INGREDIENTS
2 purple potatoes
30g unsalted butter
Salt and white pepper
50ml olive oil
½ yellow onion, chopped
50g baby spinach
1 broccoli, cut into florets
12 snap peas
5 tbsp boiling water
100g mascarpone
400g rigatoni or any short pasta, cooked until al dente
50g grated parmesan
DIRECTIONS
1 Boil the potatoes until they are soft. Peel, mash and mix with the butter and a pinch of salt and pepper until smooth. Set aside.
2 Heat the olive oil in a pan. Add the onions and fry until golden-brown.
3 Add the spinach, broccoli and snap peas and saute for 3min. Add the boiling water and simmer for 1min.
4 Stir in the mascarpone cheese and a pinch of salt and pepper.
5 Add the cooked pasta and cook until the sauce thickens. Transfer to a casserole dish.
6 Scoop the mashed potatoes over the pasta and top with the parmesan.
7 Bake in an oven preheated to 200 deg C for 7min until the cheese melts.
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By Hellene Fok, marketing manager
INGREDIENTS
1 shallot, chopped
1 can (400g) chopped tomatoes
½ cup vodka
2/3 cup chicken broth
A handful of dill and thyme, chopped
400g salmon fillet, cut into bite-sized pieces
2/3 cup pure cream
400g penne, cooked and drained
DIRECTIONS
1 Saute the shallots until fragrant. Add the tomatoes and vodka and cook for 2min.
2 Add the chicken broth, dill and thyme and mix well. Add the salmon fi llet and cook for 5min.
3 Add the pure cream and cook for another 2min. Mix well with the penne.
By Megumi Wettstein, co-owner of Restore Living.
INGREDIENTS
400g pasta
200g mentaiko
1 ½ tbsp. butter
1 clove garlic, sliced
½ cup shimeiji mushrooms
2 tbsp sake
A pinch of salt and pepper to taste
Dried seaweed
DIRECTIONS
1 Mix 200g of mentaiko (spicy cod roe) with 1 1/2 tbsp of softened butter in a big bowl.
2 Fry 1 clove of garlic (sliced) until fragrant.
3 Add cup of shimeiji mushrooms, 2 tbsp of sake, a pinch of salt and pepper, and cook for 1min.
4 Add this and cooked spaghetti to the bowl of mentaiko and butter and mix well.
5 Top with dried seaweed.
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By Adrian Fun, host mentor at Institute of Culinary Arts, Shatec Institutes
INGREDIENTS
For vegetable stock
1 carrot, cut into chunks
1 celery, cut into chunks
2 onions, cut into small chunks
2 cloves garlic, crushed
800ml water
1 tbsp cooking oil
1 packet Prima Taste Chili Crab Paste
150g crab meat
3 eggs, beaten (set aside ½ cup to seal the ravioli)
24 prawn dumpling skins
DIRECTIONS
1 Simmer all the ingredients for the vegetable stock in the water until the vegetables are soft. Strain and set aside.
2 Heat the oil in a pan. Cook the chilli crab paste over low heat until fragrant.
3 Add 150ml of the vegetable stock and simmer until it thickens slightly. Add the crab meat and cook for 5min. Remove the crab meat and set aside.
4 Add the eggs slowly into the pan in a circular motion and turn up the heat. When the eggs are cooked, turn off the heat and set aside the sauce.
5 To make the ravioli, sandwich 1 tsp of the cooked crabmeat between 2 pieces of prawn dumpling skin. Press lightly to remove all the air between the skins and seal the edges with the beaten egg. Cook the ravioli in a pot of salted boiling water and drain.
6 Add the ravioli to the cooked chilli crab sauce and combine over high heat until well mixed.
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By Melvyn Lee, private chef
Serves 3 to 4
INGREDIENTS
1 small yellow onion finely chopped
Bulb of 1 small fennel*, core discarded and the flesh finely diced
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
40g black olives, pitted and chopped
175ml olive oil, plus more for greasing hands
10g fresh oregano, finely chopped
250g minced pork or beef
10g fresh parsley, finely chopped
1 egg
40g breadcrumbs
Salt, to season
Pepper, to season
30g fresh basil, stems and leaves separated
375g fettucine
300g cherry tomatoes, halved
Juice of a lemon
Zest of 1 lemon
DIRECTIONS
1 Saute the onion, fennel, garlic and olives in 100ml of olive oil for 5-7min on medium-high heat, or until the onions become translucent. Remove from heat and toss the oregano in. Set aside to cool.
2 Combine the cooled mixture with the minced meat, parsley, egg and breadcrumbs. Season with salt and pepper.
3 Grease your hands lightly with olive oil and shape the meat into ping pong-sized balls. Toss each meatball from one hand to the other (in one direction only) – this removes the air and prevents the meatballs from becoming too tough during cooking.
4 Heat the frying pan and add 30ml of olive oil. Cook the meatballs for 7min over medium-high heat, browning them on all sides.
5 To cook the fettucine, place the basil stems and a dash of salt and pepper into a pot of boiling water. Add the fettucine and cook until al dente, following the packet instructions. Strain the fettucine and toss with the basil leaves, tomatoes, lemon juice, lemon zest, and the remaining 45ml of olive oil. Top with meatballs and serve.
