If you have a whole lot of people to entertain on a limited budget, you should consider serving pasta dishes. One of the great things about serving pasta besides being an economical base to your meal is that you can find a different style of pasta for everyone. Take for example our pasta staple, macaroni and cheese which is served at just about every social gathering here in The Bahamas.

In doing some research I found at least 48 types of pasta and this is by no means a complete list — just one that I was able to compile.

The history of Italian cuisine comes from a peasant heritage. The best of Italian food combines fresh ingredients with simple cooking techniques. Meats, fish and vegetables are flavored with herbs and olive oil, and often broiled or baked. Delicious sauces can be assembled in the time it takes pasta to boil. Many of these recipes like ground meat sauce, ground turkey sauce, alfredo sauce or a basic tomato sauce, can be prepared quickly and economically.

Most pasta is made from durum wheat flour and water. Durum is a special kind of wheat with a very high protein content. Egg pasta, pasta all'uova, containes flour and eggs, and is used for flat noodles such as tagliatelle, or for lasagna. Very little whole wheat pasta is eaten in Italy, but is quite popular in other countries. The good thing about pasta is that all the different types of pasta are available dried in packages, and will keep almost indefinitely. Fresh pasta is available and can be bought in some of the specialty supermarkets. Fresh pasta can be very good, but can never compare to homemade egg pasta.

So go, discover and be adventurous with pasta because it can be eaten as simple or as elaborate as you can imagine.

Cooking is about sharing and having fun in the process so allow me to share the great recipes from Roscoe's Kitchen and be sure to listen to Star 106.5FM every weekday at 6:20 p.m. Make sure and e-mail us at roscoeskitchen@ivoryglobalpromotions.com with your comments and recipes so that we could share your experiences and creations with our audience.

Monday, Nov. 24

TURKISH LAMB PILAF

A delicious combination of rice, lamb and spices, nuts and fruit — a typical Middle Eastern dish.

3 tablespoons butter

1 large onion, finely chopped

1 pound lamb fillet, cut into small cubes

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 tablespoons tomato paste

3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1/2 cup dried apricots, halved

3/4 cup pistachios

1 pound long-grain rice, rinsed

Salt and ground black pepper

Flat-leaf parsley, to garnish

Heat the butter in a large, heavy pan. Add the onion and cook until soft and golden. Add the cubed lamb and brown on all sides. Add the cinnamon and season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook gently for 10 minutes.

Add the tomato paste and enough water to cover the meat. Stir in the parsley, bring to a boil, cover and simmer very gently for 1 1/2 hours, until the meat is tender. Chop the pistachios.

Add enough water to the pan to measure about 2- 1/2 cups liquid. Add the apricots, pistachios and rice, bring to a boil, cover tightly and simmer for about 20 minutes, until the rice is cooked. (You may need to add a little more water.) Transfer to a warmed serving dish and garnish with parsley before serving.

Wine pairing: Merlot, Shiraz/Syrah, or Zinfandel.

Tuesday, Nov. 25

PORK with MARSALA

WINE AND JUNIPER

Although most frequently used in desserts, Sicilian marsala gives savory dishes a rich, fruity tang. Use good quality butcher's pork that won't be drowned out by the flavor of the sauce.

1 ounce dried Porcini mushrooms

4 pork cutlets

2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

8 garlic cloves

1 tablespoon marsala wine

Several rosemary sprigs

10 juniper berries, crushed

Salt and ground black pepper

Noodles and green vegetables, to serve

Put the dried mushrooms in a bowl and just cover with hot water. Let stand.

Brush the pork with 1 teaspoon of the vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Put the garlic cloves in a small pan of boiling water and cook for 10 minutes, until soft. Drain and set aside.

Melt the butter in a large frying pan. Add the pork and cook quickly until browned on the underside. Turn the meat over and cook for another minute.

Add the marsala, rosemary, mushrooms, 4 tablespoons of the mushroom juices, the garlic cloves, juniper and remaining vinegar.

Simmer gently for about 3 minutes, until the pork is cooked through. Season lightly and serve hot with noodles and green vegetables.

Wine pairing: Pinot Noir, Merlot, or hardonnay.

Wednesday, Nov. 26

CHICKEN THIGHS with LEMON AND GARLIC

This recipe uses classic flavoring for chicken. Versions of it can be found in Spain and Italy. This particular recipe, however, is of French origin.

