Good old Minestrone Soup

The winter storms are rolling and rolling across my increasingly sodden and wind lashed world.  In desperation, I turned to the Mediterranean for comfort, and to remind me that once there was a less harsh world!  By stroke of luck, I found a beautiful big bulb of fennel while I was grocery shopping which led to this lovely recipe.  As with all my recipes, this isn’t cast in stone – use what you have and leave out what you don’t!

For four good serves I used :

1 cup of chopped onion

1 bulb of fennel, diced

3 stalks of celery, chopped

1 large carrot, diced

½ medium swede (approximately one cup) (rutabaga)

2 finely chopped cloves of garlic

A good handful of chopped green beans (frozen works as well as fresh)

1 400g tin of Italian tomatoes

1 pint of vegetable stock (use Knorr stock pots if you can find them)

2tsp caraway seeds

Salt and pepper to taste

½ cup soup pasta (or broken macaroni, spaghetti etc)

Preparation is simple – peel and chop the onion and sauté in a little olive oil while you prepare the rest of the vegetables.  After about 10 minutes, add the garlic, fennel, celery, carrot and swede and sweat together for 10 more minutes.  Add the tin of tomatoes and the stock and give it all a good stir.  Season to taste and add the caraway seeds.  Give the soup 20 minutes simmering – until the vegetables are tender.  Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary (you might need several tastings, I did!) then add the soup pasta and cook for 10 more minutes.

Serve with lovely crusty bread, or slices of parmesan toast (toast a few slices of crusty bread, sprinkle with grated parmesan and grill until crispy and golden).

I apologise for the quality of photographs, the real ones are stuck on my SD card as my computer won’t recognise it!  I’ll update the blog post as soon as I can with the real ones!

I’d like to dedicate this recipe to my lovely Dad, who loved a good soup.  I wish I could have shared it with him.

Venetian Baked Cod

I had Cooking TV on a few days ago as I was pottering around catching up on some light household chores and caught part of an episode of Jamie Oliver Does Venice.  He showed a particular fish dish as it came out of the oven in a restaurant and I was instantly entranced by the simplicity of the dish.  I love fish and I love Italian food, so this was perfect for me.

My approximation of the dish is as follows :

For two people :

Two nice fillets of fish (I used Cod, but you could use snapper, haddock, sea bass etc)

Sliced baby potatoes, par-boiled (quantity depends on the size of them, and your appetite)

A generous handful of halved cherry tomatoes

1 clove of garlic, finely chopped

1 small bunch of flatleaf parsley also finely chopped

About 1 cup of fish stock – use a Knorr stock pot if you can find them

Extra Virgin Olive Oil to drizzle

Salt and pepper to taste

Juice of 1 lemon to serve

Wash and pat dry the fish fillets and arrange in an ovenproof dish.

Add the sliced potatoes and halved cherry tomatoes around the fish and then scatter the garlic and parsley over everything.  Pour in the stock so that it comes about half-way up the side of the dish.  Drizzle with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

You need to cook the dish until the potatoes and fish are cooked through.  I cooked mine at 180^oC (350^oF/gas mark 4) for 40 minutes.

Spritz with lemon juice to serve.

You could stay within the Venetian theme and serve with a radicchio salad alongside, but I saw fresh samphire and looked no further!

Baked Stuffed Leg of Lamb

This lovely recipe is a marriage between two favourite recipes, Italian Stuffed Lamb from Jamie’s Italy and Delia’s Braised Lamb Shanks with Cannellini Beans from How To Cook, Book Three.

I picked up a small boned leg of lamb on offer, and knew that these two recipes would be the perfect way to cook it.  I’ve adapted the recipes to suit my needs, and the cooking time to suit the size of joint I have.

