Sweet Pasta Cake

Ingredients:

300 g. fresh spaghetti or 225 g. dried spaghetti
2 tbsp. butter
3 tbsp. sugar
1/3 cup mixed candied pee
1/3 cup raisins
1/4 cup almonds
1/4 cup chopped dried figs or dates
3 tbs. glazed cherries, chopped
3 tbsp. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 eggs, beaten

Procedure:

1. Cook pasta in boiling salted water until al dente. Drain, rinse under cold water and
drain again. Transfer to a bowl.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180C).
3. Melt butter in a small saucepan. Add sugar and heat, stirring, until sugar dissolves.]
Leave to cool.
4. In a large bowl, combine peel, raisings, almonds, figs, glace, cherries, flour, and
cinnamon. Mix well, then stir in pasta and add butter-sugar mixture and eggs.
Toss to coat.
5. Transfer mixture to a greased 8-inch(20cm) pie plate and level it out. Bake until
set and golden on top, about 35 minutes. If the top browns too much, cover loosely
with foil. When done, remove from oven and let stand for 20 minues before turning
out of pie plate.

Penne with Shrimp and Bacon

Ingredients:

450g. penne rigate
110g. bacon, cut into narrow strips
125 ml frozen peas, thawed
150g. uncooked peeled shrimp, cut in half if large
20 ml butter
125 ml ricotta cheese
salt and freshly ground black pepper
15 ml grated Parmesan cheese

Procedure:

1. Cook penne in boiling salted water.
2. In a large frying pan saute bacon until the fat melts. Add thawed peas and saute for
1 to 2 minutes before stirring in shrimp. Cook, stirring until just done. Add butter and
lower the heat so that butter melts slowly.
3. In a bowl combine ricotta, salt, pepper and Parmesan. Just before serving, add 2 or
3 tbsp. boiling pasta water and whisk in. Drain penne when al dente and toss it with
the ricotta. Then add bacon, shrimp and peas and toss once more before serving.

Shrimp Pasta Toss

Ingredients:

150g. salad macaroni, cooked per package directions
1/4 kilo medium shrimps
1 can (439g.) pineapple tidbits, drained (reserve syrup)
1 stalk celery, sliced

Dressing:
1/4 cup corn opil
1 tbsp. lemon or calamansi juice
1 1/2 tbsp. pineapple tidbits syrup
1 1/2 tsp. iodized salt
1/2 tsp. fine pepper
1 tsp. snipped parsely

Procedure:

1. Cook shrimp in remaining pineapple tidbits syrup with 1/2 tsp. rock salt for 8 minutes. Cool,
then peel. Dice shrimps. Combine with remaining ingredients except dressing.
2. Combine ingredients for dressing in a covered jar. Shake well. Pour over pasta-pineapple
mixture. Blend well. Chill until ready to serve.

Carbonara (American version)

Ingredients

• 3-4 quarts boiling salted oiled water
• 8 ounces spaghetti
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 slices smoked bacon, diced
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• ½ teaspoon-1 tablespoon crushed red pepper
• 12-16 ounces tomato sauce
• 2-4 ounces freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Procedure

1. Boil spaghetti 6 minutes or so, just al dente, drain.
2. As water is put on to boil, start heating olive oil in medium saucepan, and sauté bacon until fat is just clear.
3. Add onion and sauté until soft.
4. Add crushed red pepper and cook 2-3 minutes more.
5. Add tomato sauce and heat through.
6. Remove from heat, add Parmesan cheese, and serve immediately over spaghetti.
7. May garnish with additional Parmesan cheese.

Tips, Notes, and Variations

• As this is for cooking, virgin or extra virgin olive oil is not necessary, any grade, even "pure" olive oil is sufficient.
• "Al dente" means "to the tooth." The pasta should be firm in the center when bitten.
• Amount of crushed red peppers is widely variable to suit your taste.

Easy Four Cheese Lasagna

"This makes a very authentic tasting lasagna, rich, cheesy and very filling."

INGREDIENTS

• 16 ounces uncooked lasagna noodles
• 1 (26 ounce) can spaghetti sauce
• 1 pound cottage cheese
• 8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
• 8 ounces shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
3. In a blender or with an electric mixer, blend tomato sauce and cottage cheese together until smooth. Spoon a little of the sauce mixture in the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. Place a layer of cooked noodles over the sauce, and sprinkle a portion of the mozzarella, the cheddar and the parmesan over the noodles. Repeat layering of sauce, noodles and cheese; finish with a cheese layer.
4. Bake in preheated oven 30 to 45 minutes, until cheese is bubbly and golden.

Egg Noodles

"This is your basic old fashioned recipe for egg noodles. Try making them next time you prepare your favorite soup or stew. Don't forget that fresh pasta cooks much quicker than dried! You may use a dough hook attachment on your electric mixer or your hands to make the pasta dough."

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INGREDIENTS

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 pinch salt
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 tablespoon butter

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large bowl, stir together the flour and salt. Add the beaten egg, milk, and butter. Knead dough until smooth, about 5 minutes. Let rest in a covered bowl for 10 minutes.
2. On a floured surface, roll out to 1/8 or 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into desired lengths and shapes.
3. Allow to air dry before cooking.
4. To cook fresh pasta, in a large pot with boiling salted water cook until al dente.