How to Cook Pasta

Whether you’re a starving college student or a connoisseur of fine foods, pasta has something to offer. It’s affordable, easy to master, and can be made in endless combinations. To cook pasta, follow these instructions; to turn it into a meal, add one of the sauce recipes below.

1

Choose which pasta you want to cook. Try to pick one that suits the sauce well. It's best to use pasta that is a brand from Italy and is made of 100% durum wheat semolina.

2 Fill a large pot 2/3 of the way with water. This will ensure that the water doesn't spill when it's boiling. Don’t under-fill the pot; this will make the pasta sticky. There should be a generous water-to-pasta ratio. To reduce your wait time, add hot water.

3

Turn the knob on the stove to high.

4

Add salt if desired. For a large pot of water, 1 or 2 tablespoons of salt should be sufficient.

5

Wait for the water to boil.

6

Add pasta to the water and stir with a long spoon. Take care that the pasta doesn't stick to the bottom, especially when you first add it.

• Since it can be hard to estimate just how much pasta you need, read the package for serving suggestions. If there aren’t any, read the Nutrition Facts for the number of servings per container and divvy up the dry noodles accordingly. If you’re cooking for two, a full package of pasta can usually make a full meal with leftovers.

7

Turn down the stove slightly, continue to boil the pasta, and stir every so often to prevent sticking. Do not cover the pot; traditional Italian pasta is cooked without a lid.

8

When it's been boiling for about 8-10 minutes (check the package for suggested cooking time), take a piece of the pasta out and allow it to cool.

• Alternatively, under-cook the pasta by 2-3 minutes (the outsides should be cooked while the centers should be hard), then turn off the stove, set the pot on another (cool) burner, and cover for 10-15 minutes. This will slow-cook the centers of the pasta, making them al dente instead of soggy.

9

Bite into the pasta. If it's too hard to bite or if you see white in the center, it needs to cook a little longer. When it's cooked all the way through but still firm, it's ready. This is referred to as al dente (“to the tooth”) in Italian.

10

Turn off the stove and empty the entire pot of pasta into a strainer. Tilt the pot away from yourself so you don’t get a face full of steam, which is even hotter than the boiling water.

11

Shake out the excess water and then pour the pasta back into the pot. Be sure not to put the pot back onto the hot part of the stove, which can burn the bare pasta.

12

Add a tablespoon of olive oil and toss (optional). While this will keep the noodles from sticking, it can also create a barrier between the noodle and the sauce you add, making the results less flavorful.

13

Cover with your favorite sauce and shake it (inside the hot pot). See several recipes below for ideas.

14

Add grated parmesan cheese, fresh parsley or basil leaves, or other garnishes as desired.

How to make soup

Chuck away the cook book, it's time to go freestyle with your soup. If you get an organic veg box or simply find a load of veg lurking in your fridge at the end of every week, then this is the perfect way to ensure your valued veg don't end up in the bin.

Base

A good base ensures every soup starts well. Begin with a medium onion and chop in a few basic vegetables to give a rounded flavour. A combination of one carrot, one stick of celery and one leek works well. Sweat these off with a knob of butter: that means heating the butter, dropping in the chopped vegetables, stirring to coat and putting the lid back on. Cook, with the occasional stir for 15 - 20 minutes to soften them.

Spice it up

A pinch of spice can work wonders in most soups. Cumin is a great all rounder, giving an earthy taste to pretty much most soups. For a Thai flavour, add fresh garlic and ginger and ground coriander. For Indian, add a pinch of cumin, turmeric, fenugreek or garam masala. Tomato soups can take on a Mexican or Spanish feel with a pinch of sweet smoked paprika. Don't be shy to combine your spices, if you add somewhere between a pinch and a teaspoon, they won't take over but will give you a depth of flavour.

The thick of it

If you like a smooth textured or hearty soup, then some type of thickener is required. You can add a peeled medium potato at the beginning with the other base vegetables or coat the veg with a spoonful of flour before adding the stock. A handful of red split lentilsthrown in along with the stock will also thicken well. These usually need to be boiled for 15 - 20 minutes so check the pack instructions.

Stock

A good stock is another key essential when making soup. If you'd like to make homemade, check out our video guide to making stock. It's always good to have some of this at the ready in the freezer. Another great stock is the water you've used to boil a gammon - delicious. Again, freeze this until you need it. If you haven't got time or simply don't have homemade stock, buy a good quality one from the supermarket.

