Introduction: Your Staple Pasta Dish

My mom makes this killer shrimp aglio e olio that is always a bestseller at our table. It’s the usual request during birthday and special occasions (on top of crispy pata and maybe pancit). And on normal days, having that is a genuine treat.

I haven’t asked her, but I think that’s one of her “staple pasta dishes”. I think everyone has to have a go-to recipe that is easy and quick to make with readily-available pantry ingredients, but is still impressive and delicious.

As a disclaimer… these recipes are Not It. I don’t think they’re my staple pasta dishes quite yet. But I’m on a journey. We’ll see.

This post features a simple carbonara and a garlic basil pasta, both made with fettuccine (though I think the type of pasta can obviously be changed).

Ingredients: Simple Carbonara and Garlic Basil Pasta

Aside from wanting to find my staple recipe, part of this episode is also me trying to make use of our plants at home. My mom (and mostly our house assistant) have grown a lot of herbs in our front yard. In fact, they’ve grown to the point where they’re starting to wilt in need of pruning.

Hence, these fresh recipes.

5-ingredient Simple Carbonara

I’m not really sure where people draw the line in these “5-ingredient”-type recipes. If you ignore either the pasta itself, or the salt to taste, this is definitely a 5-ingredient recipe.

• 250 g of fettuccine
• 3 large egg yolk
• 75 g Parmesan cheese
• 100 g bacon (I technically used bacon liempo), diced
• Salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste

Farm-to-table Garlic Basil Pasta

I say “farm to table” but it’s really just me picking things from the herbs growing in pots outside our front door. This is largely inspired by the #HALFBAKEDHARVEST‘s recipe. The only difference is maybe me using unsalted butter (gotta watch the cholesterol and blood pressure), and changing the cheese to parmesan. Their version probably tastes so much better.

I also made a version of the tomato toppings that they added to this pasta, though I just served it as a side dish since we didn’t have cherry tomatoes. I think the tartness and sweetness help cut any monotony in taste. I might just use that as a go-to recipe for a side salad.

• 250 g of fettuccine
• 3 tbsp unsalted butter
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
• 1/3 cup fresh basil, picked from your garden and roughly chopped
• Salt to taste

Simple Carbonara Recipe

For either recipe, just cook the pasta according to instructions. It’s best to leave it just shy of al dente, since it’s going to go back to the heat of the pan with the other ingredients anyway.

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 20 minutes

Total time: Technically, 20 minutes. Just boil the pasta before starting on prep.

1. Cook the pasta until just shy of al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water.
2. Whisk together egg yolks with pinch of freshly ground pepper and grated parmesan.
3. Over medium high heat, sauté bacon until brown and crispy.
4. Reduce heat to low. Stir in pasta.
5. Add ladleful of pasta water to egg and cheese mixture. Stir for 30 seconds.
6. Add mix to pasta. Gently toss to combine. Add more pasta water as desired to achieve a creamy consistency.
7. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
8. Serve and enjoy!

Garlic Basil Pasta Recipe

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 20 minutes

Total time: Technically, 20 minutes. Just boil the pasta before starting on prep.

1. Cook the pasta until just shy of al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water.
2. Melt 2 tbsp butter over medium heat. Add garlic and pepper. Cook until garlic is nice and golden.
3. Over low heat, add the pasta water, pasta, the remaining butter, and the parmesan cheese. Add salt to taste.
4. Toss pasta until cheese is melted.
5. Remove from heat. Add the chopped basil and toss. Add more pasta water if needed to thin out the sauce.
6. Top with more fresh basil and cheese.
7. Serve and enjoy!

I actually made this more than one month ago, when I was still enjoying the “break” of being pulled out from the hospital. Now that there is still no end in sight to this quarantine, I have definitely been less inspired to branch out in the kitchen.

I’ll continue my experiments towards that perfect staple pasta dish in the future.

Until next time!

❤️ Your resident kitchen gremlin

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