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Macaroni Pasta in Marinara Sauce


We love pasta. We do make it a point to visit an Italian restaurant at least once a month to have pasta. Also I make it at home. So, pasta is always in stock in my pantry. Spaghetti, fettuccine, macaroni, fusilli, lasagna, ravioli, cannelloni and farfelle are all our favourites. And the sauces that go along with it, whether it is Alfredo, Carbonara, Pesto, Marinara or Arrabbiata....makes the pasta a wonderful meal in itself. 

 According to the International Pasta Organization, there are more than 600 different shapes of pasta produced throughout the world. Pasta is a staple food of traditional Italian cuisine, with the first reference dating to 1154 in Sicily. It is typically a noodle made from an unleavened dough of a durum wheat flour mixed with water or eggs and formed into sheets or various shapes, then cooked by boiling or baking. 

 Pastas may be divided into two broad categories, dried and fresh.
Most dried pasta is commercially produced via an extrusion process although it can be produced in most homes. Fresh pasta was traditionally produced by hand, sometimes with the aid of simple machines.

 Pasta is generally a simple dish, but comes in many varieties due to its versatility. Some pasta dishes are served as a first course in Italy because the portion sizes are small and simple. Pasta is also prepared in light lunches, such as salads or large portion sizes for dinner.  

 Pasta sauces vary in taste, color and texture. These days pasta sauces are readily available in jars at the local super markets....so you can mix it up with the cooked pasta and you're good to go. 

 Marinara sauce is one of the world’s great sauces. It's the sauce that’s made the most often, found on the most grocery shelves, and served in the most restaurants throughout the world. Homemade Marinara is the simplest of red sauces, made of very few ingredients — just olive oil, garlic, tomatoes and herbs. Onions are also sometimes listed as a basic ingredient. 

 Marinara sauce originated in southern Italy in the 16th century when tomatoes, a New World food, arrived in Europe. Marinara comes from the Italian word marinaio, which means sailor. There are two explanations as to how the sauce came to be named for the sailors. 

 One is that its ingredients – oil, tomato sauce, garlic and dried herbs – traveled well and didn’t spoil easily, as meat or fish did. The ingredients could be assembled quickly and easily, in about the same time it took pasta to cook, and the two together made a tasty, filling and inexpensive meal for men at sea.

 A more romantic story holds that when sailors’ wives spotted homeward bound ships on the horizon, they hurried to make this sauce so their hungry men could have a hot meal the minute they walked in the door.

 Miss J loves this sauce and macaroni is her favourite form of pasta. So that's what I made this time. This sauce goes well with almost all kinds of pasta. You can use the same sauce as a pizza sauce as well as in lasagnas too. 


 So here's the recipe:
Ingredients 

 For the Marinara Sauce:
3-4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
3-4 tomatoes, pureed 
3-4 sprigs of fresh basil leaves
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt & pepper to taste

 Macaroni - 250 gms
5-6 black olives, pitted & sliced
3-4 chicken sausages, sliced

Method
In a saucepan, gently cook the onion and garlic in the olive oil until the onion has softened.
Then mix in the tomato puree till it is cooked.  
If the tomatoes are too sour, you can add little bit of sugar, that's according to your taste. 
Season with salt and pepper and simmer, stirring frequently until it becomes a nice thick sauce.
Add a bit of red chilli flakes to this marinara and you'll have a spicy arabbiata sauce. 
Stir in the sausages and olives and mix well.
Cook the macaroni in plenty of salted water until cooked 'al dente', and then drain it. Then toss the macaroni in little olive oil so that it doesn't stick to each other. Plus it gives a nice glossy look. 
Serve it warm, with the thick sauce on top. Garnish with some torn fresh basil leaves. 


Ta da!!!! 

La pasta è servita


 The sweetness from the tomatoes,the hotness from the chillies, the flavour of the basil, the chunkiness of the sausages and juiciness of the pasta .......it's perfect in every bite. 

 Try it!!

 It's great for those dinner nights, when you just don't feel like doing much. It's easy cooking and ready in minutes. 

 Did you know???
Eating pasta will make you happier! 
It’s true — the carbohydrates in pasta increase the body’s production of serotonin, the neurotransmitter that scientists believe trigger feelings of happiness and well-being.

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