How to make the perfect cheese board

Cheese boards look beautiful and taste amazing, which makes them the perfect snack for guests coming over. There is no wonder cheese and charcuterie boards have become a social media sensation. Seeing so many magnificent premium cheese plates, platters, and boards in our feeds will undoubtedly motivate us to make our own cheese boards at home.

When seeing all of those beautiful photos, surely you might think to yourself – it must be difficult to create a cheese board. They are actually rather simple to make – all you need is some friendly advice. And with cheese lovers like us, you’re in safe hands!

In this article let’s go through all of the main steps on how to make the perfect cheese board – from picking cheese all the way to wine pairings.

Pick the cheese of your liking

To give your guests a unique dining experience, choose two to three cheeses with distinct flavor profiles and textures, maybe even premium cheese. Your choice could be cheeses such as a mild cheddar, a creamy goat’s cheese, and an intense, crumbly Gorgonzola.

Provide space for crackers, jams, and breadsticks to meander about your cheeses as you arrange them around your main dish. Cut or crumble a portion of each cheese to start, keeping a knife handy to allow for slicing and savoring as you go.

One of our favorite places to get premium cheese that not many have heard of, is Serene Dairy. It is a small manufacturer from Europe that offers cheeses like Akkawi, Halloumi and Kashkaval – some of our favorite picks.

Do not forget about nibbly bits and chunks, as well as slices, give texture and character to a balanced board. And a good thing to remember is to always serve food at room temperature.

Add on something crunchy

Once your favorite cheeses are picked, it is time for something crunchy to be added. As delicious crunchies for a cheese plate as breadsticks, cream crackers, and crostini, options such as pretzels, melba toast, pitta chips, cheese twists, crunchy corn tortillas, and bagel thins are also amazing.

We think great cheese deserves fantastic carbs to go with it, even though it’s not strictly essential. And it doesn’t have to be particularly fancy. All you have to do is slice up a fresh baguette or artisan loaf that you bring home, or dig through your cabinet for your preferred crackers.

Widely compatible cheese boards are ones that go for various styles and allow the cheese to take center stage. And the right variation for us is one with loads of crunch and delicate flavor.

Complementary fruit are always a good idea

Consider the accompaniments as tasty snacks that people can have in between cheese samples. To put it another way – palate cleanser. Maybe after eating a salty type of cheese, it’s something sweet that’s needed. For example, fruits.

For cheese boards, any fruit will do, from juicy grapes and raspberries to cooling clementines, fragrant fresh figs, and crisp apples.

Choose ones that go well with the cheeses you have chosen. For example, apples and aged cheddar go along deliciously, while peaches and creamy burrata are excellent with fresh pears. For crunch, cherry tomatoes are fantastic for color, and radishes are excellent for cold pepperiness.

The color scheme of cheese can get very boring. A potential for an orange or red pop found in the fruits can be very fun.

Other tasty additions to your cheese board

An amazing addition to any cheese board is olives and pickles. That salty acidity will counteract the creamy, velvety cheese. Pick out some tiny cornichons or strong garlic dills, salty kalamata olives, grassy Castelvetranos, or a variety of Spanish olives.

Honey is another addition to your cheese board. Since we nearly always have these pantry essentials on hand and because their flavor characteristics perfectly complement cheese, we adore incorporating them into our recipes. Nearly every cheese pairs beautifully with sweet, flowery honeys.

Craft chocolate of a high quality is always welcomed. Rich, salty blues and creamy cheeses, gentle bloomy rinds go especially well with dark chocolate.

Nuts, seeds and dried fruit is another amazing option. Add candied pecans, toasted almonds, or crunchy hazelnuts to offer textural contrast and bring out the nutty tastes of older cheeses like Alpines and Goudas. Brightening dried fruits like apricots, cherries, and cranberries as well as dates and figs draw attention to the caramel-like characteristics of aged cheeses.

Wine pairings are important too

What will you be drinking in addition to all of these treats, last but not least? While wine is the traditional beverage to pair with cheese, other options include beer, cider, spirits, cocktails, and non-alcoholic beverages including fine teas, kombucha, lemonade, and even artisan sodas.

When it comes to cheese boards with a variety of flavor profiles and textures, we like to keep in mind a few types of presentation that go well with most cheeses, from lemony chevres to strong blues.

Here are our top wine pairings:

White wine – adaptable white wines that go well with cheese include Gewürtztraminer, Grüner Veltliner, dry Riesling, and Sauvignon Blanc.
Red wine – wines like Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, or Syrah go well with a variety of wedges.
Rosé – when paired with cheese, it’s preferable to stick with drier varieties.
Bubbly wine – bubbles are your best friend if your cheese selection leans more toward the creamier, denser side.

Your palette however will be cleansed by the carbonation in Champagne, prosecco, lambrusco, and other sparkling wines, making it ready for another slice of decadent cheese.

Now that you know the basic rules on how to make the perfect cheese board, it’s time to do so!

Let us know how it turned out!

Meanwhile see our other food related articles such as Tips and tricks for boiling pasta and How to make your water taste better.

Enjoy!

How long to boil pasta

Pasta is one of our all time favorite meals therefore cooking it properly is very important. However, all of the simple things in life aren’t always too simple. There are some tips and tricks to figure out on how to boil pasta, such as the pasta cooking time for different kinds of pastas.

