Italian food is varied and rich in several aspects. Pasta however has been the pride and glory through much of its history. When Italians started emigrating and settling all around the world, they brought their pasta and it found its way into local life style, a worldwide food that we take for granted today. The origins of Pastas are as tangled as spaghetti tossed in a bowl. There is some validity in the belief that the ancient Greeks and Romans had discovered some sort of flattened dough – a broad noodle called ‘laganon’ in Greek. It is significant that this was not boiled as we boil lasagna noodles, but roasted on hot stones or in ovens – more like what we would think of as pizza.

Roasted Vegetable Pasta Recipe 1:

Servings: 6 Servings

• 1/3 c White balsamic vinegar
• 2 shallots finely chopped
• 1 ts dried Italian seasoning
• 2 tbsp fresh basil thinly sliced
• 2 zucchini
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 green bell pepper
• 2 yellow squash
• 1/2 lb baby carrots
• 8 oz spaghetti or linguine
• 1/4 c parmesan cheese shredded
• 1 large onion
• 1/4 ts pepper
• 1/4 ts salt
• 1 1/2 ts molasses
• 2 tbsp olive oil

The first 8 ingredients are combined in a large bowl and set aside. Zucchini is cut and next 4 ingredients into large pieces. Vegetables and carrots are cut and added to vinegar mixture, and tossed to coat and allowed to stand 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Vegetables are drained, reserving vinegar mixture. Vegetables are arranged in a single layer in a 13x 9 inch pan coated with vegetable cooking spray and baked at 400 degree Fahrenheit, stirring every 15 minutes, for 45 minutes. Reserved vinegar mixture is heated and drizzled over roasted vegetables, and served over the hot pasta. Parmesan cheese is sprinkled.

Roasted Vegetable Pasta Recipe 2:

This is perfect for summer or winter. The roasted vegetable pasta salad is easy to prepare and not only very nutritious but a delicious dish. The salad consists of penne pasta mixed with roasted vegetables with eggplant, zucchini, cherry tomatoes, green peppers and asparagus. For Olive oil dressing, crumbled feta and a balsamic are put on top of the vegetables.

Cilantro or sweet basil herbs combine well with the salad.

• Penne pasta for 2
• 2 zucchinis, sliced into inch rounds
• 10 cherry tomatoes
• 1 large green pepper, sliced
• A handful of feta cheese
• 1/2 small eggplant, sliced into squares
• 5 asparagus spears
• 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
• 1/8 cup of balsamic vinegar
• Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
• A handful of feta cheese
• Freshly sweet basil or cilantro
• 2 Tbsp olive oil

The oven is preheated to 350 F. The vegetables are washed and chopped and then dried with a paper towel. The vegetables are placed in a large baking tray and 2 Tbsp of olive oil is sprayed over them. A little sea salt and pepper is sprinkled and the vegetables are roasted for 15 minutes and removed from the oven and set aside. Some water is boiled in a large pot meanwhile. Once the water is boiling, the pasta is added following packet instructions. It is occasionally stirred to stop pasta from sticking together. The pasta is drained and placed in a large mixing bowl adding the roasted vegetables, crumbled feta and 1/4 tsp of sea salt and stirred well. The extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar are added. Some basil or cilantro are torn and sprinkled on top and served.

- Ramyajit Gupta

Zucchini as it is called in North America, Australia and Italy is a small summer squash. It is also called courgette in Britain, France, New Zealand and South Africa. It can be yellow, green or light green and has a shape similar to ridged cucumber.

Zucchini has its ancestry in the America. However the typical zucchini were developed in Italy after many generation of its introduction in the America sometime in the very late 19th Century probably near Milan. Use of Zucchini in the United States was first traced to 1920s and was believed to have been brought by Italian immigrants who cultivated it in California.

It cannot be stored more than three days as it is prone to damage from chilling which shows up as sunken pits on the surface when brought into room temperature from cool storage.

Zucchini “pasta”

It is called pasta because that’s what it looks like but it’s not pasta, and it should be appreciated for its own merits. This is something entirely different, very tasty and also very healthy. The zucchini noodles can be tossed with any favorite sauce but tend to work better with a simple and non chunky style sauce.

Recipe 1

Zucchini is cut into thin slices and cut again lengthwise into thin strips. Boil some salted water, and add the noodles to cook for about 1 minute. Take out and blanch in cold water or running immediately, or cold running water, so as not to over cook. Toss with tomato sauce, garden basil pesto, a creamy Alfredo sauce. The noodles are very refreshing on sultry summer evenings.

This may be served as a side dish, boiled as above, and then briefly sautéed with melted butter and parmesan or other hard Italian cheese, freshly grated, and salt to taste. These noodles may be tried for a variation on ones favorite pasta salad…perfect for a BBQ. These can be served without first boiling them (salt the noodles for about 20 minutes, and rinse to soften them).

Recipe 2 (Low calorie)

Children usually avoid anything that even remotely healthy-looking, so first of all, use less zucchini. The original recipe calls for 4 cups of zucchini, which would be too much, so disguise it a bit better and use about 2.5 cups and regular sharp cheddar. The sliced garlic may feel a little strange, but biting into them in this dish is amazing. It really gives a perfect punch of flavor in the mouth. The dish would not be the same with minced garlic, but can be used that way if sliced garlic is not preferred.

