spaghetti – Simply Delicious: The Cookbook Project

18-9: Pasta I

Jamie Martin Group 18: Basic Techniques, Section 4: Cooking School January 4, 2017September 30, 2020angel hair, butter, cannelloni, cheese sauce, cooking school, fettuccini, lasagna, layers, mafalde, manicotti, meat sauce, Parmesan, pasta/noodles, spaghetti, spinach, stuffed, tagliatelle, tomato sauce, vegetarian, vermicelli

Simply Delicious dedicates its last few chapters to “Cooking School“, comprised of informational cards on various techniques, ingredients, & basic recipes that any serious cook should learn to master. 18-9: Pasta I is the first in a two-part series about pasta, the second being 18-10: Pasta II. This particular card covers a few different shapes of pasta, including spaghetti, fettuccini, & lasagna. 🍽

18-9: Pasta I only begins to scratch the surface of different types of pasta–there are so many more out there. The important takeaways from this particular set of tips are the different kinds of sauce that go with the various shapes, as well as how to identify some common variances in the shapes. 18-10: Pasta II goes more into the cooking and serving of pasta, as well as listing a few more shape/sauce combinations if you’re looking for a bit more from Simply Delicious on the topic. 📚

12-40: Spinach Pasta with Mushrooms

Adam Martin Group 12: Pasta & Rice, Section 2: Main Courses December 3, 2016October 27, 2020black pepper, boiled, chopped, creamy, Dijon mustard, dinner, easy, fettuccini, herbs and spices, inexpensive, linguine, lunch, milk, mushrooms, olive oil, parsley, pasta/noodles, salt, side dish, sliced, spaghetti, spinach, tagliatelle, tender-crisp, untested, vegetables, vegetarian, whipping cream

Pasta with sauce is the most basic style of dish that Simply Delicious teaches a novice chef to cook. 12-40: Spinach Pasta with Mushrooms is appropriately classified as “Easy“.

Mustard-scented sauce is a recent addition to my diet, but it is one of my favorite additions. Dijon mustard is used in a lot of Simply Delicious sauces and it adds a tangy quality to the sauce that cannot be beat.

12-3: Pasta Bolognese

Adam Martin Group 12: Pasta & Rice, Section 2: Main Courses October 16, 2016October 27, 2020black pepper, boiled, carrots, celery, celery root, chicken bouillon, chicken broth, crushed tomatoes, dairy-free, diced, dinner, dried herbs, easy, fairly inexpensive, ground beef, ground meat, herbs and spices, Italian, lunch, meat sauce, minced, mirepoix, olive oil, party food, pasta/noodles, salt, sautéed, smoked ham, spaghetti, tomato paste, tomato sauce, tomatoes, untested, vegetables, white wine, yellow onions

This recipe, 12-3: Pasta Bolognese calls for spaghetti on the back of the card, but the dish on the front clearly shows the meat sauce on Rotini. 🍝

The blurb on the front of the card is definitely true. “Quick to prepare and not too expensive,” is exactly how I felt about this dish.

12-41: Spaghetti with Green Sauce

Adam Martin Group 12: Pasta & Rice, Section 2: Main Courses July 30, 2016October 28, 2020al dente, basil, black pepper, boiled, butter, canola oil, creamy, dinner, dried herbs, easy, garlic, herbs and spices, inexpensive, leeks, linguine, lunch, melted, milk, minced, mushrooms, nutmeg, oyster mushrooms, pasta/noodles, salt, sautéed, side dish, spaghetti, spinach, untested, vegetables, vegetarian, whipping cream

Green sauce can mean a lot of different things (pesto, chimichurri, etc.), but for 12-41: Spaghetti with Green Sauce, it features leek tops. Because this recipe is so light, I made this dish for a quick lunch during the week.

The sauce in the photo doesn’t look as green as a pesto, but it definitely is green.

12-26: Pasta with Creamy Shrimp

Jamie Martin Group 12: Pasta & Rice, Section 2: Main Courses July 13, 2016July 28, 2020al dente, black pepper, boiled, butter, canola oil, chives, cooked shrimp, creamy, crème fraîche, dinner, easy, fairly inexpensive, fettuccini, grated, herbs and spices, horseradish, lemon juice, linguine, lunch, melted, parsley, pasta/noodles, salt, seafood, shrimp, side dish, sour cream, spaghetti, untested, whipping cream

Here’s a short one that was a solo dish for me (those cream ones always end up being a solo affair) – 12-26: Pasta with Creamy Shrimp. I envisioned it being more like an Alfredo sauce and less like herb-filled whipped cream with shrimp in it, but unfortunately the latter is what I got.

The description on this one is deceiving–it’s honest, yet vague. There is cream, shrimp, and horseradish–and it is easy to prepare. However, the “mouthwatering” and “delicious” descriptors were noticeably maladapt for me. 🍤

12-4: Pasta with Mushrooms

Jamie Martin Group 12: Pasta & Rice, Section 2: Main Courses December 26, 2015July 27, 2020al dente, black pepper, boiled, butter, chives, creamy, crème fraîche, dinner, dried herbs, dried spices, easy, farfalle, half-and-half, herb salt, herbs and spices, inexpensive, lunch, mushrooms, paprika, parsley, pasta/noodles, rotini, salt, sautéed, sour cream, spaghetti, thyme, untested, vegetarian, yellow onions

There’s been way too many cookies, both online and IRL. 12-4: Pasta with Mushrooms is a relatively healthier and easy dinner option to help ease you into post-holiday life (or just an idea for dinner tonight).

I don’t know about you, but these kind of meals with a bit of protein (chicken, fish, etc.) is pretty much our go-to for dinner these days. Maybe I’ve been cooking in schools too long already–my mind instantly goes to two veg-fruit/one protein/one grain for meal planning. I suppose there are worse habits.

12-6: Seasoned Pasta Toss

Jamie Martin Group 12: Pasta & Rice, Section 2: Main Courses May 30, 2014July 27, 2020basil, boiled, breasts, cheese, chicken, cooked chicken, cooked shrimp, crab, dairy-free, dinner, easy, fettuccini, garlic, ham, healthy, herbs and spices, inexpensive, Italian, linguine, low heat, lunch, minced, olive oil, Parmesan, parsley, party food, pasta/noodles, salt, seafood, side dish, spaghetti, tagliatelle, tossed, untested, vegan, vegetarian

I jumped several sections ahead a few weeks ago when I needed to make a pasta side dish for something (I don’t even remember what at this point). I don’t have this group scanned yet and I procrastinated on scanning the card–oh well. 🌿

We find 12-6: Seasoned Pasta Toss in Book 2, Group 2 (Main Courses), Subgroup 12 (Pasta & Rice). I still have a ton of parsley in my freezer and gluten-free rice pasta in my pantry, and it’s time to clean house.

Too bad it turned out to be less than impressive. It’s my fault, but still.