As we have combined in the article Types of pasta noodles, there are so many kinds of pasta. And each requires special attention when it comes to the cooking time.

In this article we have combined our favorite kinds of pastas and figured out how long to boil these exact pasta types.

Spaghetti

Spaghetti is a long, thin pasta dish that may be coupled with a variety of sauces, making it one of the most popular pasta varieties worldwide. The dish with the most recognition is undoubtedly spaghetti bolognese, which combines pasta and meat in a marinara sauce.

Any form of meat and vegetable dish, or even just garlic and olive oil, goes well with this kind of pasta. When it comes to cooking it, the right time is somewhere between 9 and 12 minutes. You need to constantly start checking it around the 9 minute mark to make sure you have your pasta the way you want to.

Fusilli pasta

The spiraled, corkscrew-like structure of this pasta pairs beautifully with hearty meat sauces or chunky vegetables. It is so because the pieces get stuck in the crevices and give the meal a great texture. For the same reason, they can also be made into casseroles or pasta bakes.

When it comes to boiling fusilli pasta, it takes a little longer than other pastas in this article specifically. It is so because the fusilli pasta is chunkier and a bit bigger. Therefore the correct time to boil it is about 11-13 minutes.

Penne pasta

Another common pasta shape is the penne, which has a circular, tube-like structure with diagonal incisions on either end. The filling enters the tube and holds the sauce nicely, so it works best in meals with a relatively thick, creamy sauce like Penne Arrabbiata.

The best pasta to use in spaghetti bake meals is also this kind. The penne pasta should be al dente after 10–12 minutes of boiling in the boiling water (tender but with a little resistance when bitten). Using a wooden spoon, stir once and try it after the said time. To avoid overcooking, check the pasta after 10 minutes and then every minute until it is just done.

So here are our tips on how long to boil said pasta.

For other pasta recipes check out the article Tips and tricks for boiling pasta.

Tips and tricks for boiling pasta

Pasta is one of the better foods out there that is very delicious and relatively easy to make. Who doesn’t know how to make yourself some pasta with cheese, right? However there are still many little tips and tricks for boiling pasta that we should all keep in mind.

As you can see in our articles The best lasagna recipe and especially Types of pasta noodles, we love pasta. And we want to know all the right tips to cook it properly.

In this article we have combined a list of all of the most important tips and tricks for boiling pasta that everybody should know.

Important to know the term Al Dente

“Al dente” doesn’t just mean a funny combination of words in Italian. In this country, it is almost a sacred rule to cook pasta until “al dente”, which translates to “to the bite” or “to the tooth”. In practice, this means cooking the pasta until it is still slightly hard to the bite. If the pasta is cooked too long, it will absorb more water and become too soft.

One of the best ways to check if the pasta is done is to take the pasta out of the pot with a fork and taste it. The Italians even recommend shaking it in your hands to cool it down faster.

One of the ancient methods of testing pasta for readiness is to throw it against a wall. If the butter pasta sticks to the wall, it’s ready. If the pasta falls on the floor and the dog eats it, it is not ready yet. 🙂

8 pasta tips and tricks

So here are all the most important tips and tricks for boiling pasta the right way.

1. Use a lot of water

You need to use a lot of water to properly cook pasta. Almost five liters of water and a 10-liter pot are needed for 450 grams of pasta. Pasta, like tango dancers, need space to move freely. If the pot is not big enough, it remains only to boil the pasta two pieces at a time.

2. Use salt

Salt is needed in the water not only to enhance the taste of the pasta, but also to help it absorb the added sauce. Two teaspoons of salt will be enough for five liters of water.

3. Do not use oil

Oil is for salad, not pasta water! Oil won’t keep the pasta from sticking, but regular stirring with a fork will keep it from sticking together in the pot.

4. Save a cup of pasta water

After cooking the pasta, you could save the pasta water in a cup to use it later on if needed. For example, you can then use it to make pasta sauce, as the starch in the pasta water will help the ingredients mix better and thicken the sauce.

5. Do not use cold water with hot pasta

Do not wash pasta in cold water! They are simply drained through a colander – this way the starch in the pasta is not lost and pasta retains its taste.

6. Do not cook pasta of two different shapes in one pot

Each pasta type has its own cooking time, so if you don’t want half the pasta to be dissolved and the other half “al dente”, stick to one shape at a time.

7. Sauce tips

Boiled pasta is not poured with sauce, but mixed into the sauce. In this way, the pasta will be more moist and the two components will mix more successfully.

Always make sure the sauce is ready first. The finished pasta must be mixed into the sauce immediately while it is still hot, otherwise it will resemble and taste like glue when it cools down.

8. Know the portion sizing

The ideal serving size for one person is quite simple. If you intend to cook pasta as a side dish, 60 grams of pasta (weight before cooking) will be enough for one person. But if pasta is the main dish, then this number will double.

Now you know all of the best tips and tricks for boiling pasta the absolutely right way.

Bon appetit!

The best lasagna recipe

Lasagna is one of the best Italian dishes that can bring its eaters comfort and warmth. Besides, everything that has cheese on it, is a winner in my book. Therefore in this article I have decided to give you my ultimate and best lasagna recipe. It is easy to make, fast and cheap. Everything a good lasagna recipe requires.

Hopefully you enjoy this lasagna recipe. At the end of the article find some tips for how to make the cooking process more efficient and easy.

