Salmon Pasta Bake

Sometimes you want to try and recreate a favourite childhood dish – but with a few twists – and this is exactly what I did here.   The dish in question is my mum’s macaroni fish pie, a dish made with a mixture of fish, pasta and mushrooms, baked in the oven in a cheesy sauce.   Even today I like it when she makes it for me, which unfortunately is not very often as I usually have my husband with me, who doesn’t share my love of cheesy fish pies.   He would say he has more sophisticated tastes.   I would say I have an appreciation of a wider range of foods.   In my mum’s dish, the mushrooms are a more recent addition.   An addition I’m happy with.  When I’m not there, she likes to use smoked haddock too,  but I find it a little strong and so prefer white fish, salmon or a mixture.  This time, I chose to add layer of spinach to the bottom of the dish as the vegetable component, but in retrospect,  I think I prefer mushrooms and would miss out the spinach layer next time, or maybe just have a spinach salad on the side.

So, given the choice, would I choose mine or my mum’s pie?   For now, my mum’s.   But with a few mushrooms instead of spinach, I’d be spoilt for choice.

I used Dreamfields’ rotini pasta which was once again successful.  I am also submitting this to Presto Pasta Nights, this week hosted by HoneyB of The Life & Loves of Grumpy’s Honeybunch.

Ingredients – Serves 1-2 (depending how hungry you are)

1 small piece of salmon

50g pasta

1 tbsp plain flour

250ml milk

2 tbsp Oil

1/4 tsp nutmeg

2 tbsp wilted spinach

2 handfuls grated cheese approx (I forgot to measure it, but taste the sauce and add more to get the right level of cheesiness)

Salt

Black Pepper

How to Make Salmon Pasta Bake

1. Cook the pasta for about 5 minutes then drain.

2. Heat the oil in a small saucepan.   Add the flour and keep stirring for at least 2 minutes, being careful that it doesn’t burn.

3. Start adding the milk. Add a little at a time and keep stirring so it makes a smooth sauce.   If you add too much at once it will go lumpy.

4. Add the nutmeg, season and stir in the grated cheese.  Then stir in the pasta.

5. Spread the wilted spinach on the bottom of the dish.   Cut the fish into cubes.   Put on top of the spinach.   Top with the pasta and sauce.

6. Bake in the oven at about 190C for about 25 minutes.   The dish should be piping hot and bubbling when it is ready.

7. Serve with lots of salad.

 

Spaghetti Carbonara and Review of Dreamfields Pasta

When I was a student in Durham we never used to eat out in restaurants except on someone’s birthday.  And then, it was always an Italian restaurant.   At the time, I hadn’t got into spicy food.   I was wary of chilli and so scared of Indian food, I thought I didn’t like Chinese food much as I didn’t like sweet and sour or lemon chicken, which everyone else seemed to love.   It may sound hard to believe, considering what I now like to eat, but I grew up in the middle of the countryside, 8 miles from the nearest town (of about 10,000 people), which had no Indian restaurants and only one Chinese one which I went to for the first time when I was 17.   My mother was (and is) a very good cook and made healthy but traditional dishes – pies, quiches, casseroles with potatoes and vegetables or salad.   A lasagna or moussaka was about as exotic as it got!  The nearest dish to curry was coronation chicken.  Really, when I look back at what I used to eat and what I used to avoid, I can hardly believe I was the same person.

Once I got to university, I think a lot of my university friends were the same with the result being that spaghetti carbonara is a dish that reminds me of my pre-spice days, as it was the dish I always used to order.   I loved the creaminess and the bacon and the fact that it was not something I would make for myself.  Not at that time anyway.  How things have changed!

So, why did I suddenly decide to step back in time and make a carbonara, perhaps ten years since I’d last had one?   Well, I recently received some spaghetti, penne and rotini pasta from Dreamfields to review.   And what better recipe to make with the spaghetti than carbonara.   Now, I’m not an expert on nutrition, but Dreamfields pasta claims to be different from other pastas in that it has only 5g of digestible carbohydrates, a 65% lower glycemic index and twice as much fibre as regular pasta and therefore could be good for people wanting a healthier pasta or those on a lower carb diet.  The Dreamfields website gives a lot more information about the nutritional content because here I have to be honest and say that as a runner, as well as a food blogger, carbs don’t bother me.   But, I do try to eat healthily and like to include foods with a low glycemic index and lots of fibre.  To me, what’s most important is the taste, the texture and does it fill me up.   And on these criteria I was very happy.    When cooked it didn’t go at all soggy like some pastas, it was nicely al dente and held the sauce well.

