spaghetti tryout

Fridays are always pretty enjoyable, since its a short working day, and signals the start of a weekend which is something everyone looks forward to. Reached home by 3, after catching our school basketball B boys playing out Fajar sec in an exciting 44-43 victory, and I invited Geraldine over for dinner. Since she was so thoughtful to buy some spices from Italy during her holiday there, I decided to try making spaghetti, having failed in several previous attempts.





Some of the ingredients, actually easily found in shops. Parsley, Chilli pepper, garlic and salt.

I decided to make mine own pasta sauce. Using tomato puree, grounded oregano and basil leaves, and the ingredients seen above, together with some fried shallots and chopped garlic, the pasta sauce is half done.



Of course, some meat and vege should go into the sauce as well. So I managed to get white button mushrooms from ntuc. I usually used canned mushrooms (the kind that's chopped up), but decided to opt for a change this time round.



Dont be deceived by its big and tough appearance, the mushrooms shrink alot very quickly.





And if you dont control the heat well, it turns black pretty quickly as seen above. However, since its going into the pasta sauce later, it won't look obvious. For the more health conscious who don't like frying or using too much oil, you could put the mushrooms into the sauce straight away without frying. I thought frying it would bring out the fragance though.



Your commonly found chicken franks, sliced in huge pieces and fried to provide a slightly crispier taste.

Mix everything together with the earlier prepared base, and add in minced meat, (for those who like beef use it instead) and the sauce is ready! Haha I added too much chilli pepper, causing the spaghetti to taste spicier than it should be. For those who like it mild, add in just a little, or even just parsley, oregano and basil alone.

Of course, the pasta itself must not be forgetten. Boil the pasta in water for 10~13 minutes, and let it sit in cold water once it turns soft.



For those who like you spaghetti without the cheese, it is done! Add the sauce to the pasta and you're ready to eat.



Having said that, I was previously an anti-cheese person. However, I decided that I should try to make my spaghetti as close as one you find in restaurants, and those you eat outside do come with cheese.



I strongly recommend this brand of mozzarella cheese for cheese lovers. I enjoyed it alot! A packet like this cost about $5, but should be able to let you cook pasta and pizza for 3 ~ 4 times at least.Very cheesey taste and when melted, its soft and chewy.



Sprinkle your desired amount of cheese on top of the spaghetti and send it into the oven!



Let the cheese melt nicely over your pasta sauce...



and tada!!



Done!! Ok lah, it turned out pretty well, and apart from geraldine who says its very nice, my sisters who used to detest my spaghetti fought over for a larger share of it this time round. Haha its quite a successful session this time, and I look forward to perfecting it even more the next time round. Hopefully I'll be able to learn making a few more italian dishes, like a good pizza or the Lasagna Bolognese I really like!