The list of ingredients

Lasagna can be cooked fairly simply however you can also add some of your favorite veggies to it which is what I choose to do.

So here is the list of my ingredients:

Lasagna plates
300g minced meat
80g bacon
150g vegetable stock
2 tomatoes
1onion
150 tomato sauce
4 carrots
2 garlic cloves
1 stalk of celery
7 mushrooms
1 bell pepper
50g butter
150g milk

Ingredients for the sauce:

50g butter
50g flour
700ml milk
125g grated cheese
extra butter for the pan

How to cook lasagna

Here are the basic steps on how to cook your lasagna. The total cooking time is around 1 hour and 30 minutes.

Base

1. Grate the carrots and chop the onion. Fry finely chopped bacon in butter in a pot or pan with high sides. Add carrots and your finely chopped celery stalks.

2. When they are fried, add minced meat (I usually use beef or young cattle). Fry everything together for a while. While the ingredients are frying on low heat, pour boiling water over the tomatoes and peel them off. Chop them up.

3. Add chopped peppers and mushrooms and tomatoes to the pot. Press the garlic and add the broth. Put a lid on the pot and let it simmer for about 10-15 minutes.

4. Add tomato sauce (may also have additives) and spices. Continue to stew for about 5 minutes. Then add warm milk. Put a lid on the pot and simmer the sauce on low heat for about 20-25 minutes.

5. While the meat sauce is cooking, in a large bowl of warm (but not boiling) water, alternately place the lasagna sheets on top of each other so that they become flexible and easy to spread. You can add a little oil to the water so that the plates do not stick together.

Bechamel sauce

6. Start making Béchamel sauce: melt the butter in a saucepan, but make sure it doesn’t brown, so it’s better to melt it on a very low flame. Add the flour and let it brown a little. After that, gradually pour in the milk and stir intensively so that no lumps form.

When the mass has become creamy and homogeneous, slowly add the remaining amount of milk and mix thoroughly. Let the milk heat up. Then pour grated cheese into the pot. Freshly chopped greens and stir while the sauce thickens.

The last steps

7. Meat sauce should not be runny, but juicy. Grease the baking dish with butter and pour a layer of Béchamel sauce into it with a ladle. Then put a layer of soaked lasagna sheets. Place the meat sauce on top of them. Pour over the white sauce. Then put lasagna plates, minced meat sauce, white sauce, etc. until the container is full.

8. Carefully cover the top layer of lasagna sheets with the white sauce, otherwise the uncovered pasta will dry out. A little grated cheese can be sprinkled over everything if desired. Place the dish in the oven and bake for approximately 20-30 minutes at 200 degrees Celsius.

Tips for cooking your lasagna recipe

– Lasagna is usually prepared and baked in a large common pan, but it can also be prepared in individual serving dishes.
When preparing lasagna, you should not exaggerate with the variety of products, observe their taste compatibility.

– In order for the lasagna to be soft and juicy, make enough sauce. Always put a little sauce in the bottom of the mold and only then put the uncooked plates.

– If the dimensions of the mold allow, the plates are placed in it alternately in both directions. The lasagna will hold together better and will be easier to cut.

– Lasagna plates can be broken into pieces to fit the size and shape of the molds. They do not need to be boiled unless specifically instructed to do so on the package.

– If the paste plates are to be boiled, then it is important not to boil them. Boil them for just a few minutes and quickly cool them in cold water.

Hopefully you will find this lasagna recipe useful!

Check out some of our other recipes here – Vegan pasta recipes and Solyanka soup recipe.

Vegan pasta recipes

The vegan diet rejects all kinds of animal products like meat, fish, dairy and eggs. Instead, they choose to eat only plant-based meals. If you have ever wondered “What do vegans even eat?”, then take a look at some of these simple and delicious vegan pasta recipes!

Veganism is steadily gaining more and more popularity with each year. People choose to adopt the vegan lifestyle for different reasons. The main reason why people go vegan is for animal rights. Other reasons include environmental benefits and improving health problems.

One-Pot pasta in tomato sauce

This one-pot pasta is a crowd pleaser. It is cheap and easy to make. And most of its ingredients consist of spices most people would already have at home. This recipe will feed 3 people or 2 very hungry people.

For the ingredients you will need

340g dry pasta (best choice would be spaghetti, linguine or rotini)
800g canned tomatoes
750-800ml water
3 pieces of garlic, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
250g white button mushrooms, chopped
25 black olives (can skip this if you hate olives)
3 teaspoon dry vegetable broth
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon sweet paprika powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
4 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoonsalt
Black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil

How to prepare it

Take a large pot, add few tablespoons of oil in it and leave it on medium heat. Boil the water separately in a kettle or another pot. Make sure to measure the right water amount.

Chop the onions and garlic in whatever size you see fit. Chop the mushrooms in smaller pieces. When the oil in the pot has heated up, drop in the onions.

When the onions start to smell good, add garlic, stir a little and then add mushrooms. Throw in the veggie broth powder and all the other spices. At this point, make sure to stir regularly. When the mushrooms have shrunk in size, carefully add in the canned tomatoes. Slowly stir the sauce. Now you can add in the sugar and all the boiled water. Stir again and then put in the pasta.

You can leave it to cook on medium-low heat for about 15 minutes or until the pasta is soft enough, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, you can chop the olives. Add the olives near the end of the cooking time. After the cooking has finished, you should add another tablespoon of olive oil to add creaminess to the sauce.