The main ingredient

If you want a particular ingredient to shine, then big up the quantities. Think about cooking times and then add at the appropriate time. Butternut squash can be added along with the base ingredients. Add broccoli stalks with the base ingredients but the tops later so they retain their colour and cook with the lid off. Spinach needs to be added a few minutes before the end to ensure it stays vibrant and tasty.

To blend or not to blend

It's really up to you if you blend your soup or not and when you do it. It can be nice to blend a leek and potato soup but then throw in a few finely sliced bits of leek a few minutes before the end to give a little texture. Chicken can become a bit grainy when blended, in this recipe for Thai chicken and sweet potato soup, the sweet potato is blended and then the chicken added and cooked after. If you're not planning to blend, cut chunks into no more than bite-sized pieces to make it easy to eat.

Garnishes

A sprinkling of finely sliced spring onions, a few croutons or a handful of chopped herbs make a great finish and will make your soup look much more appetizing. Likewise a drizzle of cream and a grind of black pepper give a restaurant touch if you're serving to friends.

Roasted spring vegetable pizza

Ingredients

• 200g strong plain flour
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp easy blend dried yeast
• 150ml/¼ pint warm water
• olive oil, for brushing

 For the topping

• 2 red peppers
• 1 leek
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 4 tbsp tomato passata
• 125g pack light mozzarella
• 12 cherry tomatoes
• 3 tbsp frozen peas
• 2 tbsp freshly grated parmesan

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 220C/Gas 7/fan oven 200C. Tip the flour, salt and yeast into a bowl and mix well. Add the warm water and mix to a soft dough. Knead on a lightly floured surface for 2-3 minutes, then roll out to a 30cm/12in round. Brush a large baking sheet with a thin slick of oil, then add the pizza base. Cover with a clean tea towel.
2. Cut the peppers into rings and slice the leek. Toss the leek and red peppers in the oil, salt and pepper. Spread over a baking sheet and roast for 10 minutes.
3. Spread the pizza base with the passata. Scatter over the leek and red pepper. Thinly slice the mozzarella and arrange over the vegetables. Scatter over the whole cherry tomatoes and peas and sprinkle with the parmesan. 4 Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the crust is crisp and lightly browned. To serve, cut into four wedges.

Spring roast chicken

Ingredients

• 8 chicken thighs, on the bone, skin on
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 lemon, zested and cut into wedges
• 4 shallots, thickly sliced
• 4 rosemary sprigs
• small pack tarragon
• 450g asparagus spears, trimmed
• 2 courgettes, thickly sliced on the diagonal
• 250g peas (preferably fresh, not frozen)
• 100g feta, crumbled

Method

1. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Put the chicken thighs in a large shallow roasting tin, season and toss with the olive oil, lemon zest and wedges, shallots, rosemary and tarragon. Arrange the chicken thighs, skin-side up, and roast for 40-50 mins until the skin is crisp and golden.
2. Meanwhile, bring a large pan of water to the boil and cook the asparagus for 3 mins or until tender, adding the courgettes and peas for the final minute.
3. Drain the vegetables and toss in with the chicken, coating well with the cooking juices. Crumble over the feta and serve.

PRESSURE COOKER SAMBAR RICE

Sambar Sadam is a popular lunch recipe from Tamil Nadu. Also known as bisibelabath, this recipe is made of rice pressure cooked with dal, vegetables and spices.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup - Rice 

1 cup - tur dal 

1/4 tsp - Turmeric powder 

3 tsp - sambar/spice powder 

1.5 tsp - salt 

1 - tamarind, small marble size shredded into tiny bits OR 

1/2 tsp - Tamarind paste 

2 cups - chopped vegetables 

1 cup - chopped Tomatoes 

1 cup - sliced Onion 

For seasoning: 

2 tbsp - Ghee 

1/4 tsp - Mustard Seeds 

1 pinch - Fenugreek seeds 

1 pinch - Asafoetida 

4 - broken Red Chillies 

Curry leaves, a few

METHOD

• Wash rice and dal together and put them into a big vessel that will fit into your pressure cooker.
• Add the chopped vegetables (chop them slightly big so that they do not melt while pressure cooking), chopped tomatoes, sliced onion, tamarind, sambar powder, turmeric powder and salt.
• Heat ghee in a seasoning ladle and add mustard seeds.
• When the mustard splutters, add fenugreek seeds, asafoetida, broken red chillies and curry leaves and fry till the seasoning gives out a pleasant aroma.
• Pour the seasoning into the vessel containing all the ingredients.
• Add 6 cups of water, stir, and pressure cook for three whistles.
• Once the pressure subsides, open and stir the sambar saadam.
• Garnish with salted cashew nuts.
• Serve hot with warm ghee drizzled on top.

