Olive oil and a clove of garlic

These days, people are in a big hurry to get dinner made when they get home from work. Although currently, I no longer work outside the home, I remember all too well that feeling of exhaustion when I finally walked through the door after a frustrating forty minutes in traffic. Back then, I got into the habit of making lots of casseroles and/or other types quantity (soups, stews, chili) dinners which could be divided and frozen into several future, easy to heat meals. But sometimes, there just isn’t anything in the freezer, and you still have to eat. So one evening, finding myself in that situation, I came up with this meal.

Note: Preparing this meal does require either having  the ingredients already on hand, or, a quick trip to the store on the way home from work. I buy fresh tortellini at least every two weeks and keep it on hand for a quick and delicious meal.

1 9 oz package Fresh, refrigerated cheese tortellini
(I use Buitoni’s whole wheat torellini)
2 (or more if you prefer) cloves of fresh garlic
1 Tbs. olive oil
Grated or shredded Parmesan or Romano cheese.

Salad Greens

A loaf of Italian or French Bread

1. Start cooking the tortellini.
2. While the tortellini is cooking, peel and finely chop the garlic cloves.
3. Add the olive oil to a skillet, and over a low flame, sauté the garlic for 30 seconds, just until it becomes fragrant. Do not brown the garlic, as this can make it taste bitter.
4. Remove the skillet from the heat.
5. When the pasta is cooked al denté, drain it into a bowl, and pour the garlic and olive oil over it.
6. Mix well, divide into two portions on plates, and sprinkle with Parmesan or Romano to taste.

Serve with crusty Italian or French bread and a salad. Serves 2.

This is a very simple, but delicious meal. If you need to increase the amount to feed a couple of kids or guests, just double everything. Easy, peasy.

Well, I knew the truth would surface sooner or later, and I supposed today is the day. For all you pasta purists out there, prepare yourselves, here it comes!

I do not boil my pasta in a pot.

There, I’ve said it, I feel so much better now.

On April 12, 2009, I bought the Fasta Pasta Microwave Pasta Cooker from Amazon.com.

http://tinyurl.com/fastapastaatamazon

I haven’t looked back since, or gone back to boiling pasta in a pot. This is the most amazing, time-saving, and water saving product I have ever used. Evidently I’m not the only person who thinks so because out of 160 reviews at Amazon, 148 people gave it 5 our of 5 stars and 7 people gave it 4 out of 5 stars.

Before I tell you the good points, let me tell you the bad, although there are only a few:
First of all, the maximum amount of pasta servings you can cook in the Fasta Pasta is four. If you have more than 2 kids, or 2 kids with huge appetites, this is not the cooking item for you, however, in my home, it’s the perfect size.

Secondly, the water measurement lines are  difficult to see when adding water to the cooker. I usually have to lean down so the lines are at eye level and have a light behind them.

Third, the time measurements given in the instructions which come with the cooker are not exact. However, in all fairness, the  instructions do say that the cooking time might have to be adjusted according to your microwave. I’ll get into that time adjustment business later on.

Now, let me tell you about the pros of the Fasta Pasta. What’s so great about it you ask? First of all, you use very little water to cook your pasta. Since I live in an area which goes through annual water restrictions, this is very important to me. When boiling pasta for 4 servings, you would normally use 3 to 4 quarts of water to cook it in. With the Fasta Pasta, you use a little bit less than 1 quart. (It’s difficult to measure the actual amount because the water is added to the Fasta Pasta after putting in the pasta.). As you can see, that’s a significant amount of water being saved.

In addition to water, you also save energy because you don’t wait for the water to boil, add the pasta, and then wait for the pasta to cook. The procedure is to measure your pasta, place it into the Fasta Pasta, add water to the specified line (one, two, three or four servings), place the Fasta Pasta in your microwave, set the timer, and go.

How does the pasta come out you ask? Between the water savings, the quick clean up (Unless you add your sauce to the pasta while it’s in the Fasta Pasta, which I do not recommend, the cleanup is nothing more than a wipe and rinse with warm water.), and the time savings, I’ve been incredibly pleased with the results. I now make Pasta casseroles ( a favorite around here) at least once every two weeks because they have become incredibly easy.

Regarding the time adjustments: We primarily eat either short dried pastas, or fresh pasta (tortellini, ravioli), so these are the only types I’ve made adjustments for. Here is a short list of the adjustments I’ve made to the cooking times which are listed in the instructions for the Fasta Pasta (based on a 900 watt microwave oven). Keep in mind, we like our pasta cooked very al dente.