Enjoy!

Vegan Pesto Pasta

For this pesto pasta recipe you need a food processor or a mini blender. Of course, you can also use a mortar and pestle if you have them. This recipe will feed 2 to 3 people.

There are two parts of this recipe. Check out the ingredient list below!

For the pasta you will need

225g of dry pasta (best choice would be spaghetti or linguine)
200g cherry tomatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons pasta water
½ teaspoon salt

For the pesto you will need

70g cashew nuts
2 medium size garlic cloves, peeled
2 handfuls of packed fresh basil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 teaspoon nutritional yeast (optional)
A pinch of salt

How to prepare it

Heat salted water in a pot, bring it to a boil and then add in the pasta. While the pasta is cooking, you can prepare the pesto. To make the pesto, combine cashews, garlic, basil, lemon juice, nutritional yeast and salt together in a food processor.

Nutritional yeast might be a new ingredient for people who are new to vegan cooking. Its role in recipes is to add a slightly cheesy flavor. However, this ingredient is optional. Pulse-blend all your pesto ingredients until a thick paste forms. Leave it aside for now.

When the pasta is done cooking, drain it, but make sure to reserve some pasta water in a separate bowl. Put the pasta back into the pot. Add in olive oil, sliced cherry tomatoes, pesto and some of the leftover pasta water. Mix it well. Adjust the salt and pasta water if needed. Serve it with some olive oil drizzled on top.

Enjoy!

Vegan pasta salad

Another delicious recipe that is full of colorful veggies! This pasta salad uses a simple Italian style dressing. This recipe can feed up to 4 people.

Make sure you’ve got all the necessary ingredients!

For the pasta you will need

450g of dry pasta (best to choose short types like fusilli, macaroni or penne)
½ red onion, thinly sliced
200g cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
1 small bell pepper (orange), chopped
100g black olives
1 handful of chopped fresh parsley
Salt and pepper to taste

For the dressing you will need

1/3 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
A pinch of sugar

How to prepare it

Heat salted water in a pot, bring it to a boil and then add in the pasta. When the pasta is done, you can choose to rinse it in cold water if you want to serve the salad cold.

While the pasta is cooking, chop all the vegetables and make your dressing. To make the dressing, combine olive oil, vinegar, herbs, spices and sugar. Whisk it well and set aside. In a large bowl, add in your pasta, chopped vegetables and the dressing. Mix it well. Make some adjustments with salt and pepper to your taste. Enjoy your pasta salad!

Hopefully you test some of these vegan pasta recipes by yourself and enjoy them too.

Let me know if you have any other yummy vegan pasta recipes I should add!

You can check out more recipe ideas in my other articles such as Solyanka soup recipe or Easy dinner in 20 minutes: pasta salad.

Solyanka soup recipe

Solyanka is one of those dishes that tastes differently in every household and is near impossible to make incorrectly. You simply have to find your favorite recipe. This is a soup that doesn’t require specific measurements for each ingredient, so you can adjust these to your taste.

The basic and classic meat solyanka uses only mixed meats. However, in our household the favorite classic recipe contains different cured meats and vegetables.

So this is our solyanka recipe.

Solyanka ingredients

Here are the necessary ingredients for our delicious solyanka soup.

1 tablespoon butter
3 bay leaves
Salt to taste
5-7 black peppercorns
Beef broth
Few tablespoons tomato paste
400g canned tomatoes
Black olives
Pickles (finely chopped)
Pickle marinade
1 onion
2 celery sticks
2 carrots
A couple of potatoes
Cabbage
Salami
Smoked ham or sausage
Beef
Chicken meat (leftovers from making chicken broth)
A couple pieces of garlic
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar

To serve:

Dill
Parsley
Lemon
Sour cream

The Solyanka recipe preparation

In a big pot melt the butter and on low heat fry the onion, bay leaves, black peppercorn and salt. Stir constantly.

Then add crushed garlic, chopped carrot, celery and sauté for 10 minutes. Then add chopped cabbage and sauté for few more minutes.

Add tomato paste, stir and sauté for few minutes. Add canned tomatoes, broth and sugar. Bring it to a boil.

Add salami, ham or sausage, cut beef, pickles with marinade, and chopped olives. Boil for 20-30min. Have a taste and add more salt, pepper or red wine vinegar if needed.

Serve with thinly sliced lemon, sour cream, few whole olives and greens.

Enjoy!

Looking for more meal ideas? Try making your own pasta salad by using the ingredients you love.

For the Latvian version of this article, visit the article Soļankas recepte latviešu gaumē.

Easy dinner in 20 minutes: pasta salad

On work day evenings, especially if it’s hot outside, it would be a sin to stay in the kitchen for too long of a time, preparing dinner. So a good and fast solution for a yummy dinner is a pasta salad.

Pasta is a pretty universal food when it comes to making something tasty and on a low time schedule. Since it requires only a few minutes to boil, your dinner can be served in less than 20 minutes. Warm foods can cause a bit more stress since they have to be eaten warm. Pasta is great because if it’s cold – you just make it into a salad. Therefore you can still take it everywhere with you and enjoy it cold.

More on pasta recipes check out our article Types of pasta sauce.

What kind of pasta to choose?

