Courgette Carbonara: Magical Meal In Minutes...

Usually I am not in a rush to escape the kitchen. For me it’s a peaceful and comforting place to be. There is something so deliciously wonderful about losing yourself in cooking. Whether you’re baking bread, tending to soups or stews, chopping, sautéing or creating an indulgent pudding, it’s a magical state of mind!

Now I have recently become quite a fan of Jamie Oliver’s 30 minute meals. This may seem strange considering I enjoy spending large amounts of time pottering around the kitchen – but his recipes are good and inspiring. Jamie has a great way of creating recipes that are simple but really pack a punch. I have started writing a list of all his recipes that I am eager to try.

As my fridge is still happily stocked with a ton of zucchini (courgette) I decided to try Jamie’s Beautiful Courgette Carbonara. This is a really lovely twist on a traditional spaghetti alla carbonara – one of my favourite pasta dishes of all time. For this I used beautiful smoked streaky bacon from our local butchers which made it a real treat. I also opted for Rigatoni instead of Penne or Spaghetti.

It was sooooo good. I went back for seconds (ok I confess, thirds!) While it didn’t take long to prepare OR cook, I am ok with not having spent ages in the kitchen today. It has given me more time to cuddle up with Nutmeg!

Go on and give this recipe a try. It is delicious!

Click here to see Jamie Oliver’s Beautiful Courgette Carbonara recipe.

Courgette Carbonara

Waiting for a cuddle

A Perfect Summer Meal: Luna Raye’s Light and Ea...

Summer has well and truly arrived. For the past few weeks the sun has been shining everyday and it has been hot, hot, hot! This lovely weather has worked wonders on my garden and everything seems to be thriving (which makes a change from last years disappointing efforts.)

There is an abundance of herbs and I have been incorporating them into as many of my meals as I can. Last night I had a craving for pasta. Sometimes you just can’t beat a bowl of spaghetti served with a nice chilled white wine.

Although I am growing tomatoes, they haven’t started to bear fruit yet so I bought some plum tomatoes from a greengrocer that specializes in local Kent produce. I also bought a few chestnut mushrooms. Once I had assembled those ingredients I went out into the garden to collect some herbs. I decided on Parsley, Coriander, Sage and Lemon Thyme.

It was a very light and refreshing meal and the flavour of the herbs came through beautifully. I really love being able to use ingredients from the garden and I can’t wait until we can use our own tomatoes!

So here is my recipe for a perfect summer meal:

Luna Raye’s Recipe For Light and Easy Pasta with Fresh Tomatoes, Mushrooms and Herbs from the Garden.

Ingredients

Spaghetti (I used enough for 2 people approx 160 – 200 grams).

9 Plum Tomatoes cut roughly into chunks (Cherry Tomatoes also work well. What’s important is that they are fresh).

9 Chestnut Mushrooms sliced ( I like mine a bit chunky but they can be sliced thinner if you prefer).

A selection of Fresh Herbs preferably from your garden! I used Curly Parsley, Coriander, Sage and Lemon Thyme. I used approximately about 4 Tablespoons of the chopped mixed herbs.

Drizzle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese.

Directions

Cook the pasta in lightly salted water according to the package directions.

While the pasta is cooking roughly chop the tomatoes and slice the mushrooms. Set them aside.
Roughly chop the herbs and also set aside.

When the spaghetti is al dente drain it and do not rinse. The idea is to keep a small amount of the cooking water in the pot.

Put the spaghetti back in the pot and add the tomatoes, mushrooms, herbs and a drizzle of olive oil.
Mix well and transfer to serving bowls.

Add some freshly ground pepper and parmesan cheese to taste.

Enjoy it out in the garden with some chilled white wine!

NOTES:

For ages whenever I cooked pasta I would add a wee bit of olive oil to the water which I thought would prevent the pasta from sticking together. This was not only rather costly it can actually impair the flavour of the dish. The pasta becomes oily and is unable to absorb any sauce.

I also remember being told that it was important to rinse cooked pasta after it’s been drained. This isn’t a good idea either. Rinsing pasta cools it down which means it stops the pasta from absorbing sauces. This can also impair the over all flavour of the dish.

Rinsing also washes away any starch that is left on the pasta. This starch is important for thickening sauces, so it’s beneficial to always reserve some of the cooking water from your pasta.

I first tried this technique when I made Nigella Lawson’s Linguine with Lemon, Garlic and Thyme Mushrooms and it was wonderful.

Here is a great article by Shirley Corriher on How To Cook Pasta Properly.

Light And Easy Pasta With Fresh Tomatoes, Mushrooms and Herbs

The Abundant Garden.

Spaghetti with Tomato Sauce and Caramelized Onions...

Cooking really changed for me when I finally mastered the fine art of caramelizing onions. Although it may seem like a simple thing to do I usually ended up with charred bits of onion stuck to a heavily smoking pan and lots of little burns on my hands and arms. I think the main culprit in this was my love of cooking everything in butter (and lots of it!). Apparently the dairy solids in butter have a tendency to burn which I didn’t realize. You can use clarified butter but using olive oil seemed a much simpler (and healthier) solution. So I made the switch and the rest is history.