Penne, Rotini, Rigatone or Mostaccioli – 4 servings

3 Cups pasta
Water level=4
Cooking time=10 minutes on High
Give pasta a quick stir at 7 minutes

The Fasta Pasta instructions say to cook it for 10 minutes, stir it, then cook for an additional 7 minutes.
Supposedly, these instructions are for regular, Wheat or Whole Grain types. I’ve found that this cooking time is much too long for Wheat or Whole Grain pasta.

Fresh Tortellini or Ravioli

1 9 oz pkg fresh tortellini or ravioli (2 servings)

Place pasta in Fasta Pasta, water to level 3. Cook for 6 minutes, stir and check. Cook an additional 2 to 4 minutes.

The Fasta Pasta instructions say to cook it for 10 minutes, they don’t say anything about stirring or checking. I’ve tried it their way, and I’ve tried it my way. For us, my way works best.

The Fasta Pasta is very inexpensive, and I think it’s a fabulous little item. I can’t imagine going back to the old way of cooking pasta. I hope you will try this piece of microwave cookware. I think you’ll like it.

The title of this post contains some New York slang for two reasons:

One, I’m originally from Queens, New York, and back then, when in a hurry, I spoke like this. Even today, 40+ years since leaving Queens, if I’m around another Queensite, I find myself reverting back to the accent of my youth.

Two, the subject of both pizza, and pasta is very sacred to New Yorkers, especially New York Italian Americans.

Once upon a time, when whole wheat pasta first hit the market, it was a dark, tough, and unpleasant thing, with a slightly gritty texture.  It took longer to cook than regular white flour pasta, and the whole wheat flavor did not meld well with pasta sauces.  So, because both my husband and I were trying to eat a more healthy diet, and because pasta had now become something that wasn’t considered to be very healthy any more, for a long time, our pasta consumption went way down. Notice, I did not say we had stopped eating it completely, LOL.

Then, in 2002, the Ronzoni® company came out with their Healthy Harvest pasta which includes both whole wheat and mixed grain pastas. The Ronzoni® Healthy Harvest pasta also contains added Omega 3’s and three times the fiber of regular white pasta.  Some time after that, Barilla came out with their whole grain line of pastas which contain 51% whole wheat, and now, even good old Mueller’s makes whole grain and whole wheat pasta. There may be other brands available where you live, but these three are the brands which I have used and enjoyed.

Although low-carb diets are all the rage these days, the other side of the coin is that humans were designed to eat grain. Look at the size of our molars! Those are grinding teeth, just ask your dentist. The problem with many people who go on low-carb diets, is that often they do not make a distinction between whole grains foods and those made with simple grains, such as white flour.

Whole grains consist of complex carbohydrates. They provide fiber, protein, vitamins and minerals. In addition, whole wheat pasta is also in the lower third of the Glycemic index, which means they are one of the foods which does not cause a dramatic spike in the rise of blood sugar.

One thing I will caution you about concerning whole wheat pasta, and this is VERY IMPORTANT:

DO NOT OVERCOOK!!!

Follow the directions on the box precisely, or even better, use the old, “tooth” test (al denté means “to the tooth”).  A couple of minutes before the pasta should be done, remove a piece from the boiling water, cool it quickly under cold water and bite it. The pasta should be slightly firm and chewy, but not hard. If it is at that point, immediately turn off the heat, and dump it into a colander. The heat remaining in the pasta itself, will finish the cooking process. If it is almost to that point, let it cook another 30 to 60 seconds, then follow previous instructions.

Be aware, that overcooking whole wheat pasta can render it into a mushy, unpalatable mess that even the dog probably won’t eat!

Try the new generation of whole wheat pasta. I think you’ll enjoy using it, and you will now be able to serve pasta dishes as often as you like, knowing you are doing something good for your family.

Have you tried the new whole wheat and whole grain pastas which are currently available?

Did you enjoy them? Let me know. I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Perhaps you are curious about the name of this blog, I know I would be. Well, since the majority of the blog posts will be cooking related, and since most of the things I cook begin with sautéing garlic in olive oil, I thought the name would be very appropriate.

My husband loves the smell of onions and/or garlic slowly cooking in olive oil. I tend to be very much a night person, and because he often works irregular hours, I like to have the next day’s dinner already prepared before I go to sleep. So, I have a habit of cooking in the wee hours, and he has told me that the smell of garlic and/or onions slowly sautéing in a skillet has awakened him more than once from a sound sleep. He also told me that when he turns over and goes back to sleep he has very pleasant dreams.

So, what better name for a food-related blog than the two ingredients which are the basis for most of the food I cook? Not to mention, the very sound of those words puts a lovely image into my head, makes me hungry, and may possibly start my mouth watering.

Are there any food  words which make your mouth water?

Pasta anyone? Please pass the Parmigiano…