The best pasta for salads is the shorter one. You definitely don’t want any long noodles in your salad since it won’t mix that good with other ingredients. As long as the pasta is short, dish will be a success! Of course it is not the end of the world if the pasta you have at home is not too short.

Whatever kind of pasta is found at home, they’ll all fit for salad, even the big snail shapes in which you can fill the finer sliced vegetables.

There are many kinds of pasta. You can see for yourself in our article Types of pasta noodles.

Pick your ingredients

Those 10 minutes while pasta boils, get right to the process of preparing the other ingredients. Those can be chosen completely to your own taste.

Chop the chicken fillet, cut into finer pieces the ham, chop off the canned tuna or toss in some yummy mushrooms of your choice. Don’t forgetto add some fresh vegetables to give your meal some nutritions. It can be some tomatoes, cucumbers, paprika, corn etc. Anything you want really!

If you want something more interesting, there is also an option to mix in fruit for pasta salad, such as melon or pineapple, especially if it is planned to add chicken.

In addition to make the meal more tasty think about the choice of cheese. Both mozzarella cheese and soft cheese balls will suit well here, and the blue or bran pieces will taste very sweet. When it comes to salad sauces, use what is available to you at home. Or allow your imagination do the trick – mix some oil with herbs, add yogurt with fresh greens or cover the salad generously with pesto.

Some additional tips for preparing pasta

Here are some more tips on how to make sure you know exactly what to do when it comes to cooking pasta. Enjoy!

How to know pasta is cooked?

One of the best ways to check if the pasta is prepared – with a fork to remove some pasta from the pot and taste it. The Italians even recommend putting it in their hands for it to cool down more quickly.

One of the old methods of testing if the pasta is done is throwing it against the wall. If the buttered pasta sticks to the wall, it’s ready. If the pasta falls on the floor, it’s not ready yet.

Use a lot of water and make it salty

A lot of water is used to boil pasta. On 450 grams of pasta, nearly five liters of water and a 10-liter saucepan are needed. The pasta, like the tango dancers, needs room for free movement. If the pot is not large enough, it is necessary to boil the pasta two seperate times.

Salt water matters a lot – not only to amplify pasta but also to help it soak up added flavor. Two teaspoons of salt will be enough for five liters of water.

Do not rinse your pasta

Pasta is not washed in cold water! They are simply punctuated, so that the starch in the pasta is not lost and they retain their taste.

Boil one type of pasta at a time

In one saucepan don’t boil two different forms of pasta! Each has its own cooking duration, so if you don’t want half the pasta dissolved, and the other half “al dente,” stick to one shape.

The ideal portion for one person is simple. If pasta is intended as an additive, 60 grams of pasta (weight before boiling) will be sufficient for one person. But if pasta is a basic dish, then double that number.

Bon appetit!

Types of pasta sauce

If French cuisine has five basic sauces, which every chef must be able to prepare, then it is only significant that the Italians have their own. And it wouldn’t be Italy if the main task of the sauces was not to complement the delicious pasta meals.

So in this article I’ve collected the 5 best recipes for pasta sauces that everyone should know.

In my other article we’ve found out about all the Types of pasta noodles. Now it’s time to finally get prepared for the whole pasta dish.

Let’s get started with TOP 5 pasta sauces:

Alfredo sauce – makes pasta especially creamy

Italian cuisine has traditionally made pasta with cheese and butter sauces for a long time, but “Fettuccine Alfredo” became a popular dish thanks to an Italian chef only in the early 20th century. The principle for this meal is quite simple – egg noodles are mixed with butter and Parmesan cheese.

Needed ingredients:

2 tbsp butter;
200 ml sour cream;
Salt and pepper to taste;
Two handfuls of freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

First, melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat – it should be sunny yellow. Then add the cream kept at room temperature to the butter, add salt and pepper, and stir everything. Allow the cream and butter to begin to bubble slightly. Then allow the sauce to thicken. It usually takes about 3-5 minutes.

When the sauce base is prepared, remove the pan from the stove. While the ingredients are still hot, mix the grated Parmesan cheese into the cream. Vigorous bags of sauce with a wooden spoon so that the cheese melts evenly and does not lump.

Sauce is done and ready to be enjoyed!

Marinara sauce – classic Italian pasta sauce

The classic tomato sauce, richly served with pasta dishes, originated in Naples, Italy. However, the most interesting thing is that we know the marinara sauce itself thanks to the American Italians, who introduced it in traditional Italian cuisine. This sauce is quite rich in flavors for many pasta dishes, which is why it is worth preparing at home.

Needed ingredients:

60 ml of olive oil;
1 onion;
7 cloves of garlic;
800 g peeled or preserved tomatoes;
1 bay leaf;
a pinch of salt;
a handful of fresh basil (separated and chopped leaves);
olives.

The principle is quite simple – boil tomato sauce at home in a large pan or pot. First place the tomatoes in a bowl and squeezed by hand, adding very little water to release the tomato juice. The squeezed tomatoes are set aside to stand.

Then heat the oil in a pot (do not use a deep one) over medium heat. Fry the crushed garlic cloves and onion in it. As soon as the garlic squeaks in oil and is still in its usual color, add the tomatoes with all the juice. Add bay leaf and fresh basil, as well as salt to taste and chopped olives. The sauce is soaked for 15-20 minutes, it should be orange, thickened and the oil should flow over it.