To suit my one and a half pound (750g) joint I used :

For the stuffing : 

3 thick slices of stale bread

1 anchovy

1tsp pine nuts

1 clove garlic

1 small sprig rosemary

1dsp chopped fresh mint and parsley (or 1tsp of dried)

For the roasting tin : 

2 large baking potatoes

1 large carrot

2oz dried cannellini beans (soaked overnight in water)

Approximately ½ bottle of red wine (you may or may not need it all)

To make the stuffing, simply pop everything into the food processor and blitz.  Wash and dry the lamb joint, and then push the stuffing into the boned cavity.  If necessary, you can make the hole a little bigger by cutting at it with a small sharp knife..  Rub all over with a little olive oil and season with a little salt and pepper.  Place in the roasting tin.

Peel and cut the potato and carrot into large chunks.  Drain and rinse the cannellini beans.  Arrange around the lamb joint in the roasting tin.  Pour over a tablespoon or so of the red wine.

Put the lamb into a hot oven (230^oC / 450^oF / gas mark 8) for 30 minutes.  After the initial cooking time, turn the oven down to 180^oC (350^oF / gas mark 4) and give it 30 minutes per pound of weight.

Baste the joint with the half bottle of wine, a tablespoon or so at a time, every half an hour until the lamb and the vegetables are cooked.

As the meat is cooked with carrots, potatoes and beans, you will simply need a green vegetable on the side.  I cooked a small sweetheart cabbage with mine.

If you want to try the original recipes, there are links below to help you locate them.

http://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/main-ingredient/pulses/braised-lamb-shanks-with-cannellini-beans.html 

http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/lamb-recipes/leg-of-lamb-stuffed-with-olives-bread-pine-nuts-and-herbs-cosciotto-d-agnello-ripieno-di-olive-pane-pinoli-e-erbe-aromatiche

Slow Cooked Duck Ragu

I found this lovely recipe in Jamie Oliver’s book, Cook with Jamie, and tweaked it slightly to suit our tastes.  The original recipe uses a whole duck and serves four, but I used a duck crown and it will serve three nicely, or two more than generously! 

You need to begin the recipe the day before, by slow roasting your duck.  I roasted mine at 190^oC (375^oF / gas mark 5) for two hours, basting every half hour or so, so that the skin gets nice and crispy in the duck juices.  You can pour off the duck fat and keep in a bowl in the fridge and use it to make lovely crunchy roast potatoes!  Once your duck is cooked and has cooled enough to handle, strip the meat from it and set aside. 

For the ragu, using a duck crown and providing two generous serves, I used : 

1 medium onion

2 sticks of celery

3 cloves of garlic

3 anchovies (optional)

1 medium sized sprig of rosemary

1 x 450g tin chopped plum tomatoes

½ bottle of red wine

A handful of pine nuts (optional)

Salt and pepper to taste 

If using a whole duck you might want to use two tins of tomatoes and a whole bottle of wine 

Finely chop the onion and celery and sweat gently in 1tb of olive oil.  Finely chop the garlic and anchovies and add to the pan (the anchovies will ‘melt’ as they cook and add a meaty richness to the sauce, not a fishy flavour), cook quietly for five minutes or so. 

Add the tinned tomatoes and stir in, then add the half bottle of red wine and give it a good stir.  Add the cooked duck in chunks, and the pine nuts and bring to a simmer on the hob.  Cover with a tight fitting lid (or cover the pan with a square of tin foil before putting your lid on) and simmer quietly in the oven at 160^oC (300^oF / gas mark 2) for two and a half hours or so.  Stir from time to time and break up the chunks of meat towards the end of the cooking time.  If your sauce dries up too much during the cooking time (as mine did a little!) simply add either a little hot water and Worcestershire sauce, or beef/chicken stock. 

I served mine with pappardelle pasta, but any pasta shape will work.  Alternatively you could serve with chunky roasted garlic and rosemary potatoes, cooked in some of the lovely duck fat.  A green vegetable, or salad on the side will cut the richness of the sauce somewhat too.

In Jamie’s original recipe you cook the duck on the day that you are making the sauce, shred it with forks and add to the sauce towards the end of the cooking.  His cooking time is shorter than mine.

Stifado

Another of my Greek favourites!  We used to order this lovely stew in Corfu, and I have some very happy memories of that holiday so I had to recreate it at home. 

