From Bland Pasta to Something Out of Italy

Pasta is such versatile food. There are so many different kinds of pasta and so many different ways you can make it. It's also easy and cheap to make and if made right, tastes great. The key to any pasta is the sauce. I advise people not to make their own because it does take a long time and there are so many good store bought sauces out there. A very good one is Rao's but it can be pricey. My advice is to buy a plain tomato sauce from the grocery store at a price you feel comfortable with. Bring it home and pour it in a sauce pan over medium low heat. Add a little garlic (make sure it gets brown but not burnt), salt and pepper, and fresh basil if you have some. Despite these ingedients possibly already being in the sauce, adding them fresh will really bring out more flavor. If you don't want tomato sauce, you can do a nice olive oil and garlic, bolognese sauce, pesto sauce (which can be found in a lot of grocery stores), and a whole array of other sauces. When getting ready to make the pasta here are some tips. Boil the water with a pinch of kosher salt and a drop of olive oil. When the water boils, add the pasta and cook to the package's recommended cooking time. After it is finished, immediately take out and drain the water. Add to a bowl. At this point I drop in 1 tbsp. of butter (most of the butter packages these days show you on the butter wrapper how much is a tablespoon) but this is optional. Add the sauce. And the final addition which really makes a good pasta almost like a true Italian one, Parmesan cheese.

Parmsan cheese can be expensive. A little chunk can cost you almost 7 dollars. But you don't have to go to a Whole Foods to get it. Many places also sell it in containers already grated for less money.

Here are some pasta dishes that are easy to make.

Rigatoni with Eggplant and Mozarella
Cook the rigatoni according to the package's recommended time. Take an eggplant and cut up small pieces. They don't have to be of equal size and shape. However you cut is fine as long as there is some skin on one side and they are small. Also cut some mozarella into small pieces as well. In a pan pour a touch of olive oil over medium heat. Let that heat up and add the eggplant pieces. Cook for a couple minutes till somewhat soft. You will see the difference. Add the tomato sauce. Add the mozarella. Cook for a minute and add directly to the pasta.


Spaghetti Pomodoro
Cook the spaghetti according to the package's recommended time. In another pan add tomato sauce, fresh basil, garlic, salt and pepper. Make sure the garlic gets brown. When the pasta finishes cooking, drain it, add it to a bowl, and drop in 1 tbsp. of butter. Add the sauce. Top with some parmesan cheese and you are ready to serve it.


Linguini Primavera
This is a great dish because it is healthy since it contains so many vegetables but it also tastes great. Take whatever vegetables you have in the fridge. I usually use zucchini, mushrooms, squash, brocolli, and carrots. But it is up to you to use whatever vegetables you like. Chop the vegetables in very small pieces. Heat up 1 tbsp. of olive oil over medium heat and let it get hot. Then add the vegetables and cook for a couple of minutes until the vegetables get somewhat soft. Add the tomato sauce. And add this directly to the cooked linguini. Drop in 1 tbsp. butter, let it melt, and top with parmesan cheese and serve.

All 3 of these pasta dishes can be substituted with any pasta or any sauce. Pasta dishes very personal. It's up to you to test out which pasta you like best and which sauces you like best. Any questions, leave a comment!

4 Ingredients to Always Keep in Your Kitchen

Olive Oil
Olive oil is crucial to a kitchen. It is what adds flavor to any dish from a simple pasta to a roast chicken. Yet choosing an olive oil doesn't have to be a daunting task. Always look for Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Yes it is more expensive, but it really adds more flavor than the regular basic olive oil. You don't have the buy the fanciest most expensive premium olive oil, but it should be extra virgin. Some places allow you to even sample the olive oil before you buy it. It is all a matter of preference. If you like it very strong you can choose one that has almost a more greener color. Or if you want a lighter version look for one that is more yellow and more translucent.

Kosher Salt
This is another key item to keep in your kitchen. Almost everything requires kosher salt to give it flavor. Kosher salt is a lot better to use than the other salts like sea salt. It doesn't make a dish too salty but secretly adds that extra flavor to something. Can be found at any grocery store.

Fresh Ground Pepper
This goes along with kosher salt and should be used in almost anything you make. You don't need to buy a fancy wooden pepper mill. Most grocery stores carry an inexpensive plastic disposable one which works great. But trust me, having the fresh ground pepper mill is much better than the old pepper in the box.

Garlic
Garlic is something that I always keep in my kitchen. Whether I'm making pasta, chicken, vegetables, etc.. I always use a little garlic. It really can make a dish and is in fact good for you.

The Essentials

Before beginning any basic cooking here are some essential kitchen items that are required:



1 Medium Pot- great for boiling water to make pasta, steaming vegetables, or frying anything

1 Medium Pan- essential for sauteeing and cooking

1 Baking Sheet- required for any type of baking or oven cooking

1 Cutting Board- plastic ones are cheaper than wood ones and are just as effective, they are also lightweight and non-porous so bacteria can't soak down into them and can be washed off with hot water

1 Good Knife- I know knives these days are expensive but I tell everyone it's better to get one good knife, then several cheap knives. A good knife will last you many years, and its actually safer than the cheap, dull knifes.

These are the 5 basic things that you must keep in your kitchen. Check in your town for a local cooking store to get these items at good prices. Avoid going to a big name place like Williams-Sonoma. It's a great store but not necessary for these basic items. A good place to look is Bed Bath & Beyond and also online.

Introduction

I have been cooking all of my life. I began cooking out of desperation. No one in my family knew how to cook or even attempted to go near the kitchen. I eventually became obsessed with cooking studying cookbooks and constantly watching all my favorite chefs on The Food Network. At the age of 16 my parents enrolled me in a special summer program at The School of Culinary Arts at Kendall College. There I developed skills and techniques that I learned from great well known respected chefs and furthered my passion for cooking. At the same time I was finally surrounded by people who shared my interests. The following year I went on to work in Philadelphia at Lacroix at the Rittenhouse where I worked in both the main kitchen and pastry kitchen. It was a great experience where I learned a tremendous amount from some of the top chefs in the world. After that I went on to Northwestern University to study Economics and Chinese. I didn't have a lot of time to cook but I decided to work part time at a local bakery and catering kitchen. During my summer breaks I would cater here and there at houses in Long Island. I just came back from Hong Kong where I did a semester abroad and picked up a lot of knowledge and techniques of Asian cooking from local chefs.

At Northwestern I started giving cooking lessons last fall before going to Hong Kong. I was living in a building full of students who had great kitchens in their apartments yet no knowledge of cooking whatsoever. People kept asking me if I could teach them a few basic things to make and give them some tips. The word spread that I was giving cooking lessons and eventually I got written up in our school paper with some recipes I created. This has led me to write a blog that would be accessible to students at all universities. I feel that every student should have a basic idea of cooking whether they are cooking for themselves or for friends. Not only is it expensive to go out but it is also unhealthy to constantly live on frozen and junk foods. My recipes are easy, fun, inexpensive, quick, and for the most part healthy. I really hope to get every college student inspired in cooking even if it's just starting with the basics of boiling water. Remember cooking doesn't have to be hard, very expensive, or time consuming.

Bon Appetit!