In celebration of its 60 years in the kitchen appliance industry, Elba recently came out with a cookbook featuring 60 budget-friendly pasta recipes.

Founded in Italy in 1950 by Ellio Baggio, Elba carries a wide range of appliances that includes built-in ovens and cook tops, microwave ovens, traditional and decorative range hoods and even dishwashers.

At the launching of the cookbook in The Grove Rockwell last week, chef Darin Epp demonstrated how to prepare pasta with sun-dried tomatoes and sardines, while Chef Richie Custodio of the Center for Culinary Arts Manila showed that pasta can also be used as dessert, an example of which is the fruit sparkle lasagna which he prepared.

All the recipes in My Elba Kitchen cookbook were developed by CCA using cookware by Maxim Cookworks and ingredients from Ideal Gourmet Pasta, McCormick, Magnolia, Del Monte and Nestlé.

“By creating this cookbook, we hope to inspire more Filipinos to create mouthwatering dishes that are delicious, nutritious and easy on the budget,” says publisher Samantha Hontiveros, who also did the food styling for the book.

At home, I tried the recipe for pasta with Vigan longganisa and found it good enough for a quick weekday supper. My Elba Kitchen cookbook is available in bookstores. Call 7215832.

Pasta with Vigan ‘longganisa’

For the pasta:
16 c (4 L) water, for boiling pasta
½ tbsp salt
½ tbsp cooking oil
450 g Ideal Gourmet linguine

Longganisa sauce:
350 g Vigan longganisa (about 12 pieces)
1½ c water
5 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
¾ c chicken stock or chicken broth
½ c coarsely chopped cilantro leaves (wansuy)
½ c strips of basil leaves
1 red bell pepper, minced
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt and pepper, to taste
½ c grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

Cook the pasta:
In a large pot or casserole, bring water to a boil then add salt, cooking oil and linguine. Let boil for 10-12 minutes or until al dente stage. Drain pasta and set aside.

Make the sauce:
In a large pan, cook longganisa in water until water evaporates. Add about 1 tbsp of the olive oil and sauté longganisa until firm. Remove from pan. Slice into serving pieces and set aside.

In the same pan, pour in remaining olive oil and sauté garlic over medium heat until fragrant. Add the cooked linguine and toss to coat.
Pour in chicken stock or chicken broth, a little at a time, to keep pasta moist. Add cilantro, basil, bell pepper, lemon juice and the sliced longganisa. Season to taste with salt and pepper and toss well. Turn off heat.
Transfer pasta to a serving platter and sprinkle with cheese. Serve hot, with garlic bread if desired.

Cook’s tips:
If desired, you can use other types of longganisa.
Be careful not to burn the garlic so it doesn’t turn bitter.
You can also add strips of sun-dried tomatoes for more flavor. Refresh the sun-dried tomatoes in a bowl of warm water for about 10 minutes then drain them before slicing into strips.

Visit www.normachikiamco.com. Call 7214686; 7226267 for Elba cookers.