This is another simple assembly job on these hot summer days. 

 

If weather is more favourable to standing at the hob then by all means brown the shallots and beef before continuing.  

For two of us I used : 

1 ½ lb diced casserole beef

7 or 8 medium shallots

4 large cloves of garlic

1tb olive oil

1 generous sprig of rosemary, and the same of fresh oregano or marjoram

2 bay leaves

1 x 450g tin chopped plum tomatoes

1tb tomato puree

½ bottle of red wine

Salt and pepper to taste 

Simply add the olive oil to a medium casserole, peel the shallots and garlic cloves and add whole to the pan, add the diced beef and chopped herbs.  Give everything a stir and then add the tomatoes, tomato puree and red wine, season to taste and pop a lid on the pan. 

Pop into the oven and leave to cook quietly.  I cooked mine at 150^oC / 275 ^o F / gas mark 2 for 3 hours.

 

Serve with chips (French fries) or sauté potatoes,with a Greek salad on the side.  Some crusty bread for mopping up the lovely sauce wouldn’t go amiss either!

 

 

 

* if you have some black olives to hand, a few of those added before cooking makes a nice addition too.

 

Kleftiko

Continuing the Greek theme, and because it’s simply too hot to be cooking at the moment I thought I’d share this little beauty with you. 

It does need two and a half hours in the oven, but you aren’t required to spend any time at the hob before it goes in!  This is nothing more than an assembly job. 

The recipe given below will serve two, with lots of crusty bread on the side, but you can very easily adjust the quantities to serve more.  You could replace the diced lamb with lamb chops, lamb steaks, lamb shanks or even a whole leg or shoulder depending on the numbers you want to feed.  It’s perfect one pot cooking and will happily cook away quietly leaving you to enjoy the sunshine and the company! 

For two of us I used : 

1tb diced lamb

8 baby new potatoes (two large ones would do too)

4 cloves of garlic

Sprigs of mint, marjoram and rosemary

¼ pint of lamb stock

½ lemon

Salt and pepper to taste

1tb olive oil

In a medium casserole add the olive oil, lamb, baby potatoes and whole peeled garlic cloves.  Season to taste with salt and pepper. 

Either finely chop the rosemary and mint or, pop the large mint leaves and rosemary in a muslin square and tie into a little package.  Bruise the little parcel before adding it to the pan if you do this.  Add the leaves of marjoram and the small mint leaves. 

Halve the lemon and gently squeeze some of the juice from one half over the meat mixture, quarter it and add to the casserole.  Pour over the stock and stir well to combine. 

Cover with a lid and pop into the oven and leave to cook quietly until the lamb is cooked and falling apart.  I cooked mine at 150^oC / 275 ^o F / gas mark 2 for 2 ½ hours, uncovering for the last half an hour.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

note : the lemon flavour is quite strong so omit the quarters if you prefer a less lemony flavour.  There will be pips in the finished dish, so take care when eating.

 

Tzatziki

The recent hot spell, and swim in the sea has reminded me of happy holidays taken in the Med many years ago (when weather like this was commonplace!); and in particular two very happy holidays spent in Greece.  Sidari in Corfu, and Hanioti in Halkidiki specifically! 

For lunch we would take off for the shops and pick up a loaf of fresh bread, a lump of Feta cheese and a big pot of tzatziki.  The four of us would then tear into the bread and cheese and slather it with tzatziki. 

For a recent beach visit I couldn’t resist whipping up a batch of tzatziki for our picnic! 

For two to four people : 

200g Greek yoghurt (I like Total best)

2tb  extra virgin olive oil

1tsp white wine vinegar

2 cloves of garlic, very finely chopped

1” of cucumber, deseeded and diced small

Generous sprig of mint, chopped

Black pepper to taste 

This really couldn’t be simpler, simply whisk the oil and vinegar into the yoghurt, season to taste with black pepper, add the garlic, cucumber, mint and stir well together.  Set aside for half an hour or so for the flavours to develop. 