Before the sauce is almost ready, check how it tastes – if necessary add more salt, basil and oregano to enhance the taste. Then continue to simmer for the same amount of time. The finished sauce can be cooled and transferred to storage jars. Then you can use it for up to two weeks.

Basil pesto – the taste of summer

The easiest way to get the tempting green pesto sauce is to toss all the ingredients in the blender and blend. However this approach will not be the right one either, because the metal blades change the taste of the basil and in the end only a porridge, not a dark sauce, will be made.

When preparing pesto with a pestle, the ingredients should be mixed step by step.

Ingredients

Lovers of classic values who want to make an authentic basil pesto must provide it with the basil of Genoa, which has the pronounced aroma and taste that is recognized as the most suitable for pesto sauce.

In addition to the real basil, it is important to procure garlic, high quality olive oil (extra virgin), hard cheese, a pinch of salt and, of course, cedar or pine nuts.

Step by step recipe

First, take basil leaves with a pinch of salt (if the cheese is not very salty) and rub the leaves with a stamp. You will not be able to assemble all the leaves at once, so chop them into parts until all the desired amount of basil is used.

When done, add the cleaned and halved garlic cloves and strain. Then there is a layer of nuts – pour into a pestle and chop together with the green porridge.

The nuts are followed by chopping the cheese – add the sauce and stamp in smaller pieces. Only when all these ingredients are mixed can you slowly pour in the olive oil and squeeze the sauce to the desired thickness.

When using the pestle, be careful not to bother too much, but also keep larger nutcrackers if you want. Also, do not overdo it with the addition of olive oil. Better less than too much, otherwise in the end your pesto will look like oil with greens. Pesto should be thick, dark with noticeable pieces of nuts and a pronounced basil flavor, while also feeling the salty cheese.

Primavera sauce

According to the Italians themselves – pasta without sauce is not edible. It is not for nothing that we serve them in a variety of flavors with some of the classic sauces, such as pesto, “marinara”, “Alfredo” and others. One of them, created especially for pasta, is a “primavera” sauce, which is not native to Italy, but to Canada.

Over time, however, the recipe has changed and now there is almost a different version in each cookbook. “Primavera” is difficult to call a sauce, because it is mostly butter-soaked vegetables, but this does not mean that it is not worth learning.

Needed ingredients:

450 g asparagus;
1 handful of frozen peas;
1 tbsp butter;
1 tbsp olive oil;
120 g Crushed ham;
2 small leeks;
360 ml sour cream;
1 handful of grated Parmesan cheese;
salt;
pepper.

First trim the asparagus and cut into small pieces. Ham is also cut into cubes, but the leeks are chopped.

Boil water with salt in a small saucepan, as it is recommended to cook the asparagus pieces in it for at least three minutes. Once the asparagus has been cooked, remove them with a foam spoon and cook the peas in the same water for about 5-6 minutes. After cooking, it is also removed from the field and stored with the asparagus.

Then melt the butter in a large pan with the olive oil over medium heat. Then in a pan saber ham pieces and brown. When done, add the leeks and bake for about 4 minutes. The soft leeks are then poured with sour cream and puff for at least 8 minutes.

At the end of the sauce add peas and asparagus, then stir in the cheese and add salt and pepper. Once the cheese has melted, pour the sauce over the pasta – it will suit “penne”, “rotini”, “fettuccine” and spaghetti.

Puttanesca sauce – filled with anchovies

“Puttanesca”, although considered a relative newcomer to the world of sauces, is a very special sauce. As it is rich in anchovies, its aroma and taste should not be confused with any other.

Even if mostly the sauce is added to spaghetti or some other type of pasta, by skillfully learning how to prepare it, the sauce can even be spread on pizza.

Since “puttanesca” is served with spaghetti or some other type of pasta, it is recommended to cook the sauce a little faster – a moment before the pasta is almost ready. This is necessary so that the pasta does not serve, because they will need to be neatly mixed into the sauce.

Needed ingredients:

1 onion;
a small can of anchovies;
a pinch of chili flakes;
salt;
pepper;
olive oil;
4 cloves of garlic;
1 can of canned plum tomatoes with whole juice;
2tbsp capers;
a handful of chopped olives;
oregano;
parsley;
grated Parmesan cheese.

The sauce itself begins with frying the chopped onions in olive oil. Then also add anchovy pieces, chili flakes, salt and pepper to taste. Olive oil must be generously applied so that the onion absorbs it beautifully, but the anchovies mix with the other ingredients.

When the anchovies have softened, cut them into smaller pieces in a pan with a spoon. Then add the garlic and cook for another minute.

Then add the canned tomatoes with all the juice to the sauce. Cut tomatoes into smaller pieces right in the pan when they have become softer and hot. Then add the capers and olives, reduce the flame slightly and heat the sauce for 8-10 minutes to allow the excess liquid to evaporate.

Stir in a handful of grated Parmesan cheese. And the sauce is ready to be served!

That’s about all you need to know on how to make TOP 5 pasta sauces!

Bon appetit!

How to make your water taste better

Drinking enough water isn’t always the easiest task. I personally struggle with it for a very interesting reason – water simply isn’t fun enough for me to drink. I know and I fully acknowledge that it is the healthy thing to do yet I would rather choose something with a good taste instead of water.

So to fix my problem I’ve come up with a solution – infused water. Berries, fruits and even some veggies are great to put in water. After a while the water gets some taste from these added ingredients. And then it tastes great and is still healthy which is important.