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By Lino Sauro, executive chef at Gattopardo
INGREDIENTS
2 cloves garlic, sliced
8 cherry tomatoes, halved
4 stalks basil, chopped
260g frozen Alaskan king crab, thawed and cut into parts
40ml brandy
140ml canned lobster bisque
A pinch of salt and pepper
Squid ink pasta, cooked and drained
A handful of parsley, chopped
DIRECTIONS
1 Saute the garlic, cherry tomatoes, basil and Alaskan king crab until the garlic is fragrant.
2 Add the brandy and cook for 10sec. Add the lobster bisque, salt and pepper and cook until it’s slightly reduced.
3 Add the squid ink pasta and toss well. Top with the parsley.
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INGREDIENTS
250g Italian basil
42g parsley
85g bottled grated parmesan
40g pine nuts
300g extra virgin olive oil
400g ricotta spinach tortellini*, cooked until al dente and chilled
DIRECTIONS
1 Place the basil, parsley, parmesan and pine nuts into the blender. Add the olive oil slowly to the mixture and blend until all the oil is incorporated. Transfer to an airtight jar and chill. It keeps for up to 3 days.
2 To serve, mix the tortellini with the pesto and mix well.
INGREDIENTS
For the soya broth:
700ml chicken stock
200g kombu (dried Japanese kelp)
40g bonito flakes
30ml cooking sake
80ml light soya sauce
20 amaebi*
480g green tea pasta**, cooked until al dente
3 tbsp vinegar (any type)
4 eggs
DIRECTIONS
1 Bring the chicken stock to the boil and add the kombu, bonito flakes and cooking sake. Turn the
flame to low and simmer for 15min. Strain the stock and add the soya sauce to it. Discard the residue.
2 Divide the stock between 4 deep plates. Add 5 amaebi and one serving of pasta to each plate of stock.
3 Bring a pot of water to the boil. Add the vinegar, bring it to the boil, then lower the heat to low-medium. Use a spoon to swirl the water, and crack an egg into it. Cook for 2-3min.
4 Transfer the egg to the pasta with a perforated spoon. Repeat for the rest of the eggs.
*Amaebi are small, sweet prawns commonly used for sushi and best enjoyed raw. They are available frozen at Japanese supermarkets like Meidi-ya and Isetan Scotts supermarket.
**Can be substituted with mushroom or tomato pasta.
INGREDIENTS
For the gazpacho sauce:
700g Roma tomatoes, halved
1 Japanese cucumber, peeled and seeds removed
3 stalks spring onions
2 cloves garlic
1 red capsicum
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme, rosemary or sage
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
200g cocktail shrimp
4 tbsp Tabasco sauce
400g tagliolini, cooked until al dente and chilled
4 tsp chopped chives
DIRECTIONS
1 Blend all the ingredients for the gazpacho sauce until smooth. Strain and chill the sauce. It keeps for up to three days.
2 Cook the cocktail shrimp in a pot of boiling water until they turn orange. Cool and marinate in Tabasco sauce for 2 hours.
3 To serve, toss the cooked pasta with the gazpacho sauce and top with the marinated shrimp and chives.
By Angelo Ciccone, restaurant chef at Basilico, The Regent Singapore
INGREDIENTS
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 red chilli, chopped
2 tinned salted anchovy fi llets
1 tbsp olive oil
100g king crab, cleaned and cut into parts
100g tiger prawn, shelled and deveined
100g white clam, cleaned
30ml white wine
6 cherry tomatoes, quartered
½ small broccoli, cut into bite-sized pieces
400g linguine, cooked and drained
A handful of parsley, chopped
DIRECTIONS
1 Saute the garlic, chilli and anchovy fillets in heated oil in a frying pan until fragrant.
2 Add the crab, prawns and clams and cook for another 2min, until the clams open. (Discard any clams that don’t open). Add the white wine and cook over low heat until it evaporates.
3 Add the tomatoes, broccoli and cook for 5min.
4 Toss the linguine in the sauce and top with the parsley.
By reader Supatriana Supaat, 36, marketing manager
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
500g fresh prawns, shelled, with tails intact, and deveined
¾ tsp sea salt
1½ tbsp olive oil, plus extra for garnishing
4 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
¼ tsp black pepper
250g cooked pasta
1/3 tbsp dried basil or 1 tbsp finely shredded fresh basil
DIRECTIONS
1 In a bowl, season the prawns with ½ tsp of sea salt. Set aside.
2 Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Saute the prawns for about 3-4min, until they turn slightly red, but are not completely cooked through. Remove from the pan and set aside.
3 Reduce heat to low and toss in the garlic. Saute for 1min, until fragrant. Make sure that the garlic doesn’t turn brown, or it will taste bitter.
4 Add the black pepper and remaining ¼ tsp of sea salt. Add the semi-cooked prawns and pasta. Stir for 1-2min, until the prawns are cooked and the pasta is well coated in the garlic sauce.
5 Remove from heat. Transfer to a plate and drizzle some olive oil over the pasta. Top with basil and serve.
By Domenico Piras, head chef at Pontini, Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel
INGREDIENTS
90ml extra virgin olive oil
3 ice cubes
80g basil leaves
3 cloves garlic
40g grated parmesan cheese
20g grated pecorino cheese
Salt and pepper, to taste
120g French beans, cut into 1cm-pieces
200g potatoes, peeled and cut into 0.5cm-cubes
320g linguine, cooked and drained
DIRECTIONS
1 To make the pesto, combine the olive oil, ice cubes, basil and garlic in a food processor and blend until smooth. Transfer the mixture to a bowl. Add the cheeses and salt and pepper.
2 Cook the French beans in boiling water for 2min.
3 Cook the potatoes in boiling water for 5min.
4 Toss the linguine with the French beans, potatoes and pesto.
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