Serve with warm crusty bread for dipping, and feta cheese on the side. 

Best enjoyed in glorious sunshine, with maybe a bottle of Retsina on the side!

Linguine with Bacon, Parsley and Garlic Oil

I cannot claim any authenticity for this recipe, it must be in almost every cookbook ever written.  Nonetheless, I thought it was worth sharing with you all because it is simply so quick and easy to put together, and absolutely delicious! 

Hubby is off playing cricket today so I was looking for something low effort.  It is much too sunny and warm to be spending time in the kitchen! 

 

 

 

 

 

For two people you need : 

200g linguine or spaghetti

6 rashers of bacon (smoked preferably)

1 tb or so of chopped flatleaf parsley

1tsp garlic olive oil 

Cook the pasta according to packet directions. 

While the pasta is cooking, slice up the bacon into strips and brown gently in the olive oil.  Wash and chop the parsley. 

When the pasta is cooked, drain and return to the pan, then add the contents of the bacon pan.  Add another drizzle of garlic oil if needed.  Add the parsley and mix everything together. 

Season with ground black pepper and an avalanche of grated parmesan cheese.

Tuna and Pasta Salad

Almost unbelievably, I’ve managed to get my puppy addled brain into gear, stumble into the kitchen and cook up a new recipe to share with you! 

Waking to a surprisingly warm and summery morning, I wanted something nice, light and summery for lunch.  This tuna and pasta salad fit the bill perfectly. 

It’s based around a recipe from the lovely Bill Grainger, but adjusted to suit my tastes, and what I had to hand at such short notice this morning!  This is a lovely flexible dish, and you can add whatever you have to hand, or whatever you want to.  You can increase or decrease the quantities, depending on how many you are feeding.  It also makes a lovely working lunch; made the evening before, popped into a plastic box and stored in the fridge at work until lunchtime. 

For two of us, this was what I used : 

1 small tin of tuna

1 ripe tomato

3 small spring onions

Zest and juice of a lemon

Appx 1tb of chopped flatleaf parsley

Ground black pepper to taste

½ tb of extra virgin olive oil

120g of penne pasta (or whatever you have to hand).

 

First drain the tuna and tip into a bowl.  Deseed and slice up the tomato and add to the tuna, cut the spring onions into generous pieces, grate the zest of the lemon and then the chopped parsley.  Add the lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil, season to taste and give everything a good stir and set aside. 

Cook the pasta according to the directions on the packet.  Drain and add to the pasta.  Combine everything well and serve.

Green Olive & Lemon Tapenade Stuffed Chicken Breasts

This is simply a twist on the sun dried tomato tapenade stuffed chicken breast recipe I gave earlier. 

I made a green olive and lemon tapenade, based on Delia Smith’s tapenade recipe from the Summer Collection and used that to stuff the chicken breasts.

For two people I used: 

2 chicken breasts

4 slices parma ham

2dsp green olive and lemon tapenade

2 or 3 basil leaves

Freshly milled black pepper to taste 

For the tapenade : 

14oz (400g) green olives, drained and rinsed

3oz (75g) capers, drained and rinsed

2oz (50g) anchovy fillets

2 big cloves of garlic

1tsp Dijon mustard

2tb extra virgin olive oil

Zest of a lemon and the juice of half a lemon

2tb fresh basil

Freshly milled black pepper 

To make the tapenade you simply place all the above ingredients into a food processor and pulse so that you get a coarse mixture.   

(The quantities given above will give you far more than you need for this recipe, but it is such a versatile paste that it never goes to waste.  Stir some into cooked linquine, tagliatelle or spaghetti; spread some on toasted rustic bread, smear some onto a crust as you pass the fridge etc etc!  In theory, this should keep in a jar in the fridge for up to two weeks, but I find it gets used up well before that!) 

To stuff the chicken, simply butterfly the chicken breasts, season with pepper and spread each with a dessertspoon of tapenade.  Add 1 or 2 torn basil leaves and fold over the top flap of the breasts.  Wrap in the parma ham and place in a baking dish.  Drizzle them with a little olive oil and give another seasoning of ground black pepper. 

