Thursday 10th Jul '08

Tonight I finally got around to using the large shell pasta that I bought from Charlie's a while back. They're about three times the size of the large shell pasta you buy from the supermarket. I've seen them in dishes where they've been stuffed and have always wanted to try something with them.

I made a mixture with some ricotta cheese, grated pecorino, chopped spinach (I bought the frozen chopped spinach and thawed it out) and nutmeg. After boiling the pasta until they were al dente, I placed them one by one into a shallow baking dish with the opening facing up. I then spooned a bit of the ricotta cheese mixture into each shell.

I cooked a simple tomato sauce with chopped garlic, onion, a can of diced tomato, tomato paste and chopped fresh basil. I covered the shells with this sauce and then sprinkled a layer of shredded tasty cheese over it.

before...
after!
I had started off wanting to make stuffed pasta shells but the dish evolved into a cross between cannelloni and pasta bake.

For supper I made some bee hoon soup with slices of fish and chinese vegetables. Served with lots of fresh coriander, chilli and deep fried shallots.


Here's a photo of the basil I have grown from seeds. They're just over two weeks old now.



While I was making my pasta dish, my mum was busy making some curry puffs. When we were in primary school and my mum was a stay-at-home mother, she used to make the dough for the curry puffs from scratch each time she made them. When she started going back to work, she didn't have the time and now makes them with puff pastry. They're just as yummy because it's really the filling inside that's the important bit I reckon.



This is a photo of my new siamese fighter fish named Prometheus
- yes, he's named after the ship in Stargate SG-1.