Improvisation in the kitchen is a very good way to diversify everyday familiar evenings in a family circle. And if you fantasize a little, then you can make many dishes from the most ordinary pasta.
Homemade or store-bought pasta pasta
Of course, it is much easier to buy pasta in the nearest supermarket than to cook it yourself. But our grandmothers and grandfathers did not know such a luxury, and someone may even remember these long yellow-white flour strips that were dried in the old Khrushchev kitchens of our ancestors, and then folded into dry containers or bags and waited in the wings.
In fact, a dish made from homemade pasta will be much tastier, and your efforts will be highly appreciated by family and friends.
For homemade pasta, you need water, salt, egg yolks and flour in the following proportions: 40 ml of water, 3 yolks, 400 grams of flour and a pinch of salt. One of the main conditions for successful pasta is the exact observance of the ratio of the number of these products. Eggs, or rather yolks, need to be beaten with a whisk. Sift flour on a chopping board with a slide and make a small depression into which pour whipped yolks, water and add a pinch of salt. Knead the dough and leave to rest for half an hour in cling film. After the indicated time, roll the semi-finished product into thin layers, sprinkle with flour on top so that the dough does not stick together, roll it into a roll and cut into thin strips of equal width. If you plan to use the pasta immediately, then you can start preparing the required dish. Otherwise, the unfolded strips of dough must be dried on a baking sheet or any other surface for 24 hours, then folded into a plastic container and stored for no more than 3-4 weeks.
Lasagne with minced meat and vegetables with Bechamel sauce
This recipe is considered a classic Italian dish, so having prepared lasagna, you can briefly plunge into the culinary traditions of this European country. But it will take a lot of time to prepare it, since the lasagna will not be collected from ordinary pasta, but from special sheets prepared with your own hands. And how to prepare such sheets was described above.
Required products:
- thin sheets for lasagna - 12 pieces;
- pork - ground beef - 500 grams;
- Russian cheese - 100 grams;
- butter - 30 grams;
- carrots - 1 piece;
- onions, celery - to taste;
- tomatoes - 1-2 pieces;
- salt, pepper, bay leaf.
For the Bechamel sauce:
- wheat flour - 50 grams;
- butter - 50 grams;
- milk - 900 ml;
- salt - 0.5 teaspoon;
- nutmeg - 1/3 teaspoon
Step-by-step cooking:
- Prepare the Bechamel sauce first. The butter must be melted in a saucepan with thick sides and bottom, then gradually sift the flour there, and, without removing from the heat, mix everything thoroughly. When the mass is brewed, add warm milk in a very thin stream, stirring constantly. Add salt and some ground nutmeg. As a result, you should get a homogeneous thickish mass, in its consistency reminiscent of fresh homemade sour cream.
- Now you need to prepare the bolognese. Peel the carrots and onions, cut the onions into half rings, and grate the carrots, cut the celery into rings and fry everything in a non-stick frying pan with the addition of oil.
- Then put the minced meat in a frying pan, salt and lightly fry.
- Peel the tomatoes from their thin skins, pour boiling water over them, cut them very finely, or you can simply crush them well and add to the minced meat with vegetables. After a while, pour in a little water and, if you want a more saturated red color, then add tomato paste or ketchup.
- Leave to simmer over medium heat with the lid closed until tender.
- Now you can collect lasagna. Grease the prepared form with oil. Pour a little béchamel sauce on the bottom, covering the entire surface of the mold and cover with three lasagna sheets.
- Place 1/3 of the meat bolognese and pour over the béchamel sauce.
- Then again put 3 sheets for lasagna, meat bolognese and béchamel sauce on top. And repeat the same thing again.
- Grate the cheese and sprinkle on the surface of the collected dish.
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Preheat the oven to 200 degrees and send the lasagna there for half an hour. After 30 minutes, it is necessary to leave the dish to rise in the oven for another 20-30 minutes.
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Spaghetti with minced meat, cheese, tomatoes and eggplant
Required products:
- minced turkey or turkey fillet - 500 grams;
- spaghetti - 400 grams;
- eggplant - 1 piece;
- tomatoes - 5 pieces;
- bell pepper - 1 piece;
- hard cheese - 100 grams;
- sunflower oil - 20 ml for frying;
- butter - for spaghetti - 30 grams;
- salt and herbs to taste.
Step by step recipe:
- Dip spaghetti into boiling salted water and cover.
- While the pasta is boiling, you can cook the minced meat with vegetables. Wash the bell pepper, remove the entrails and cut into half rings. Fry lightly in a preheated non-stick skillet with the addition of sunflower oil (can be replaced with olive oil). Cut the eggplant into small cubes and add to the pepper. If you have ready-made minced turkey, then the next step is to put the minced meat in a frying pan, but if a whole breast, then it must be passed through a meat grinder in advance and preferably with 1 head of onion - so it will be juicier and more aromatic. Then pour over the tomatoes with boiling water, remove the thin skin and also chop into cubes and send to the frying pan. Leave to simmer for 15-20 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally. 5 minutes before being ready to salt, add fresh or dried herbs and cover.
- During this time, the pasta will just have time to cook. Rinse the spaghetti well in warm water, melt the butter in a water bath or microwave and pour into the pasta, cover and stir well so that they do not stick together.
- It is better to serve on the table right away in portions: lay out long spaghetti strands beautifully on each plate, put the minced meat with vegetables on top and sprinkle with grated cheese. Bon Appetit!
Minced Chicken and Zucchini Nests
The nests look very impressive when cooked, the main trick in this dish is to ensure that the rolled pasta boils well enough and there are no slightly damp solid straws left somewhere inside. You can also experiment with the filling at your discretion, it is worth trying to use minced fish instead of meat - in this form, the dish will be able to win over all seafood lovers and become a hallmark of your table.
To prepare nests with minced chicken and zucchini you will need:
- minced chicken - 500 grams;
- zucchini - 2 medium pieces;
- spaghetti, rolled in the form of nests - 10 pieces;
- onion - 1 head;
- cream or homemade sour cream - 100 grams;
- milk - 100 ml;
- hard cheese - 150 grams;
- vegetable oil for frying - 20 ml;
- salt, pepper, basil - to taste.
Step-by-step cooking:
- At the very beginning, it is worth putting a pot of water on the fire and when the water boils, throw a pinch of salt and pasta nests into it. By the way, if you decide to cook this dish from homemade noodles, then do not cut it too finely, leave the strands longer, so that later you can easily twist the nests out of them.
- Peel the onions, chop very finely and lightly fry in a pan with the addition of oil.
- Wash the zucchini, grate and mix with the minced chicken, salt and pepper, add the fried onions.
- When the nests are welded halfway through, carefully lay them out with a slotted spoon in a mold with high sides.
- Place the prepared meat filling in the grooves.
- Mix the milk with sour cream (if you chose cream, then you can just dilute them a little with milk so that the dish does not turn out to be too greasy), add basil, salt a little and pour over the nests almost completely covering them.
- Sprinkle the tops with grated cheese and send to the oven preheated to 180 degrees.
- After 20-30 minutes, remove the dish from the oven and taste all the ingredients from the very middle for readiness. If necessary, add cream and send to reach the nests for a few more minutes. If the dish is ready, then you can delight your household with an excellent dinner.