Bake in a hot oven (190^oC / 375^oF / Gas Mark 5) for 30 minutes or so, until the chicken is cooked through. 

You can serve this with pasta, buttery boiled new potatoes or over rice.  A crisp salad alongside is always nice too.  Ditto some crusty bread and a bowl of olive oil and balsamic vinegar for dipping!

Sun Dried Tomato Tapenade Stuffed Chicken Breasts

The sunny weather has got me in full-on Mediterranean mode at the moment!  This is another one of those simple assembly jobs that always seems to impress people.  It’s a twist on the pesto chicken recipe below, and like that I always prefer to make it with home-made tapenade (my favourite recipe is Delia’s sun dried tomato tapenade, link below) but you could, of course, use ready-made. 

http://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/main-ingredient/vegetables/tomato/tapenade-of-sun-dried-tomatoes-olives-and-basil.html

For two people I used: 

2 chicken breasts

4 slices parma ham

2dsp tapenade

2 or 3 basil leaves

Salt and pepper to taste 

Simply butterfly the chicken breasts, season and spread each with a dessertspoon of tapenade.  Add 1 or 2 torn basil leaves and fold over the top flap of the breasts.  Wrap in the parma ham and place in a baking dish.  Drizzle them with a little olive oil and give another seasoning of ground black pepper 

Bake in a hot oven (190^oC / 375^oF / Gas Mark 5) for 30 minutes or so, until the chicken is cooked through. 

You can serve this with pasta, buttery boiled new potatoes or over rice.  A crisp salad alongside is always nice too.  Ditto some crusty bread and a bowl of olive oil and balsamic vinegar for dipping! 

The tapenade recipe makes far more than you need for this recipe, but it’s so tasty that it’s worth making the whole amount of tapenade and using it to top slices of crusty bread or as a pasta sauce.

Salami Salad with Griddled Asparagus

This isn’t so much a recipe as a setting out of groceries!  It’s one of my favourite summer light lunch salads and very adaptable to whatever you have to hand. 

The one I made today, for two of us, used : 

8 asparagus spears

Assorted salami (this was Felino and Coppa di Parma),

Mixed spinach, watercress, rocket and lamb’s lettuce leaves 

Simply prepare the asparagus by snapping the spears at the woody section and laying out in a griddle pan.  Drizzle with garlic olive oil and season with freshly ground black pepper. 

Lay the salad leaves and then the salami on the plate while the asparagus cooks, and place the cooked asparagus on top of the salami. 

Dress the plate with extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar. 

You could add a softly poached egg and a grating, or shaving of parmesan cheese if you want to.  I often do!

Pesto Chicken

This is an absolute doddle to put together, but one of those dishes that tastes as though you’ve spent hours slaving over it! 

I prefer to make this with home-made pesto (I always use Delia’s recipe, there’s a link below to it) but you could, of course, use ready-made.  If you do, use the chilled pesto in preference to the jar pesto. 

http://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/galleries/classic-sauces/home-made-pesto-sauce.html 

For two people I used: 

2 chicken breasts

4 slices parma ham

2dsp pesto sauce

2 or 3 basil leaves

Salt and pepper to taste 

Simply butterfly the chicken breasts, season and spread each with a dessertspoon of pesto.  Add 1 or 2 torn basil leaves and fold over the top flap of the breasts.  Wrap in the parma ham and place in a baking dish.  Drizzle them with a little olive oil and give another seasoning of ground black pepper. 

Bake in a hot oven (190^oC / 375^oF / Gas Mark 5) for 30 minutes or so, until the chicken is cooked through. 

You can serve this with pasta, boiled potatoes or over rice.

Garlic Mushroom Risotto

I’m in full-on risotto mode at the moment!  Our weather is still very unpredictable, sunny and bright one day, lashing down with rain the next and I’m somewhat fed-up now with the winter staples of casseroles and pies.  It’s time to update the old menu and give us a taste of more springtime recipes. 