So to help you out, if you’re struggling with the same problem, I’ve compiled a list of some of my favorite recipes.

Enjoy!

Raspberries + lemon

Raspberries are one of my favorite berries so of course I had to use them in these recipes. A great way to make your water taste better is by adding some berries to it of your own choice. I prefer raspberries but you can also use strawberries, blackberries etc.

I usually don’t measure much but I make a huge batch of water of around 2 litres. For that measurement I usually use around a whole cup of berries.

To make this infused water taste even better, I add some lemon slices. That Can vary for everybody’s taste. Just keep in mind that lemon slices will make your water taste more fresh but also savory. The more lemon you will add, the more savory your drink will be. Healthwise – I love lemon, especially in the mornings. It helps me to wake up and start off my day great!

Apple + cinnamon

Apple and cinnamon is the combination you didn’t know you needed. It’s an amazing way to make your water taste like fall. Cinnamon has a way to make your whole house smell like Christmas. For people who love this holiday (like me), this drink will be a great reminder.

As I’ve mentioned before, I very much eyeball all the measurements but I do make around 2 litres of water. Everybody has their own amount of water to drink. To read more about that, read my article How much water should I drink a day.

Speaking of this recipe, I cut about a whole apple in slices and used 1 cinnamon stick. Cinnamon is the tricky part because you don’t want to overdo it. When it comes to choosing your apple – I suggest getting a very sweet one. That way the taste will transport to your water and you will get a yummy infused water!

Grapes + mint

Grapes are another set of berries I love to snack on during the day. So I experimented with adding some of those to my daily water. At first not much happened, but probably because I didn’t leave the water to get infused for too long. It’s best to do so overnight or for a whole 24 hours even.

Then I looked up some recipes and many suggested adding mint to your grapes. Once I did that, there was no going back. Mint is such a great way to make your drink taste more fresh, cold and overall just better!

Pineapple + mint

So as you’ve noticed so far, mint is my new obsession when it comes to infusing water. To be honest with you, I do wonder how my first 2 recipes would taste with added mint. That is to be experimented with later!

For this recipe use some pineapple, I used about a fourth of a normal sized pineapple. Sliced it, added a few mint leaves and left the water overnight in the fridge. The end result tastes almost like a cocktail, only except the sticky and too sweet taste that is often found in drinks with pineapple.

This tastes like an exotic and healthy version of those cocktails.

For more tips check out my article Tips to remind myself to drink water.

I hope you will try these water recipes and find one that you love!

Types of pasta noodles

Pasta is one of my all time favorite comfort foods. There are so many ways you can make it – with different sauces, tomato pastes, cheeses, mushrooms etc. There’s nothing better than a creamy, cheesy dish of pasta. While looking for new and exciting pasta recipes, I came across a bunch of different pasta noodles.

I had absolutely no idea that there were so many different kinds of pasta. I’m a huge pasta lover but even I had no idea what was coming – so I decided to list all the different pasta noodles I could find.

I hope you enjoy this pasta-bly one of the best articles on this page! 🙂

Long to medium long pasta

Here are the types of long to medium long pasta.

Bigoli

Spaghetti-shaped pasta, but fatter and softer. They are prepared from full-grain flour, sometimes a duck egg is added to the dough.

Bucatini

Thickened spaghetti-type pasta, the middle of which is empty.

Capellini

Very thin spaghetti-shaped pasta, often twisted together in “nests.” The translation means “thin hair.”

Fedelini

Very thin spaghetti-type pasta.

Fettuccine

A kind of pasta that even those who aren’t fans of it seem to recognize. This is long pasta, wide and twisted around 6.5 millimeters, in a kind of sloppy lump.

Linguine

Spaghetti pasta, which means “little tongues” in translation.

Lasagne

This is wide rectangular-shaped pasta that could be translated as a “flat slice of bread.” This is perhaps the oldest of pasta types.

Lasagnette

Another version of lasagne, only more narrow and wavy.

Maccheroncini di Campofilone

Looks like thin strips. Eggs are used to make this type of pasta.

Mafalde

This type of pasta got its name in honor of Princess Mafald of Savoy (France). The pasta is long, rectangular and wavy.

Pappardelle

Pasta is made in flat strips, the dough of which is based on eggs.

Pici

Very thick, irregularly shaped and long pasta, it is handmade.

Pillus

Very thin pasta strips, which are made in beef broth.

Spaghetti

Undoubtedly a type of pasta that everyone has tasted. They are long and thin cylindrical pasta made up of flour and water.

Spaghetti alla chitarra

Rectangular pasta made of eggs and flour. The name comes from the device used to cut the pasta, which resembles a guitar in shape.

Su Filindeu

This pasta consists of 256 equally fine dough threads that are dried in the sun. It should be noted that this is a very rare type of pasta. Therefore, if you are a hunter of different types of pasta, then finding this one is the right challenge for you.

Tagliatelle

Long pasta 6.5 to 10 millimeters wide, mixed in a ball. The translation means “cut”.

Taglierini

These are the thinnest version of tagliatelle pasta.

Vermicelli

In translation, it means “little worm”. In Italy, this pasta is a little thicker than spaghetti pasta.

Ziti

Long and narrow pasta, which is usually broken before cooking. In translation, the word means “brides and grooms”.

Short pasta

Here are the types of short pasta I could find.

