Annas Fried Spaghetti Food

FRIED PASTA

Steps:

• Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook about a minute less than the recommended cooking time. Drain the pasta and spread it in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Let cool and pat completely dry with paper towels.
• Pour about 2 inches of oil into a large Dutch oven and heat over medium heat until a deep-fry thermometer reaches 375 degrees F.
• Fry the pasta in 3 batches (about a cup each batch) until golden brown and crispy, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Meanwhile, to a mini processor or spice grinder, add the basil, thyme, rosemary, oregano, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, black pepper and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Process until finely ground.
• Remove the fried pasta from the oil, drain on paper towels, then sprinkle immediately with some of the seasoning mix. Repeat, working in batches, with the rest of the pasta and seasoning mix.
• Put the fried pasta on a serving platter and sprinkle with the Parmesan. Serve alongside the warm marinara for dipping.

ANNA'S SPAGHETTI AND PESTO TRAPANESE (PESTO ALLA ANNA)

Steps:

• Rinse the cherry tomatoes and basil leaves and pat them dry.
• Drop the tomatoes into the blender jar or food processor bowl followed by the garlic clove, the almonds, basil leaves, peperoncino and 1/2 tsp salt. Blend for a minute or more to a fine puree; scrape down the bowl and blend again if any large bits or pieces have survived.
• With the machine still running, pour in the olive oil in a steady stream, emulsifying the puree into a thick pesto. Taste and adjust seasoning. (If you're going dress the pasta within a couple of hours, leave the pesto at room temperature. Refrigerate if you'll use it longer storage, up to 2 days, but let it return to room temperature before cooking the pasta.)
• To cook the spaghetti, heat 6 quarts of water with 1 tablespoon salt, to the boil in the large pot. Scrape all the pesto into a big warm bowl.
• Cook the spaghetti al dente, lift it from the cooking pot, drain briefly, and drop onto the pesto. Toss quickly to coat the spaghetti, sprinkle the cheese all over, and toss again. Serve immediately in warm bowls.

ANNA'S SPAGHETTI SAUCE

Steps:

• In a large saucepan or pot, saute onions in olive on medium heat for five minutes or until onions are tender.
• Add bell pepper and garlic and saute 2 minutes or until fragrant.
• Add gr. sausage to vegetables and brown. Drain excess fat.
• Add diced tomatoes, tomato paste, basil, and oregano. Bring to a boil, and then cover and simmer on med. low heat for 15-30 minute
• Salt to taste and serve with pasta.

ANNA'S FRIED SPAGHETTI

Steps:

• 1 Prepare the spaghetti with tomato sauce if necessary. Chill at least 1 hour or overnight. 2 In a large nonstick skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium heat. Sprinkle the oil with 1 tablespoon of the cheese and immediately add the pasta to the pan, pressing it flat with the back of a spoon. The pasta should be no more than 3/4 inch deep. 3 Cook the pasta, flattening it occasionally against the pan, until golden brown and crisp on the bottom, about 20 minutes. Slide a thin spatula underneath the pasta occasionally to make sure that it is not sticking. 4 When the pasta is nicely browned, remove the skillet from heat. Slide a spatula under the pasta to be sure that the it is not stuck. Place a large inverted plate on top of the skillet. Protecting your hands with oven mitts, invert the skillet and plate so that the pasta cake falls out of the skillet onto the plate. 5 Add the remaining oil and cheese to the skillet. Slide the pasta cake with the crisp side up back into the pan. Cook the same way as the first side until browned and crisp, about 15 minutes more. Cut into wedges and serve hot. From "1,000 Italian Recipes." Copyright 2004 by Michele Scicolone. Used with permission of the publisher, Wiley Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.