Cooking is an act of love. Little Italy, the Italian restaurant has on offer DIY Pasta Kits which can be ordered through Swiggy or directly from all their outlets in the city. Each kit has 3 & half portions of pasta as per Little Italy servings.
The kit contains 500 grams of pasta, sauces for two portions, recipe for third portion, sachets of chilli flakes and oregano. You will also be provided with a digital copy of how to make the pasta as well.
Choosing Pasta
Choice of pasta is very important and its determined by your sauce, some pastas suit better to carry more sauce for best flavour. Spaghetti for example is more likely to be eaten with an olive oil based sauce or creamier sauce as it can hold maximum of the sauce which a penne or fusilli couldn’t.
Fusilli is great when you want to eat more sauce with your pasta as it holds the pasta in its l shape. Penne works perfectly for tomato based sauces as it can have sauce inside its cylindrical shape for a burst of flavour!
Within penne also there are two types of rigate (furrowed) and lesce (smooth) the smooth version has a smooth texture and does not likely hold on to a chunkier sauce while the rigate has a rough exterior texture with some lines within its shape to hold on to more sauce.
So once you have chosen your type of pasta and sauce you start with the processing of boiling the pasta which is one of the most important part of the dish
How to make the perfect Pasta
-Bring 1 litre water to boil. Add 10 grams of salt
Chef’s tip: Salt in the water will help your pasta get a depth of flavour and also increase the boiling point of the water.
-Cut open Little Italy penne pasta packet and add 150 grams of pasta to boiling water for each portion.
Chef’s tip: Add pasta only once water is boiled because otherwise you will dissolve the starch and loose texture of the pasta.
-Cook for 10-11 minutes (can cook for more time for softer pasta as per preference)
Pasta cooked the traditional Italian way will always have a bite to it and won’t be as mushy and is called “Al dente”. However, Indians prefer cooking the pasta more for it to be softer. You can choose your preference. There is no right and wrong in cooking. It’s all about what you like and that’s the beauty of cooking for yourself you can customise it and develop new recipes along the way!
– Keep in mind you are further going to cook the pasta with the sauce so don’t overcook
while boiling it. Keep it al dente and finish it off in the pan with your choice of sauce
– Strain the pasta and cool, drizzle little extra virgin olive oil on pasta.
- Chef’s tip: Olive oil helps the pasta not stick together.
Boiling Pasta
The Little Italy arrabbiata sauce is fresh homemade tomato sauce cooked with fresh garlic, herbs and chilli. This is the most simple classic tomato sauce recipe to which you can add vegetables, ragu, chicken or even have only sauce and pasta with Parmesan cheese!
Pasta Al’ Arabbiata
-In a sauce pan, heat 10 ml extra virgin olive oil. Add 125 grams of
Little Italy’s arrabbiata sauce.
- Chef’s tip: Always use extra virgin olive oil for the best flavour in your dish.
– Add boiled pasta, salt, pepper if required. Tear in some fresh basil leaves.
– Can add some vegetable like mushrooms, broccoli, bell peppers, zucchini or broccoli to make your pasta healthier.
– If you prefer saucier pasta add 1 cup of the pasta water that you have saved after
straining the pasta and cook the pasta a little more.
– Once you think the sauce has mixed well with your pasta and reduced to how saucy
you want it to be you take it off the heat and its ready.
– Garnish with lots of Parmesan cheese and basil and pasta is ready to eat!
- Buon Appetito!
One of the most popular pasta dishes at Little Italy fondly called pink sauce, the Pasta del barone is made with our fresh with our tomato sauce, béchamel sauce, Parmesan cheese and chilli, this noble sauce is one of their signature dishes and can be enjoyed with all pastas! With this sauce if you want you could add vegetables (Mushroom, broccoli, zucchini). Chicken and bacon go well too!
Pasta Del Barone
-In a sauce pan, heat up your Little Italy’s Pink sauce.
– Add your boiled pasta with 1 cup of your pasta water and bring to a boil.
– Once the water is evaporated and the pasta has absorbed all the flavour, the pasta is ready
– Garnish with parmesan cheese and parsley and its ready to eat!
- Buon Appetito!
Pasta Aglio Olio E Pepperoncino
- Aglio olio is a simple olive oil and garlic sauce pasta which can be made easily.
- “Aglio” means garlic and “olio” oil. Always use extra virgin olive oil for best flavour.
- This classic Italian pasta sauce that can be made with simple ingredients available readily at home.
– What you will need: Chopped garlic, Extra virgin olive oil, Chopped parsley, Black pepper, Parmesan cheese, chili flakes, spaghetti pasta.
– Spaghetti is perfect for this dish. You can also make with other long pasta like tagliatelle or buccatini.
- – Once your pasta is boiled, in a sauce pan add extra virgin olive oil add enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan.
– Add finely chopped garlic and on a low heat wait until the garlic is blonde
- – You could also add some vegetables while you roast your garlic in your pasta, some vegetables that work will with this recipe are zucchini, red and yellow bell peppers, broccoli.
– Add in your pasta,
– Add a tea spoon of chilli flakes,
– Toss pasta with oil and garlic well as this will be the main flavour in this sauce,
– Add some Parmesan cheese and then add salt pepper to taste.
– Once you think the sauce has coated the pasta well, stop the heat and add in your chopped parsley for some freshness in your pasta.
– Garnish pasta with Parmesan cheese when you serve.
Enjoy cooking and eating these dishes at Home with your family!
Call Little Italy on:
Indiranagar – Ribindra – 9665534237
Sarjapur Road – Bijay – 9538695000
Sadashiv Nagar – Imran – 8866711321
Kalyan Nagar – Parimal Dash – 7978584695.