Boccoli

Short, thin and twisted pasta.

Calamarata

In appearance, this pasta resembles a wide ring.

Cappelli da chef

Looks like a chef’s hat and literally it means it.

Casarecce

Short pasta with an “s” shape. Translated means “home made”.

Casatellane

Pasta in the shape of a shell, which is translated as “castle dweller”.

Cavatappi

Pasta with the shape of a wine corkscrew, which in translation also means exactly that.

Cavatelli

Short and longer pasta, which is made in three sizes, usually measured by the fingers.

Chifferi

Small and wide pasta, which can be both straight and curved.

Cicioneddos

Shell-shaped pasta that is rolled out by hand.

Conchiglie

Curved shell-shaped pasta.

Creste di galli

Short, curved and ribbed pasta.

Farfalle

In translation, they mean “butterflies”.

Fiori

Flower-shaped pasta, which also translates as “flowers”.

Fusilli

They are thin and twisted (like a corkscrew).

Garganelli

Eggs are used to make their dough and it is formed into a ribbed square, which is then rolled into a tube.

Gemelli

An “S” shaped type of pasta that is twisted into a free spiral shape.

Gomiti

Translated to mean “elbow” and resembles a bent elbow in shape.

Lanterne

Curved and ribbed pasta, which means “lanterns”.

Lorighittas

The strips of pasta are wrapped twice around three fingers so that they form a ring and then rotated to resemble a rope. This word translates as “small rings”.

Mafaldine

Short pasta that is wavy.

Maltagliati

Pasta of various shapes, which can be translated as “poorly cut”.

Malloreddus

The rolling of this pasta dough is handmade, their shape is a shell.

Mandala

The design of this pasta was created in 1987, inspired by mandala drawings.

Marille

The name could be translated as “from the sea”. This type of pasta was designed in 1983 and looks like an ocean wave.

Mezzi bombardoni

Wide-shaped tubular pasta.

Passatelli

These pasta noodles are prepared in chicken broth from breadcrumbs, eggs, grated Parmesan cheese, lemon and nutmeg.

Pizzoccheri

Flat pasta plates made from buckwheat flour.

Radiators

Visually, they are comparable in form to radiators (old), and this also means it in direct translation. Their shape makes them suitable for dishes consisting of thick consistency sauces.

Ricciolini

Short and wide pasta cut at a 90 degree angle.

Rotelle

Pasta whose appearance corresponds to its name – “small wheels”.

Sagnette

They look like short and thin strips.

Spirali

Spiral tubes, translated to mean “spirals”.

Spiralini

According to their size, the name means “small spirals”.

Vesuvio

These pasta are named in honor of Mount Vesuvius. They resemble the shape of a corkscrew in appearance.

Pasta for soups

Here are some types of pasta for soups.

Acini di pepe

Translated to mean “peppercorns”.

Alfabeto

Pasta shaped like letters of the alphabet.

Anelli

Small pasta in the shape of rings.

Conchigliette

Small pasta in the shape of a shell. The name translates as “small shells”.

Ditali

Short tubular pasta. Their name could be translated as “nozzle” or “thimble”.

Fideos

Pasta made from flour, eggs and water. In appearance, they are finely long and twisted into lumps or messy, rolled balls.

Fregula

This type of pasta originated in Sardinia. From the dough form small, round balls about 2-3 millimeters in diameter and bake in the oven.

Funghini

Small pasta that looks like mushrooms and also means “small mushrooms”.

Midolline

Flat pasta with a teardrop shape.

Occhi di pernice

Very small pasta, which means “eyes of a partridge”.

Pastina

Translated to mean “small pasta”. This name also refers to the “family” of all small pasta.

Piombi

Translated as “pearl pasta”.

Quadrettini

Small and flat pasta with a square shape means “small squares” in translation.

Stelle

Pasta in the form of small stars.

Stortini

A smaller version of “elbow pasta”.

Pasta with filling

And here’s some pasta with fillings.

Agnolotti

Semi-round or square pockets that can be filled with ricotta or other cheeses, meat or vegetables. In translation, they mean “angels.”

Caccavelle

Large pasta, in the form of a bowl, for filling. Translated from Latin, it means “pot”.

Cannelloni

Pasta rolls, which are filled with various fillings, are usually cooked in the oven.

Cappelletti

Pieces of square dough filled with minced meat and folded into a triangular shape. This name translates as “hats”.

Caramelle

A type of stuffed pasta that looks like candy and is also translated by the word.

Casoncelli un casunziei

These are types of stuffed pasta and their name probably comes from the word casa or house.

Conchiglioni

Stuffable pasta, which looks like large shells in shape and is also a translation of the name.

Lumache

In translation, this word means “snails” and would be visually comparable to snail “houses”.

Mezzelune

Semicircular pockets, which means “crescent”.

Pansotti

Triangular pasta, which is not usually filled with meat. In translation, this name means “big belly”.

Ravioli

This popular pasta consists of two pasta squares and is filled with meat, cheese, vegetable purees or a combination of different ingredients.

Sacchettoni

Another type of stuffed pasta is small square shapes. They are wrapped around the filling and rotated. In translation, the name means “small bags”.

Tortelli

The translation of this word is “little pies”. Fold the square-shaped pasta to form triangles. They are about 30 × 35 millimeters in size. Sweet versions are also available for this type of pasta.