My husband’s favorite pasta dish has got to be lasagna. Whenever we have guests, he makes this special request and I tell him that it gets to be boring. Well, I think lasagna is an all-time favorite for most pinoys.Lasagna involves three steps: The tomato meat sauce, boiling the pasta and the preparation of the bechamel sauce.

Let’s make the Bechamel sauce first:

Ingredients

3/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cans evaporated milk (i can is equivalent to 225 ml or 1 cup)
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

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Posted: November 10th, 2009 under Beef, Pasta, Recipes.
Comments: 18

Who says cooking has to be labor-intensive? Preparing filipino dishes can entail so much preparation and if you are feeling lazy, there are alternatives like easy to cook recipes that are just as delicious. I got invited to a Dona Elena Cuisenra Club cooking demo on “Easy to Cook Recipes” at the Podium last saturday with a presentation of 3 easy to cook recipes. Even your teenage kids or siblings can prepare this pasta dish. I have prepared a similar pasta in the past and my kids loved it. This attractive dish can also be great for parties or when you suddenly have surprise guests. You don’t need to call fastfood chains to deliver food to your home.

Ingredients

1/4 cup Dona Elena Pure Olive Oil
10 pieces Garlic cloves, peeled
1 Tablespoon Chili flakes (dried)- this is optional if you don’t like spicy dishes
20 pieces Dona Elena Anchovy Fillets (you can substitute with spanish sardines)
2 cups Cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1/4 cup Dona Elena Capers, drained.
To taste salt and pepper
250 grams Penne Pasta
for garnish, parsley chopped
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Posted: August 24th, 2009 under Pasta, Recipes.
Comments: 3

I started my herb garden when we moved to our new home. It’s a great feeling to pick freshly homegrown basil and add it to our pasta. This afternoon, I cooked Shrimp and Pasta with Pesto sauce to make up for the Lechon Manok that I was supposed to buy.

Here is the recipe that is even beginners can follow.

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Posted: June 30th, 2009 under Pasta, Recipes, Seafood.
Comments: 4

One of the dishes I prepared for our last Christmas day lunch in our old home in Makati in the year 2005 was Chicken Cannelloni. The young ones particularly raved the rich creamy Chicken Cannelloni. The recipe came from my sister, Lorna who modified it many times. I forgot to take a close-up photo of the Cannelloni dish but it’s the rectangular pyrex on the table. The great thing about Cannelloni is that I can prepare it a day before , freeze it and heat it on Christmas Day itself. It takes the stress away from cooking so many dishes in one day.

Cannelloni usually refers to rectangular pasta sheets that are rolled with a filling. However, sometimes the pasta dough is replaced with a cooked crepe, generally 3 to 4 inches in length and once rolled, one inch in diameter. After cooking the crepe (or boiling the pasta), it is typically filled with a savory stuffing which may include ricotta cheese, spinach, and various meats. It is then covered with a sauce, typically classic tomato or bechamel sauce, although many variations exist.

(wikipedia)

My Cannelloni version uses Bechamel sauce, chicken and ready made pasta as shown below:

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Posted: December 6th, 2008 under Noche Buena, Pasta, Recipes, chicken.
Comments: 8

The Real Carbonara Spaghetti is not really creamy. The noodles are coated in eggs and cheese. There is another way to cook Spaghetti Carbonara using processed foods at the grocery. This is really handy when you suddenly have guests that arrive. The canned goods comprise of canned mushroom soup, cream, ham, bacon and fetuccine noodles. You are also assured that the taste will come out a best seller. Try this next time when you have surprise guests. Here is the creamy carbonara recipe:

Ingredients

2 cans Creamed of Mushroom Soup (preferably Campbell)
250 ml All Purpose Cream (Nestle)
200 grams sweet ham, in small squares
200 grams bacon, shredded
Spinach Fettucine (400 grams noodles are green and I like the contrast of the white creamy carbonara sauce against the green noodles)
1 head garlic
a dash of nutmeg
a dash of pepper
Olive Oil
1/2 cup parmesan cheese for topping

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Posted: September 7th, 2008 under Pasta, Recipes.
Comments: 25