My onion of choice is the large yellow Spanish onion which has a beautifully sweet flavour when cooked. However I personally like to add a sprinkling of brown sugar or for a special treat, a drizzle of maple syrup, which gives the onions a deep rich colour and really brings out the smoky sweetness in flavour. By cutting the onion cross wise in large round slices you get lovely long strands of onion which look quite elegant. To caramelize them add to a pan with some olive oil and a sprinkling of brown sugar or maple syrup. Cook over a moderate heat until soft. It’s as easy as that!

I am very proud of the fact that I can now easily whip up this tasty delight adding a whole new dimension to a variety of dishes. No more charred onions or smoking pans for me, although I still burn my hands from time to time, but then again I can be a real klutz (I am an Aries after all)!

Caramelized onions are a fantastic condiment and can be added to:
• Burgers
• Hot Dogs
• Sausages
• Steaks
• Sandwiches (grilled cheese is especially good)
• Salads (they work really well with hummus or goats cheese)
• Mashed, Scalloped or Jacket Potatoes
• Salsas, chutneys and gravies

You can also add them to:
• Pasta sauces. (my favourites are tomato or carbonara)
• Quiches or vegetable tarts.
• Omelettes.
• Soups.

Here is my recipe for Spaghetti with Tomato Sauce and Caramelized Onions.

Ingredients
1 large yellow Spanish onion, cut crosswise in large round slices.
1-2 cloves of garlic, minced.
2-3 Tablespoons of olive oil.
1 (28 ounce) can Italian-style diced tomatoes.
2 teaspoons of dark brown sugar or pure maple syrup.
3-4 Tablespoons of freshly grated Parmesan or Romano cheese.

Directions
1. Add olive oil and chopped onions to a large skillet and stir to coat onions in the oil. Sprinkle the brown sugar or drizzle some maple syrup over the onions and continue to cook over a medium heat until the onions become soft.

2. Once the onions have been cooked set them aside on a plate. Don’t wash the skillet!

3. Add the tomatoes and minced garlic to the unwashed skillet (there will still be some lovely flavours from the onions lurking there). Cook over a low heat stirring occasionally so it doesn’t stick.

4. While the tomatoes and garlic are cooking get a pan of salted water on the boil for the pasta. You can use any kind of pasta but I love using spaghetti or linguine for this dish.

5. Once the water is boiling and the pasta is cooking, add the caramelized onions back into the skillet with the tomatoes and garlic. Gently stir to mix the onions, garlic and tomatoes together.

6. When pasta is al dente, drain it and add it to bowls.

7. Generously spoon the sauce and top and grate some Parmesan or Romano cheese on top.

8. Serve on its own or with garlic bread and enjoy!

Spaghetti with Tomato Sauce and Caramelized Onions

Caramelizing Onions

Kitchen Tools: A Main Ingredients Hand Grater....

It’s important to purchase good quality kitchen tools. Not only can they make your life easier in the kitchen but they can also help introduce you to new techniques and cooking methods.

I recently purchased a large Prestige Main Ingredients Hand Grater which is the perfect tool for zesting lemons, limes and oranges. It is also wonderful for finely grating garlic and ginger and for putting those extra special touches of parmesan cheese on pasta dishes, salads and soups.

For ages the only grater I had was a box grater. It is perfect for grating large blocks of cheese but I found it hard to use when I needed things finely grated or zested. The hand grater is a great and inexpensive kitchen tool and I would recommend one of these for anyone who is serious about cooking.

One of the first recipes I used the grater for was Nigella Lawson’s, Linguine with lemon, garlic and thyme mushrooms. In fact, I bought it so I could make this very dish, and it was absolutely worth it!

Give this recipe a try. It is simple, elegant and delicious and while you’re at it, why not treat yourself to some new tools for your kitchen!

Organizing Your Weekly Shop....

Saturday is the day we normally do our weekly shop. It’s a good day to stock up on fresh fruit and vegetables as there is farmers market nearby. For the other bits and pieces we need we visit our local supermarket.

During the week I make a note of items that need to be restocked. This helps to make sure I don’t forget anything (believe me I need all the help I can get!). I also always check that I have the ingredients for some simple no fuss suppers. Things like;

Pasta: for macaroni and cheese or another simple pasta dish.

Butter Beans or Pot Barley: for soup.

Rice: for egg fried rice.

Baked Brown Beans: for beans on toast.

Self Raising Flour and chocolate chips: for easy bake cookies.

I also like to research at least 2 new recipes and buy the ingredients for them. That way we have the option of either cooking something new OR  if we are feeling tired we can put together something tasty and homemade very quickly.

One of the recipes I am going to make this week is from All Recipes. It’s for a wonderful looking dessert – Lemon Possets.

I will let you know how they turn out!

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients

750ml (1¼ pints) double cream

200g (7 oz) caster sugar

3 lemons, juiced

3 tablespoons additional double cream to serve

Preparation

In a saucepan over medium high heat, stir together 750ml cream and sugar. Bring to the boil and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice. Pour into serving glasses and refrigerate until set, about 5 hours. Pour a little more cream over the tops just before serving.