HONEY CHILLI POTATO

Honey Chilli Potato is a delicious Indian recipe made with potatoes dipped in honey and chilli sauce. The potato in the recipe can be substituted with cauliflower or chicken.

INGREDIENTS

5 - potatoes, sliced 2 - onion, finely chopped 2 - spring onions, chopped round 3 - tomatoes, chopped 2 tbsp - garlic, finely chopped 1/2 tsp - soya sauce 2 tbsp - Tomato ketchup 2 tbsp - Thai chillies sauce 2 tbsp - Honey 3 tbsp - Maida 3 tbsp - Corn flour 1 tsp - Parsley 1 tsp - Oregano salt and Red Chilli powder to taste.

METHOD

• Toss the sliced potatoes in a batter made from the maida, corn flour and a little of water. Deep fry, drain and keep aside. Saute garlic and onion in ghee and keep aside.
• Saute tomato paste in ghee. Add soya sauce, tomato ketchup, red chilli sauce, salt, red chilli powder, oregano and parsley.
• Mix the onions into it on a low flame.
• Then add the fried potatoes, mix it well with the sauce and serve hot.

EGG PUDDING

Egg Pudding is a delicious Indian dessert recipe made with milk and eggs. This recipe can be made in a pressure cooker, an oven or in a microwave.

INGREDIENTS

eggs - 3 Sugar - 10 tbsp Milk - 2 cup Vanilla essence - 1/2 tsp Sugar (for caramel) - 2 tsp

METHOD

• Caramelise a steel bowl with 2 tsp of sugar
• Add all the ingredients to another bowl and mix well until the sugar dissolves
• Pour this mixture into the caramelised bowl and keep in the cooker with 1/2 cup water
• Pressure cook this mixture for 10 minutes and remove from the cooker after the pressure subsides
• Refrigerate and serve

CORIANDER LEMON SOUP

INGREDIENTS

1 tbsp - fresh coriander leaves, chopped

1 tbsp - Lemon juice

1 tbsp - oil

1 Onion , chopped

1/2 spring onion, chopped

1/2 inch - ginger, chopped

2 Cloves garlic, chopped

1 tbsp - gram flour (besan)

2 cups - vegetable stock

1/2 cup - cabbage, chopped

1/2 cup - carrot, diced

5 peppercorns, crushed

salt to taste

METHOD

Heat oil in a pan.

Add onion, spring onion bulb, ginger and garlic and saute.

Add gram flour and continue to saute till you get a nice aroma.

Add vegetable stock, coriander stems, cabbage and carrot cubes and bring to a boil.

Add crushed peppercorns and continue to boil.

Add half of the chopped coriander leaves and cook for ten minutes.

Strain and keep aside cooked vegetables.

Heat the strained soup.

Add salt, lemon juice and bring to a boil again.

Season with the remaining chopped coriander leaves and serve hot.

HOW TO MAKE CHOCOLATES AT HOME

Make these home made chocolates and serve it at any party or during a festive occasion. This chocolate recipe is easy to make and serves as a delicious dessert.

METHOD

• Make sugar syrup of 1 string consistency, remove from fire.
• Add butter to it and then add milk powder, cocoa powder and vanilla essence.
• Mix really well until everything blends and allow to cool.
• Grease hands slightly with butter.
• Pinch small portions of the chocolate and roll them into balls.
• Refrigerate for a while and serve them, garnished with nuts and raisins.
• Recipe courtesy: 4th sense cooking

INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup - cocoa powder

200g - Milk powder

1 cup - Sugar

1/2 cup - water

1/4 cup - Butter

1/2 tsp - vanilla essence

Nuts and Raisin