggungnya dan buang uratnya.
• 2 cumi-cumi ukuran sedang, bersihkan, buang kepala dan isi perutnya, potong 1cm.
• 1 ekor ikan (orata atau trota) ukuran sedang ambil dagingnya iris tipis
• 1/2 kaleng jamur kancing, iris dibelah 2.
• 3 buah jagung muda kaleng, potong 1/2cm.
• 3 lembar daun kol, iris besar.
• 2 genggam daun ketumbar segar, iris tipis
• daun bawang di-iris setebal 1/2 cm.
• 1 ruas jahe segar diiris tipis.
• garam dan merica hitam secukupnya
• 2 siung bawang merah, iris tipis
• 1 siung bawang putih, iris tipis
• 1 sendok makan minyak untuk menumis
• 1.5 liter air

Pear / Apple Struddle

Suhu masih dingin meski kelihatannya musim semi sudah mulai mengintip di balik pintu musim. Mengapa tidak mencoba membuat struddle hangat untuk menemani anda minum kopi. 

Saya mendapatkan resep ini dari teman dan telah saya coba beberapa kali. Berikut ini struddle dengan sedikit twist ala saya, sangat cepat dan mudah membuatnya.

Bahan-bahan yang diperlukan :

• 3 buah apple atau 3 buah pear, cuci bersih, kupas kulitnya dan buang biji serta bagian keras di tengah-nya, iris tipis.
• 2 sendok makan raisins
• 1 adonan pastry siap pakai, biasanya saya memakai LaSpoglia merk Buitoni rectangolare (kotak) atau rotonda (bundar), dapat dibeli di supermarket setempat.
• 25 gr mentega tawar
• 3 sendok makan gula merah bubuk
• 1 sendok teh kayu manis bubuk
• 1 telur, ambil bagian putih telurnya untuk mengoles adonan  
• 50 gr icing sugar (gula halus) untuk taburan