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces uncooked linguine
• 2-3 cups coarsely shredded zucchini (about 3 medium)
• 4 teaspoons olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup fat-free plain yogurt
• 3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Cook linguine according to package directions. Shred zucchini, then remove excess moisture (squeeze in a kitchen towel, like you would with spinach, or just put it in a colander and press down) and pat dry. Saute zucchini in oil for 2 minutes in a large non stick pan. Add garlic, and saute for 1-2 minutes longer, or until zucchini is tender. Transfer to a large bowl. Add yogurt, cheese, salt and pepper. Drain linguine and add to zucchini mixture. Toss to coat and serve.

- Ramyajit Gupta

Pasta with coriander and eggplant is a vegetarian dish that can be made easily without any preparation. This dish can be a pleasant change from the usual routine dinner.

As for the Kids this is a healthy substitute for the junk food available outside cooked in unhygienic conditions. This is a main course dish and a vegetarian delight.

Here are the quick steps to the recipe- simple yet an amazing dish. You would require a frying pan, a sauce pan and a food processor for cooking this dish.

Here are the ingredients that would serve 3 to 4 people:

• 2 bunch of coriander leaves
• 3 cloves garlic minced finely
• 3 tbsp cashew nut
• 5 tbsp freshly grated parmesan cheese
• Juice of 1 lime
• 13 tbsp olive oil (roughly)
• 500g dry pasta (try wholegrain pasta which is available in the markets)
• 2 medium eggplants
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper for taste

Cooking the pasta is not a great deal, the main work that has to be done is that of making the sauce. In this case the sauce is really easy to make and not complicated at all. One can even try and experiment with the ingredients and come up with new combinations to give it a twist.

Cooking is something that requires passion; if you love cooking you can always try and add more flavours to the dish.

Here is the method of cooking pasta with coriander and eggplant:

• Grind the cashew nuts in the food processor till they turn into crumbs. Add the chopped coriander, Parmesan cheese, minced garlic, lime juice, freshly crushed pepper and 8 tablespoon of olive oil. Blend all these ingredients together in the food processor along with the cashew nut crumbs, till it becomes a smooth paste. Keep this aside.

• Cut the eggplants into two halves lengthwise and cut each of those into 5 mm thick slices. Sprinkle salt over it to keep it fresh.

• Boil the pasta according to the directions given on the packet (usually not more than 20 min).

• Meanwhile heat the frying pan and add the remaining olive oil. Fry the eggplant slices once the oil has heated. Fry until it’s soft and tender. Keep the eggplants warm till the pasta is done.

• Drain the pasta and put it into the saucepan and toss it with the coriander sauce made earlier.

• Serve it with topped grill eggplants.

• And pasta with coriander and eggplant is ready to eat.

This dish takes approximately 25 minutes to cook and has easily available ingredients in the market. Healthy treat for your stomach.

- Sreyashi Dey

It can be a good accompaniment with different seafood and vegetables over a meal. Watery crème based sauces giving the feel of drinking ones pasta is one of the most irritating experiences while eating out at Italian restaurants. However this creamy pasta sauce would be a favorite of many pasta lovers as it is finger licking good. It is very tasty owing to thickening of the sauce achieved through reduction of the liquid element in the sauce resulting in concentration of the flavors.

The recipes below include two types of reductions. Owing to the reduction in this recipe, the cream mixes very well with the pasta though the pasta may not be eaten everyday like this but just occasionally when one needs something to soothe the soul; a plate of something substantive on the lap while watching ones favorite musical show on the television. If slightly garnished with some broccoli florets or some other green vegetables and healthy it feels a lot better.

This sauce adds flavor and richness to thick pastas like penne or linguini and is very versatile allowing one to experiment with the ingredients a little. To make it thinner add more pasta water, or put whole milk or half and half to make a lighter sauce

Recipe 1

Serves 6

12 Oz. – Angel hair pasta or other pasta
1/2 Oz – Sun-dried tomatoes
14 Oz – fat-free ricotta cheese
3/4 cup – evaporated skim milk
2 garlic cloves, quartered
1 teaspoon – seasonings (1 small cayenne, ground, and 1 tsp. no-salt seasoning can be used)
3 Oz – grated Parmesan
10 Oz – frozen broccoli pieces, cooked
4 Oz – Canned mushrooms or 2 cup fresh, sliced

Sun-dried tomatoes are cut in small pieces and covered with hot water in a bowl. It is left to stand for around 10 minutes and drained.

Milk, ricotta, garlic, seasonings and Parmesan are mixed in a blender/food processor until a smooth sauce is formed. The sauce is poured into a heavy saucepan and heated over low flame ensuring it does not boil. If fresh mushrooms are used it is sautéed and kept warm. The pasta is cooked and drained. All the ingredients are mixed together (i.e. sauce, sun-dried tomatoes, broccoli, mushrooms and pasta) in a baking casserole and baked for around 30 minutes.

Recipe 2: Creamy Basil and Sun-Dried Tomato Vegan Pasta

8 Oz whole wheat pasta, dry
8 Sun dried tomatoes
300 g silken tofu (firm)
3 garlic cloves
¼ cup fresh basil
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups broccoli cut into small pieces

The pasta is cooked and while cooking it, the tomatoes, tofu, garlic, basil, and salt is blended in a food processor or blender until smooth and set aside. When pasta is almost done, broccoli is added to pasta, water added and cooked for an additional 3 minutes. The pasta/broccoli is drained and returned to the pot and the sauce added and tossed well and served immediately.

- Ramyajit Gupta