Yes, it works. Angel Hair pasta can be cooked in a coffee pot!
Higher up on the scale of iffy equipment, we've been trying various combinations of pasta, water, and time in the small microwave oven. This is all working out pretty well too; The 2-quart Pyrex measuring pitcher is doing the heavy lifting again.
P.S. Alice has reminded me about Johnnie Depp ironing cheese sandwiches for Joon.
Showing posts with label pasta. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pasta. Show all posts
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Plumbing the Mysteries
I have a special container for boiling pasta in the microwave oven. It comes with arcane directions for measuring the pasta just so, then put water up to one of 4 lines, then microwave with the lid off. I think it would work just as well in my large pyrex measuring cup, and anyway, the special pasta boiling container won't fit in the dorm-size oven... so watch this space. Or anyway, watch this blog! We are experimenting.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Meatballs with Pasta Cooked in a Hot Pot
That little hot pot, meant for warming up canned soup, can do so much more with some planning. Here we've made Italian dinner for two! Just add salad, some crusty bread with olive oil, two candles and a bottle of wine.
In a mixing bowl, mix together by hand:
2/3 pound lean ground beef
1 small can tomato paste
1 egg
[breadcrumbs, optional]
Italian seasoning blend, to taste
1 tsp salt
Other ingredients will be needed:
1 bell pepper
1 small can tomato paste
1//4 lb pasta - spirals, bowties, or similar small shape
Form meat mixture into walnut-size meatballs
Insert a steamer basket into the hot pot, and add about 1 - 1/2 cups water under it.
Cut a bell pepper into 1-inch strips, and line the bottom of the basket with half the strips. Cover the pepper strips with half of the meatballs. Then another layer of bell pepper and the remainder of the meatballs.
Plug in the hot pot and bring it to a boil. Because the meatballs are not down in the water but are above it, steaming, they won't cook except when the water is boiling. Turn the dial down a bit when the water boils, then back up when it stops boiling. Trickle water down the spout when you can hear it boiling but can't see water in the spout. You want to keep the water level about the same as it was at the start.
Half an hour or so later the meatballs will be done. Gently lift the meatballs out of the pot with tongs. Slice the cooked peppers into small pieces and set them aside for the sauce.
Liquid from under the steamer basket is brothy and flavorful, a good base for the sauce. Pour it into a small bowl and add to it one can of tomato paste. Salt and season to taste.
Clean the pot and the steamer basket, then fill with water to about 2 inches from the top. Salt, and bring the water to a boil. Pour in about 1/4 lb. of pasta. Leave the lid ajar, or open! Otherwise it will boil over. Boil until the pasta is cooked but still firm "al dente", stirring occasionally. Water must be added as it rapidly boils away!
Unplug the pot, close the lid, and pour out the hot water. Add an ounce or two of cold water to cool the bottom of the pot and then let it stand for a few minutes to drain. Pour out the water again and dump the pasta, steamer basket and all, into a bowl, then lift the basket off of the pasta.
Return sauce with cooked pepper pieces and meatballs to the pot. Heat gently to a simmer. Spread the cooked pasta over the meatballs and continue to heat on "low" for a few minutes. Turn off the pot and serve.
Serves two generously.
To see a full set of photographs showing how this dish was made, go to this set on flickr. (It will open in a new tab or window; to return to this page, just close it.) The small pictures are thumbnails; click on each one to see it full-size, and to read the comments under it. If you prefer to use the slideshow feature, you won't see the captions unless you click on "show info" (top right).
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| Meatballs and Pasta cooked in a hot pot |
2/3 pound lean ground beef
1 small can tomato paste
1 egg
[breadcrumbs, optional]
Italian seasoning blend, to taste
1 tsp salt
Other ingredients will be needed:
1 bell pepper
1 small can tomato paste
1//4 lb pasta - spirals, bowties, or similar small shape
Form meat mixture into walnut-size meatballs
Insert a steamer basket into the hot pot, and add about 1 - 1/2 cups water under it.
