Tagliatelle With Prawns, Bacon and Courgette...

Tagliatelle With Prawns, Bacon and Courgette

Yesterday there was a lonely courgette in the fridge and a bag of prawns defrosting on the counter. I was unsure of what to make for dinner, but bringing these two ingredients together seemed like a good plan. With plenty of pasta in the pantry, I was thinking along the lines of a big bowl of penne or linguine in a rich creamy sauce.

Looking for inspiration on the Internet I came across a fabulous site called Drizzle and Drip. Sam’s recipe for Chilli and Garlic Prawn Linguine with Bacon, Zucchini and Lemon caught my eye straight away. Of course I needed to pick up some bacon but as our local butchers has the best smoked bacon I have ever tasted, I was more then happy to make the journey. The fresh air made me even hungrier (I must confess one of their freshly made sausage rolls found it’s way into my belly).

I didn’t follow Sam’s recipe exactly but it still tasted great. This is a recipe I will make time and time again. It is light, refreshing and makes a nice change from the heavy cream sauces I tend to favour (butter, cream and cheese are the holy trinity of my sauce making).

What also appealed to me was the way the courgette / zucchini was prepared. I have grated it in pasta before but the long ribbons worked really well with the tagliatelle. I was also skeptical about adding the courgette ribbons to the pasta water toward the end of cooking fearing they would be extra watery and bland. They weren’t.

So here is my version of the recipe but please do check out Sam’s website, she has a wide range of yummy looking recipes I can’t wait to try.

Tagliatelle With Prawns, Bacon and Courgette (serves 2 with enough left over for a tasty lunch the next day)

Ingredients

350-400 grams of tagliatelle

225 grams of frozen king prawns

3 rashers of smoked streaky bacon (and one sausage roll to eat on the way home!)

1 medium sized courgette / zucchini

2 cloves of garlic

1/2 tsp of crushed chilli flakes

2 Tbsp of double cream

2 Tbsp of lemon zest

Juice of 1/2 a lemon (you might want to do this to taste)

3 Tbsp of chopped flat leaf parsley

Splash of olive oil

Salt and Pepper to taste (I only salted the pasta water – the bacon is quite salty)

Directions

Cook the tagliatelle in salted water according to the directions on the pack (go for al dente)

Using a peeler, peel the courgette into ribbons

When the pasta is almost done, but not quite, add the courgette ribbons to the water and cook with the pasta for 1-2 minutes before draining

While the pasta is cooking cut the bacon rashers into small bite sized pieces and add to a pan

Cook the bacon through and then add the drained, frozen prawns and mix well so the prawns soak up some of the bacon fat

After 2-3 minutes when the prawns are heated through and the bacon is crispy, add the crushed garlic, 1/2 tsp of dried chilli flakes, lemon juice and zest

Mix everything together well before adding a splash of double cream and the chopped parsley

The pasta (and courgette) should be cooked and drained at this point

Simply add the pasta and courgette to the pan with the bacon and prawn mixture

Toss well and serve immediately

Enjoy!

Red Bean Veggie Burgers: Everything A Veggie Burge...

Every so often I get a craving for a really well made veggie burger. Unfortunately my experience in ordering such a thing from restaurants has usually resulted in bitter disappointment and regret at not ordering the steak. The reason being is that most of the restaurant style veggie burgers I have had have either been:

• Greasy heavily processed lumps that sit unhappily in my stomach for days.

• Dry overcooked burgers that resemble month old cow pats and taste like saw dust.

This never made sense to me. When you think of all the wonderful vegetables, fresh herbs and spices at our disposal why do so many restaurants struggle to make a decent vegetable burger! Surely it can’t be that difficult?

Luckily for me my best friend Jessica is a Kitchen Witch and Gardener Extraordinaire. I am always in awe of what she grows in her garden and what she effortlessly whips up in the kitchen. A few months ago she sent me a recipe for red bean veggie burgers which she adapted from the well known and much loved cookbook Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites. I have now made her version of this recipe a few times and it just keeps on getting better and better. This is exactly what I have been searching for in a well made vegetable burger.

These are great to make on a Sunday and I am in the habit of making extra and freezing them for the week. They can be taken out in the morning for an easy dinner that night and they also make for a tasty filling lunch. All that’s needed is a bit of reheating which I tend to do in the oven. I serve them with cheese and pickles OR with hummus, red peppers and garden salad. Delicious!

I have reprinted her recipe exactly as she sent it to me. Here it is:

Jessica’s version of Red Bean Veggie Burgers  (we usually double/triple the recipe and freeze some)

Heat in a large skillet on medium heat:
2 teaspoons olive oil

Add and cook, stirring until softened:
1/2 cup chopped onions • 2 minced garlic cloves

Add and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes:
2 cups grated courgette (and/or carrots)
1 tsp chili powder • 1 tsp ground cumin

Meanwhile mash in a large bowl:
3 cups cooked kidney beans • 2 Tbs mustard
2 Tbs catsup (ketchup) • 2 Tbs Worcestershire or soy sauce

Add the vegetable mixture to the mashed beans and mix in:
1.5 cups oats
Various garden herbs (parsley, thyme, chives, etc.)

(We used Chives, Parsley and Chervil)

Mix it all together

Season to taste with salt and pepper

Wet hands and shape resulting gooey goodness into
patties.

Fry the patties in oil over medium heat, or place
on cookie sheet and broil for 5-8 minutes on each side.