This is one of my favourites, full of flavour and quick and easy to put together.  It does use a bit more butter than my usual method, but sometimes you just have to give in to butter! 

For two people you need : 

1 tb olive oil

1oz butter

1  shallot

1  clove of garlic

1 stick of celery

1oz dried porcini mushrooms

1 cup of risotto rice

2 cups of vegetable or chicken stock  

8oz (approximately) mushrooms

1 clove of garlic

1oz (approximately) knob of butter 

1tb finely chopped fresh parsley

Generous avalanche of parmesan or pecorino romano cheese 

Begin by soaking the mushrooms in a little boiling water (1/4 cup or so).  Drain (reserving the water) and chop coarsely. 

As always with risotto, finely chop the shallot, garlic and celery and sweat gently in the olive oil for 5 – 10 minutes.  Add the butter and then the chopped porcini mushrooms and cook for a few minutes. 

Add the rice to pan and stir around in the juices, and then add the mushroom soaking water and then the stock.  You could stand at the stove and add the stock bit by bit until it is absorbed or do what I do – add it all in one go and stir from time to time.  Season to taste with salt and pepper. 

Simmer gently, stirring from time to time.  You may need to add more boiling water if your rice has absorbed the stock too quickly so keep the kettle hot.  Cooking time will vary depending on the type of rice you are using (Arborio, Carnaroli or Nano) but the risotto should cook somewhere between 15 to 20 minutes.   

While the risotto is cooking clean and slice the mushrooms and finely chop the second clove of garlic.  Melt the butter and add the garlic, then the sliced mushrooms and sauté gently until the mushrooms are cooked. 

With the risotto, the consistency you are looking for is what the Italians call All’ Onda (with a wave) – it should be creamy and liquid enough so that when you draw your spoon through the pan the space fills up quickly, but it shouldn’t be sloppy.  If your risotto seems at all dry simply add a little more boiling water from the kettle and stir it through until the right consistency is achieved. 

When the risotto is cooked add the garlic mushrooms and chopped parsley and stir gently to combine. 

This is delicious as it is, it is even better again with a very generous avalanche of good parmesan cheese! 

Yes it’s calorie laden, but sometimes you just have to go with it and make up for the excess somewhere else!

Risotto Primavera (Springtime Risotto)

I love March, after the long dark days of Winter it’s good to see Spring arrive and get some light back in the world.  To celebrate the arrival of warmer weather this week, and lighter evenings I thought I’d share this wonderful recipe with you all. 

Literally ‘Springtime Risotto’ it can be made with any assortment of spring vegetables that takes your fancy.  I love asparagus, and to celebrate the return of better weather (hopefully!) I thought I’d use that in my risotto. 

For two people you need : 

1 tb olive oil

1 shallot

1 clove of garlic

1 stick of celery

1 small carrot

1 bunch of asparagus (approximately 6 or 7 long spears)

¾ cup of risotto rice

2 cups of vegetable stock

1tb chopped flatleaf parsley 

As always with risotto, finely chop the shallot, garlic and celery and sweat gently in the olive oil for 5 – 10 minutes.  Dice the carrot quite small and add to the veg to sweat.   

Snap the woody stalks off the asparagus and cut the stalks into ¼” slices, keeping the tips whole, and set aside. 

Add the rice to the vegetables and stir around in what juices there are in the pan, and then add the stock.  You could stand at the stove and add the stock bit by bit until it is absorbed or do what I do – add it all in one go and stir from time to time. 

Season to taste with salt and pepper. 

Simmer gently, stirring from time to time.  You may need to add more boiling water if your rice has absorbed the stock too quickly so keep the kettle hot.  Cooking time will vary depending on the type of rice you are using (Arborio, Carnaroli or Nano) but the risotto should cook somewhere between 15 to 20 minutes.   

