Fusili with Pepper Pasta and a trip to Phillipines

Pasta and italian cuisine.... wow the names rings so many bells in my mind and

stomach... hmmm. This one dish with i can relish anytime.Me and my hubby both love pasta a lot. This Pasta that I made today is very very special, coz I made it after like 1 1/2 months. The reason being my hubby who had a over dose of pasta in his office tour and was not willing to eat anymore.

Just lying in my kitchen pantry for 3 months the delicious and glamorous looking tri colour fusilli was realesed today....again to be captured by us.This is a very simple pasta recipe. I dont add any sauce to it, but use sauce as a side to the pasta. The reason behind this is to increase the shelf life of the pasta. I have seen (by earlier experience) that pasta when made with sauce becomes soggy and shapeless.....after sometime....dont feel like eating it again. So here goes the recipe.

You will need :

Fusilli (i used the colorful ones) - 1 packet

Red bell pepper - 1/2 chopped in small strips

Brocolli (chopped or florets) - 1 cup (i used chopped frozen brocolli)

Dried Oregano - 1 tbsp

Salt to taste

Crushed red pepper (khada sukha mirchi) - 1 1/2 tsp (according to taste)

Olive oil - 1 tbsp

some chopped parsley(optional)

Black pepper powder - 1/2 tsp

Fresh garlic - 4 pods finely chopped

Sun dried tomatoes - 7-8

Method :

Cook the pasta in rapid boiling water until al dante. Add some salt and olive oil to the water.Remember, dont cook the pasta too much.It shouldn't become soggy.Drain the pasta and run cold water over it. Keep the Pasta aside.

Now in a big pan take Olive oil and heat it well. Once the oil is hot add the garlic and saute for a minute. I like to add more of garlic. You may alter the quantity according to your taste.Now add the chopped pepper and Brocolli. Cook well till the vegetables are cooked but yet crisp.Now add in the Pasta, Salt, oregano herb, crushed red pepper and black pepper powder and mix well.saute the pasta well for 10 - 15 minutes. Now add the dried tomatoes, cut in strips to the pasta.mix well. There shouldn't be any water in the pasta and the pasta should be dry with just the oil.Now finally garnish with chopped parsley.Now this pasta is a bit spicy as i like it so. You may reduce the spice in this recipe according to ur taste n choice.Now you can relish this pasta with some maranara or presto sauce on it or as a side.

For the side salad:

Take any vegetables of ur choice...(i took the stir fry vegetables and added corn and mushroom to it.) saute it in olive oil and add black pepper, salt and a 1/2 or 1 tsp of oregano... stri fry it well. Enjoy as a side to the pasta.

Have this lovely pasta along with some maranara sauce or presto sauce and some sauted vegetables in olive oil. You may eat it as it is.. without any side too. Enjoy.

Now about the lovely Phillipines. This month my hubby R got a chance to go to Phillipines on his company project. Just love his job...he gets to roam so many places..lol. Well I see at the better part of his job, that is his tour.I couldnt join him for his trip so sent my camera with him so that he can capture this new and alien place (atleast to me) and show me how it looks. And I was surprised when i saw the pictures. I felt as if its my home land... India. It looks so similar to india. The streets, lovely and gracious people,the climate. R told me so many things about Phillipines that I have planned I am gonna go there whenever I get a chance .For now some lovely pictures from R trip to Phillipines. For more information of Phillipines and its rich culture. check out http://www.tourism.gov.ph/index.asp

Tagaytay, Manila, Phillipines.

Isnt it beautiful? Yeah its a lovely place.. and the snap says it all. So beautiful and so serene.Tagatay is just a 90-minute countryside drive south of Manila takes you to one of the worlds natural wonders, the Taal Volcano, which has been called the smallest active volcano in the world. It sits inside a lake called Taal Lake. What makes Taal Volcano more unique is the fact that the volcano itself has a lake of its own inside its crater which is called the 'Crater Lake.' There was a report in February 1999 that the Volcano was getting restless again, spewing 6 metre high geysers of mud and boiling water. You can swim inside the Crater Lake but it is advised that you don't stay long as the lakes water is a very diluted form of sulphuric acid with high concentration of boron, magnesium, aluminium and sodium in salt form.Lake Taal is drained by the Pansipit River. The first recorded scuba dive inside the crater was made by a team led by Thomas Hargrove in 1986 to a depth of about 20 metres or 60 feet. There is even a tiny island in the Crater Lake which Hargrove's team also explored. Thirty three eruptions have been recorded since 1572 at Taal, mostly on Volcano Island.

The lovely phillipines skyline. Hope to go there soon. So cya in Phillipines.....:)