Frying yields a crispier patty, while broiling gives a
drier, less oily one.

You can also bake them in the oven
at 400F (200C or Gas Mark 6)

These burgers freeze well and can be reheated
on the stove top, in the oven, or on the grill.

Adapted from Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites, 1996

My cookbook wish list

Thanks to both my sister and my friend Jessica I have been able to tick a few books off my cookbook wish list!
As I posted last week my sister gave me the new cookbook from Fresh – REFRESH which is such a wonderful book. This week I will be trying out Susur Lee’s Smoothie.

Jessica brought a huge smile to my face when just a few days before Christmas a lovely parcel arrived with 2 wonderful books nestled inside. One of them was another top priority book on my list The Moosewood Restaurant Cooking For Health. I am not sure what my first recipe will be from this book but I am sorely tempted to try the Baked Sweet Potatoes Stuffed Three Ways.

These books will keep me busy for some time as they really all packed full of lots of exciting recipes to try. I hope you will keep checking back in to see what I make and hopefully to try some of these recipes for yourself!

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

Zucchini: The Magic Ingredient For A Sweet Scrumpt...

Zucchini or courgette is what is known as a summer squash. It has a lighter texture and more delicate flavour then some of the heavier winter squashes. Looking like a greener more rugged cucumber the zucchini is an incredibly versatile vegetable.

Zucchini The Magic Ingredient

They can be eaten steamed, grilled, baked or fried. They can be stuffed. They can be grated into pasta. They are also wonderful additions to stews and curries. For me one of the tastiest ways to use zucchini is in baking.

This recipe for zucchini bread is one of my tried and true all time favourites. It is moist, not too sweet and goes very well with a hot cup of tea. The addition of walnuts adds a little extra kitchen witch magic! This really is a very simple recipe and kids will love it. It’s a great way to get them to eat some veggies!

If you’ve never tried it – give it a go. You will never see a zucchini in the same way again!

Luna Raye’s Recipe For Magical Scrumptious Zucchini Bread

Ingredients

3 eggs

1 cup canola oil (I didn’t have enough for this batch and used ¾ canola and ¼ olive oil)

2 cups white sugar

2 cups grated zucchini

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 cups all purpose flour

3 teaspoons all spice

1 teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

¾ cup chopped walnuts (I have alternated this with ½ cup fresh blueberries in the past)

Directions

Preheat your oven to 165 degrees C (or 325 degrees F)

Grease two 8×4 inch loaf tins

In a large bowl beat the eggs until they are light and frothy

Gradually mix in the oil and sugar

Stir in the grated zucchini and the vanilla

In a separate bowl combine the flour, all spice, baking soda, baking powder, salt and chopped walnuts (NOTE: if using blueberries instead of walnuts mix them in with the wet ingredients)

Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix thoroughly

Divide the batter into the prepared bread tins

Bake for approx 60 – 70 minutes or until a knife inserted into the centre, comes out clean.

I cover the loaves with tinfoil about ¾ of the way through cooking to make sure they don’t brown too much on top.

Allow to cool on a wire rack.

Slice it up and enjoy with a cup of tea and a good book!

Zucchini Loaves

Enjoy with a cup of tea and a good book

Banana Bread: Old Favourite, New Favourite!...

I know we are already well into the New Year but I am still recovering from all the fuss and general craziness of the holiday season. During the holidays I was able to spend a bit more time in the kitchen trying out different recipes and experimenting with some new kitchen gadgets.  However, I was so caught up in exploring the new and different that I neglected a few things in my kitchen.

The main casualty of my neglect was a bunch of bananas which were almost at the point of no return. Not wanting to waste them, I found myself going back to one of my all time favourite recipes – Banana Bread.

Banana Bread is one of the easiest things to make. What is so wonderful is that you can have it just as it is OR you can jazz it up a bit if you want. Here are just some of the things I love to add to a basic Banana Bread recipe:

• Chopped Walnuts or Pecans
• Fresh Blueberries or Raspberries (you can also use frozen)
• Grated Courgette (Zucchini)
• Grated Carrot
• Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips

For this particular recipe – which is a low fat version – my husband and I decided to add 2 Heaping Tablespoons of Un-Sweetened Coco Powder and approximately 9 Glace Cherries cut into quarters. We also used a spring form cake tin rather than a loaf tin. The results were simply amazing and ok we confess… not as low fat as it could have been. However it was absolutely divine with a cup of tea and an episode of Columbo.

I found the recipe on the following site; lowfatcooking.about.com, which is brilliant. Have a go with the recipe as it is – or add a little something extra. Then sit back, relax and enjoy!

For low fat banana bread recipe click here

I have also written out the recipe below.

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup butter, softened or 1/4 cup trans-fat free shortening
• 2 large eggs or 1/2 cup egg substitute
• 1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana (about 3 small bananas)
• 1/3 cup plain fat-free yogurt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spoon flour gently into measuring cups and level with a knife. Stir flour, baking soda and salt together in a medium bowl. Put aside. Place sugar and butter in a large bowl and beat at low speed with a mixer until well blended. Add one egg at a time and blend well after each one. Add in mashed banana, yogurt and vanilla extract, beat until blended. Add flour mixture and blend until just moist. Do not over-mix. Spray an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray. Pour batter into pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 60-70 minutes (until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean). Remove from pan after 10 minutes or so and cool on a wire rack.

Yield: one loaf, 14 slices.