The consistency you are looking for is what the Italians call All’ Onda (with a wave) – it should be creamy and liquid enough so that when you draw your spoon through the pan the space fills up quickly, but it shouldn’t be sloppy.  If your risotto seems at all dry simply add a little more boiling water from the kettle and stir it through until the right consistency is achieved. 

After 5 or 6 minutes cooking time add the stems of the asparagus, and the tips for the last 5 minutes cooking time.  (I like my vegetables so have some bite, so if you like yours softer add the asparagus stems when you add the stock and the tips after 10 minutes.)

When the risotto is cooked, wash and finely chop the parsley and use to garnish the risotto to give a final fresh green hit to the dish, finally and most importantly (!) an avalanche of parmesan will finish it beautifully. 

Actually you could do what the Italians do and add a mantecatura of 1 – 2 tbs single (light) cream and the same amount again of parmesan cheese at the very end of the cooking time.

*If you have an open bottle of white wine to hand add a glug to the rice and stir until it is absorbed before you add the stock.

Linguine with Parma Ham, Rocket and Chilli

I had rocket and parma ham in the fridge leftover from when I ‘customised’ our pizzas on Thursday night.  I knew without a doubt that this was how I would use them up!! 

This is a really delicious pasta dish, and unbelievably quick to prepare as it takes only as long as the pasta takes to cook! 

When I worked this was one of my most repeated dishes! 

For two people: 

200g linquine or spaghetti

1tsp or so garlic olive oil

6 slices of Italian prosciutto or Parma ham

1 red chilli

2 big handfuls of fresh rocket (arugula) 

Parmesan cheese to  taste, at the table. 

Cook the pasta according to packet directions. 

While it is cooking; wash, de-seed and chop the red chilli and cut the prosciutto or Parma ham into strips.  Wash the rocket thoroughly. 

Drain the cooked pasta and return to the hot pan.  Add the garlic olive oil, the chilli, the ham and finally the rocket.  Toss everything together and then dish up into heated pasta bowls, seasoning to taste with black pepper and an avalanche of parmesan cheese. 

Finally, and most importantly ...... apply to face!!

Mediterranean Vegetable Pasta Bake

Frugal cooks plan ahead!  Buying out of season food like peppers, courgettes and tomatoes in January, when you only need half of each for a dish, is only really justifiable if you give them more than one outing.  As I’d bought them for the roasted vegetable medley I made yesterday I decided to make this lovely pasta bake to stretch them further.   

I added the second half of the sausage meatballs I made yesterday too, hubby doesn’t do vegetarian food! 

I was astounded at how far this stretched.  I had anticipated four serves, but I have in fact made enough for two small serves and four sensible portions! 

1 large or 2 medium onions

2 cloves of garlic

½ red pepper

½ green pepper

½ courgette

½ bulb of fennel

2 sticks of celery

1 carrot

2oz of thin green beans

Handful of black olives

1 large tin of tomatoes 

300g pasta 

Peel and dice the onion/s and carrot and sauté in 1tb of olive oil for 10 minutes.  While the onion is cooking dice the celery sticks and fennel and add to the pan, then de-seed and dice the peppers and courgette, and add those too, together with the crushed garlic.  Add the tin of tomatoes and season to taste.  Cut the green beans into short lengths and add those to the pan and then add the rinsed black olives. 

Cook for 20 minutes over a low heat so that all the flavours get a chance to cook together. 

Cook the pasta according to packet directions, I used a mix of regular and chilli penne – the chilli penne will add an interesting twist to the pasta bake. 

When the pasta is cooked drain and add to the sauce and mix well so that everything is evenly distributed. 

Spoon into your oven dishes and add a generous grating of parmesan cheese. 

I added the second half of the sausage meatballs from yesterday’s dish too.  If you want to make those the link for yesterday’s recipe is here: 

http://thehappyhousewife12.blogspot.com/2012/01/mediterranean-roast-vegetables-pasta.html 

Pop into the oven and cook for 20 - 25 minutes at 200^oC (until the cheese is melted and golden). 

From cold it will need 30 – 35 minutes in one of these enamel dishes, slightly longer if you are using an earthenware dish.