Cut a bell pepper into 1-inch strips, and line the bottom of the basket with half the strips. Cover the pepper strips with half of the meatballs. Then another layer of bell pepper and the remainder of the meatballs.
Plug in the hot pot and bring it to a boil. Because the meatballs are not down in the water but are above it, steaming, they won't cook except when the water is boiling. Turn the dial down a bit when the water boils, then back up when it stops boiling. Trickle water down the spout when you can hear it boiling but can't see water in the spout. You want to keep the water level about the same as it was at the start.
 |
| Meatballs on a steamer basket in the hot pot |
Half an hour or so later the meatballs will be done. Gently lift the meatballs out of the pot with tongs. Slice the cooked peppers into small pieces and set them aside for the sauce.
Liquid from under the steamer basket is brothy and flavorful, a good base for the sauce. Pour it into a small bowl and add to it one can of tomato paste. Salt and season to taste.
Clean the pot and the steamer basket, then fill with water to about 2 inches from the top. Salt, and bring the water to a boil. Pour in about 1/4 lb. of pasta. Leave the lid ajar, or open! Otherwise it will boil over. Boil until the pasta is cooked but still firm "al dente", stirring occasionally. Water must be added as it rapidly boils away!
Unplug the pot, close the lid, and pour out the hot water. Add an ounce or two of cold water to cool the bottom of the pot and then let it stand for a few minutes to drain. Pour out the water again and dump the pasta, steamer basket and all, into a bowl, then lift the basket off of the pasta.
 |
| Boiling pasta in a hot pot, with steamer basket |
Return sauce with cooked pepper pieces and meatballs to the pot. Heat gently to a simmer. Spread the cooked pasta over the meatballs and continue to heat on "low" for a few minutes. Turn off the pot and serve.
Serves two generously.
To see a full set of photographs showing how this dish was made, go to this set on flickr. (It will open in a new tab or window; to return to this page, just close it.) The small pictures are thumbnails; click on each one to see it full-size, and to read the comments under it. If you prefer to use the slideshow feature, you won't see the captions unless you click on "show info" (top right).
Friday, February 25, 2011
Gluten-free Penne Boiled in a Hot Pot
Heat 5 cups water to boiling in a hot pot with steamer insert in place. Pour in 2 cups dry penne, stir it around, and leave the cover ajar (not fully open).
With the heat at about 2/3, the boiling comes and goes but the pasta cooks nicely.
Pasta is held off the heating pad by the strainer. There is nothing close to as much water as is recommended for cooking pasta; it must be gently stirred a few times, and water added as cooking progresses.
When fully cooked, the pasta is tender and very acceptable.
Drain water, add a cup of cold to cool the pot and to stop starch from drying in the bottom, and allow the pasta to drain for a few minutes. Then pour the water out again and invert the contents into a shallow bowl.
Pasta, cooked, is about double the volume of what it was raw.
To see a full set of photographs showing how this dish was made, go to this set on flickr. (It will open in a new tab or window; to return to this page, just close it.) The small pictures are thumbnails; click on each one to see it full-size, and to read the comments under it. If you prefer to use the slideshow feature, you won't see the captions unless you click on "show info" (top right).
 |
| Gluten-free Penne boiling in a Hot Pot |
With the heat at about 2/3, the boiling comes and goes but the pasta cooks nicely.
Pasta is held off the heating pad by the strainer. There is nothing close to as much water as is recommended for cooking pasta; it must be gently stirred a few times, and water added as cooking progresses.
When fully cooked, the pasta is tender and very acceptable.
Drain water, add a cup of cold to cool the pot and to stop starch from drying in the bottom, and allow the pasta to drain for a few minutes. Then pour the water out again and invert the contents into a shallow bowl.
Pasta, cooked, is about double the volume of what it was raw.
To see a full set of photographs showing how this dish was made, go to this set on flickr. (It will open in a new tab or window; to return to this page, just close it.) The small pictures are thumbnails; click on each one to see it full-size, and to read the comments under it. If you prefer to use the slideshow feature, you won't see the captions unless you click on "show info" (top right).
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