2-1/2 cups chicken stock

20 large garlic cloves

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

8 chicken thighs

1 lemon peeled, pit removed and thinly sliced

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2/3 cup dry white wine

Salt and ground black pepper

Chopped fresh parsley or basil, to garnish

New potatoes or rice, to serve

Put the stock into a pan and bring to a boil. Add the garlic cloves, cover and simmer gently for 40 minutes. Heat the butter and oil in a sauté or frying pan, add the chicken thighs and cook gently on all sides until golden. Transfer them to an ovenproof dish. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Strain the stocks and reserve it. Distribute the garlic and lemon slices among the chicken pieces. Add the flour to the fat in the pan in which the chicken was browned and cook, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom of the pan, then add the stock. Cook, stirring, until the sauce has thickened as is smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

Pour the sauce over the chicken, cover and bake for 40-45 minutes. If a thicker sauce is required, lift out the chicken pieces and reduce the sauce by boiling rapidly until it reaches the desired consistency. Sprinkle the chopped parsley or basil on top and serve with boiled new potatoes or rice.

Wine pairing: Fume/Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, or Chardonnay.

Thursday, Nov. 27

OLIVE OIL-ROASTED CHICKEN with MEDITERRANEAN VEGETABLES

This is a delicious French alternative to a traditional roast chicken. Use a corn-fed or free-range bird if available.

4-1/2 pounds roasting chicken

2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 lemon

Few sprigs of fresh thyme

1 pound small new potatoes

1 eggplant, cut into 1-inch cubes

1 red bell pepper, seeded and quartered

1 fennel bulb, trimmed and quartered

8 large garlic cloves, unpeeled

Coarse salt and ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Rub the chicken all over with olive oil and season with pepper. Place the lemon half inside the bird with a sprig or two of thyme. Put the chicken breast side down in a large roasting pan. Roast for about 30 minutes.

Remove the chicken from the over and season with salt. Turn the chicken right side up and baste with the drippings form the pan. Surround the bird with the potatoes, roll them in the pan drippings and return the roasting pan to the oven to continue roasting.

After 30 minutes, add the eggplant, red pepper, fennel and garlic cloves to the pan. Drizzle with remaining oil and season with salt and pepper. Add any remaining thyme to the vegetables. Return to the oven and cook for 30-50 more minutes, basting and turning the vegetables occasionally.

To find out if the chicken in cooked; push the tip of a sharp knife between the thigh and breast. If the juices run clear, it is done. The vegetables should be tender and just beginning to brown. Serve the chicken and vegetables from the pan, or transfer the vegetables to a serving dish, cut up the chicken and place it on top. Serve the skimmed juices in a gravy boat.

Wine pairing: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Merlot, or Fume/Sauvignon Blanc.

Friday, Nov. 28

SPICED DUCK with PEARS

This delicious casserole is based on a Catalan dish that uses goose or duck. The sautéed pears are added toward the end of cooking, along with picarda sauce, a pounded pine-nut and garlic paste that both flavors and thickens.

6 duck portions, either breasts or leg pieces

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large onion, thinly sliced

1 cinnamon stick, halved

2 thyme sprigs

2 cups chicken stock

3 firm, ripe pears

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 garlic cloves, sliced

1/3 cup pine nuts

1/2 teaspoons saffron strands

2 tablespoons raisins

Salt and ground black pepper

Young thyme sprigs or parsley, to garnish

Preheat the over to 350 degrees. Sauté the duck portions in the olive oil for about 5 minutes, until the skin is golden. Transfer the duck to an ovenproof dish and drain off all but 1 tablespoon of the fat left in the pan.

Add the onion to the pan and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the cinnamon stick, thyme and stock and bring to a boil. Pour over the duck and bake for 1-1/4 hours.

Meanwhile, peel, core and halve the pears and sauté quickly in the oil until beginning to turn golden in the cut sides. Pound the garlic, pine nuts and saffron in a mortar with a pestle to make a thick, smooth paste.

Add the paste to the casserole along with the raisins and pears. Bake for another 15 minutes, until the pears are tender.

Season the taste with salt and pepper and garnish with parsley or thyme. Serve with mashed potatoes and green vegetables, if desired.

COOK'S TIP: A good stock is essential for this dish. Buy a large duck (plus two extra duck breasts if you want portions to be generous) and cut it up yourself, using the giblets and carcass for stock. Alternatively, buy duck portions and canned chicken stock.

Wine pairing: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Merlot, or Fume/Sauvignon Blanc.

SPICE OF THE WEEK:

ROSEMARY

Rosemary is a woody, perennial herb with fragrant evergreen needle-like leaves. It is native to the Mediterranean region. It is a member of the mint family which also includes many other herbs.

The flowers are variable in color, being white, pink, purple, or blue.

The name rosemary has nothing to do with the rose or the name Mary, but derives from the Latin name rosmarinus, which literally means "dew of the sea", though some think this too may be derived from an earlier name.

The fresh and dried leaves are used frequently in traditional Mediterranean cuisine as a herb; they have a bitter, astringent taste, which complements oily foods, such as lamb and oily fish. They are extensively used in cooking, and when burned give off a distinct mustard smell, as well as a smell similar to that of burning which can be used to flavor foods while barbequing .

Rosemary, in the dried form, is extremely high in iron, calcium, and Vitamin B6. It is in fact more nutrient rich in its dry form than fresh rosemary across the board.