And it was definitely a good sauce.  It may look like a rich sauce full of cream, but, like a true Italian carbonara, it is cream-free.   The creaminess of the sauce comes entirely from the egg, parmesan and cooking water.    When you add the egg mixture, take the pan off the heat and stir quickly so you get  a silky smooth sauce, not a scrambled egg mixture. I ended up thinking, if carbonara is this easy, why does anyone ever buy a jar of sauce.   And why have I practically given up ever eating it?  Well, as it’s so simple, I still won’t be eating it in restaurants, but I might now be making it at home instead.

For more information about Dreamfields, take a look at their website.

I am also linking this to Presto Pasta Nights, this week hosted by Debbie Does Dinner Healthy.

Ingredients – Serves 2

120g spaghetti

2 eggs

4 rashers bacon

Black pepper

2 handfuls grated parmesan

1 clove garlic, chopped

Olive oil

How to Make Spaghetti Carbonara

1. Put the bacon in a frying pan to cook.   When ready remove.   Leave to cool and then chop.

2. Put the pasta on to cook according to the pack instructions.   It’ll probably take about 10 minutes.

3. Put the eggs in a bowl and beat them.   Season and add the grated parmesan.

4. Drain the pasta but reserve the water.

5. Heat a little olive oil in a frying pan or wok.   Add the garlic.   As it begins to colour add the pasta.    Toss.

6. Add a little of the reserved pasta cooking water.  Take off the heat.  Add the egg and parmesan mixture.   Keep stirring.   Add extra cooking water if it is too dry.   You should get a smooth creamy sauce.

 

Coriander Pesto

I’ve recently discovered that the Tesco in Elephant and Castle near where I work sells huge bunches of coriander – about 5 times the size of normal supermarket packets -  for just a pound.    This does mean I have to  eat coriander for about 4 days in a row, but to me that is no problem at all.   Rather, it’s an excuse to go coriander crazy.   Yes,  luckily I love coriander and I’m hoping  that you  like it too.  Some of my favourite dishes like curries, chillies and tagines all go well with a generous sprinkling of fresh coriander.    So why not treat it to the Italian touch too  – what about  making it into pesto?

Yes, that quick, easy last-minute fall-back staple of pesto.   But as it’s coriander, why not  add a little ginger, chilli and lemon juice too?    The result is then a zingy flavourful pesto that to me at least is a cut above the traditional  basil variety.   It may not be very traditional but it’s definitely one I’ll be making again.

I am sending this to Presto Pasta Nights, begun by Ruth of Once upon a Feast, this week hosted by Pia of Cook with Pia

Ingredients – Serves about 2-4

Handful of cashew nuts

Large bunch of coriander (cilantro)

Juice of 1/2 lemon

Approx 3 tbsp grated  parmesan

1 clove garlic

1 chilli

Extra virgin olive oil

How to make Coriander Pesto

1. Begin cooking the pasta.    At the same time put the cashew nuts in a dry frying pan and gently toast.   Keep tossing to prevent them from burning.

2. Put the cashew nuts, garlic, chilli and coriander in a food processor, top with a dash of oil and the lemon juice.   Blitz until smooth.   Taste and adjust as necessary.

3. When the  pasta is ready, drain and return to the saucepan.    Add the pesto mixture and the parmesan cheese.   Stir, until the pesto coats all the pasta and is heated through.

 

Homemade Tapenade on Pasta

This is a very easy recipe and so versatile.   I served the tapenade on pasta, in the same way I would a pesto then sprinkled it with parmesan cheese.  I was a little skeptical at first as I always thought I didn’t like anchovies, but they really compliment the olives and capers well.  Not only do I like them, I was soon eating them straight out of the tin.   I must warn you,  all the ingredients are strong flavours so if you like that, you will risk becoming addicted to this recipe.   And once you’ve made it there are so many other things that you can do with it.  I put the leftovers in a sandwich with a few extra anchovies and some watercress.   I eat sandwiches about 3-4 times a week for lunch so I know a good sandwich when I eat it and this one was awesome.   I was worried it would make the bread a little soggy but it didn’t.  The oil soaked in a little (in a good way), not all the way through to the outside of the sandwich.  It was so good, the only problem is I’ve eaten it all now and tomorrow’s sandwich, whatever  I put in it, will not be able to live up to today’s.

I am submitting this to Jen at Tastes of Home for Presto Pasta Nights.

Tapenade Ingredients

120g black olives

30g anchovies

1 garlic clove

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1 tbsp capers

If serving with Pasta

Pasta

Parmesan

How to make Tapenade

1. Put all the ingredients in a food processor and blitz.   Don’t make it completely smooth.   It’s best if it still has some texture to it.

2. If serving with pasta, drain the pasta then put it straight back in the pan.    Mix some of the tapenade into the hot pasta and stir, heating for about a minute.     Serve with grated parmesan.  But whatever you do, make sure there’s enough for leftovers to put in a sandwich.

 

Hot and Sour Mushroom Noodle Soup

I just love soups at the moment.  I could eat them every day.   I especially like them for lunches at the weekends if I’m at home.   In the evening I feel I should have something more substantial than soup.   At lunchtime, soup is perfect.   If I could work from home there would be so much opportunity to make soups that I would be a soup goddess.   Well, I can dream.  In reality, if I worked at home I would never get anything done, I would just get too distracted by my kitchen.

Anyway,  this soup is quick and easy.   The vegetables are still crunchy.   There’s a spicy heat from the chilli and a delicious sourness from the lime.

I am sending it to Deb at Kahakai Kitchen for Souper Soups and also to Kirsten at From Kirsten’s Kitchen to Yours for Presto Pasta Nights.

Ingredients

500ml vegetable stock

2 nests of dried noodles

4 large mushrooms, sliced

1/2 red pepper, sliced

1/2 small onion, thinly sliced

Handful of sweetcorn

1 red chilli, finely sliced

1 tsp fish sauce

1 tbsp lime juice

3 dried kaffir lime leaves

1 tsp lemongrass paste

 

How to make Hot and Sour mushroom Noodle Soup

1.  Cook the noodles according to the pack instructions.

2. Heat some stock in a saucepan with the kaffir lime leaves and lemongrass paste.   Simmer for 10 minutes.    Add the vegetables.  Bring it back to the boil then lower to a simmer.  Simmer for about 2 minutes.

2. Add the fish sauce and lime juice to taste

3. To serve, divide the noodles between 2 bowls.   Ladle the soup onto the top.

 

Creamy Chorizo Pasta

This pasta is an old favourite of mine.  The idea came from a recipe I found at my mum’s house a few years ago when I was only just beginning to get interested in cooking.   I wanted to impress my future husband and felt I should expand my rather limited repertoire.  Little did I know back then that cooking would become a passion and that my favourite tv programmes a few years later would all end up being about food too.  I spent an afternoon going through lots of old books and magazines, making notes and this was one of the recipes I came away with.   Well, not exactly this as I only read the recipe once,  I don’t have those notes any more and I’m sure it has changed a bit over the years.  Unfortunately I also now have no idea which book it came from so cannot give the original source.

I love the combination of creme fraiche and chorizo.  It makes for a really comforting dish of pasta.  Excellent for autumn nights.

I am sending this recipe to Helen at Fuss Free Flavours for this week’s Presto Pasta Nights.

Ingredients – serves 2

Enough pasta for 2

1 green pepper, sliced

2 chilli peppers, sliced

6 mushrooms, sliced

1 small onion, sliced

2 tbsp creme fraiche

3 inches of chorizo, diced

How to make Creamy Chorizo Pasta

1. Put the pasta on to boil while preparing the sauce.

2. Heat a dry saucepan.  Add the chorizo.  Enough oil will come out of it so you don’t need extra oil.   Add the vegetables and continue to cook.

3. When the pasta is ready drain and add to the pan with the chorizo and vegetables.   Add the creme fraiche and stir well.  Serve immediately.

 

Pad Thai with Chicken

‘I thought you said this was pad Thai,’ said my husband, before tasting.

‘It is.’

‘But pad Thai doesn’t have green beans in it.’

‘Why not?  This one does.’  But maybe next time it won’t.  It just depends what vegetables I have in the fridge.

That’s a typical conversation in our flat.   This dish has all the flavours of a delicious pad Thai, plus the delicious addition of green beans.  That’s how I look at it anyway.  The list of ingredients may be quite long but it really is quick and easy to make.  The green beans and green pepper are definitely optional.  The bean sprouts aren’t.  I used aduki bean sprouts as I’m experimenting with growing different types, but you can just use any bean sprouts.

I am sending this post to Presto Pasta Nights, this week hosted by Claudia at Honey From Rock.

Ingredients – serves 2

2 nests of dried noodles

150 g chicken, thinly sliced

2 handfuls of bean sprouts

4 green chillies, thinly sliced

2 spring onions

1/2 red onion

Small handful of green beans (optional)

1 green pepper, thinly sliced (optional)

1 tsp tamarind paste

1 tsp sugar

1 tbsp dried shrimp, pounded to a powder or fish sauce

1 lime

1 handful of dried roasted peanuts

1 egg, beaten

How to make Pad Thai

1. In a pan with a small amount of hot water, dissolve the tamarind paste and sugar and add the dried pounded shrimps or fish sauce.

2. Heat some oil in a wok then stir fry the chicken.   As soon as it is cooked, remove from the pan.

3. Add all the vegetables and stir fry for a couple of minutes. Move the vegetables to the side and add the beaten egg.  Cook for about a minute then stir into the vegetables.

4. Drain the noodles and add to the wok, along with the bean sprouts, peanuts and chicken.  Add the sauce containing the tamarind and shrimps.  Heat through, stirring.  It should only take about a minute.

5. Divide between 2 plates and serve, squeezing lots of fresh lime juice over each plate.  Garnish with a little chopped spring onion.