Lemon, dill and parsley orzo

February 11, 2013January 28, 2023 Belinda

This is a great and tangy side dish to fish or chicken. Serves 2 generously and 4 small portions. (I usually double the recipe for 4 people)

1 cup orzo pasta
2 tbsp each of chopped fresh dill and parsley
3 tbsp chopped scallions (green onions)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 heaped tsp grated lemon rind (you may like more)
2 tbsp lemon juice (you may like more)

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the orzo for 8 to 10 minutes or until tender but firm, drain well.
Toss with dill, parsley, onions, oil, lemon rind and lemon juice.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
This is best served immediately. For a make-ahead version, make this with rice instead of orzo.

Linguine with gorgonzola, spinach, walnuts and basil

December 16, 2012February 7, 2016 Belinda1 Comment

This is a wonderful and very pungent dish with the strength of the gorgonzola buffered by the cooked linguine and sweetness of the balsamic vinegar.
Make sure to add the spinach just prior to serving so it just wilts nicely (This picture is taken pre-spinach!)
For a nice addition try this with a sliced ripe pear!

Serves 4 – 6 as a side dish

1/2 lb linguine (regular , spinach or a mixture or both!)
1/4 cup good quality balsamic vinegar It’s worth spending the money
1/4 cup good extra virgin olive oil
2 small cloves garlic, minced (1 tsp)
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tbsp freshly ground black pepper
3 cups baby spinach leaves, loosely packed, washed and cut into slices
4 oz Italian Gorgonzola or other blue cheese, crumbled (DON’T be tempted to buy pre-crumbled cheese, it sucks!)
1 cup walnut pieces, toasted
4 scallions, sliced thinly and diagonally

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the linguini until it’s al dente, drain and put into a large serving bowl.

To prepare the dressing, combine the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, garlic, basil, salt and pepper in a food processor or blender.

Mix the vinaigrette with the warm pasta, gorgonzola, walnuts and scallions and just before serving, toss through the spinach.

Pasta · Vegetarian pasta

Spaghetti with garlic and olive oil

December 15, 2012February 8, 2016 Belinda1 Comment

Although this is a simple dish, made primarily with pantry ingredients, it’s one of the tastiest fast meals you can have. I have made it when people turn up at the last minute for dinner and it always gets the “wow” factor. The main thing here is to have good quality ingredients. Pay the extra for the good olive oil and the best parmesan cheese. It’s worth it

Serves 4

1 lb spaghetti
12 garlic cloves
1/4 cup of your best olive oil
1&1/2 cups chicken broth
1 heaped cup of finely chopped Italian parsley
freshly ground black pepper
1&1/2 tbsp salt
lots of freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano

Peel the 12 garlic cloves. Mince 6 of them and set aside.
Slice the remaining garlic.
Heat the olive oil in a small skillet and very gently saute the sliced garlic until golden brown, stirring. Take the skillet off the heat and set aside.

Bring a large pot of water to the boil and add the salt. Add the spaghetti and cook until just al dente (DON’T overcook as you are cooking the pasta again later)
Drain the pasta and put into a large pot or skillet. Add the chicken broth to the pasta and simmer, stirring, until most of the chicken broth has been absorbed.
Add the heated olive oil with the sliced garlic to the pasta and the chopped parsley and minced garlic and toss thoroughly.

Divide the pasta evenly among heated bowls. Pour any remaining broth over the pasta and serve with generous amounts of grated parmesan cheese and ground black pepper.

Do-ahead · Pasta · Vegetarian pasta

Baked gnocchi with pesto and mozzarella

August 10, 2012September 9, 2022 Belinda

Serves 4 My nephew, Alessio made this and it was extremely successful.

2 1lb packs of ready made gnocchi

1/4 Savoy cabbage, thinly shredded

7 oz ball fresh mozzarella cheese

4 oz gorgonzola cheese, cut into small cubes

3 – 4 tbsp good pesto sauce

juice of half a lemon

1 -2 tbsp olive oil, to drizzle

grated parmesan cheese, to serve

Heat the oven to 375 F.

Put the gnocchi in a large pan of salted boiling water and cook until they float to the surface. (be careful not to overcook)

Scoop them out with a slotted spoon and transfer them to a large bowl

Add the cabbage to the gnocchi water, bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes.

Drain well and mix with the gnocchi.

Stir through the cheeses and the pesto.

Squeeze over the lemon juice then season well with salt and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil

Transfer the mixture to an ovenproof dish and cook for 25 to 20 minutes or until the cheese has melted and slightly colored.

Serve with grated parmesan cheese if desired.

Pasta · Vegetarian pasta

Lemon spaghetti

August 9, 2012February 8, 2016 Belinda

This is so easy, fresh and tangy. It takes no time to put together and is as good at room temperature as it is hot. It can be served as a carb on the side with a broiled fillet of salmon or chicken or as it is on it’s own.
Thanks to Giada De Laurentiis again!

Serves 6

1lb spaghetti
2/3 cup olive oil
2/3 to 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (about 3 large lemons)
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 heaped tbsp lemon zest
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

Cook the pasta in boiling, salted water until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes.
Meanwhile, whisk the oil, parmesan cheese and lemon juice in a large bowl to blend.
Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the pasta cooking liquid.
Toss the pasta with the lemon juice and the reserved cooking liquid, adding 1/4 cup at a time as needed to moisten.
Season with salt and pepper.
Garnish with lemon zest and chopped basil

Do-ahead · Holiday Food · Pasta · Vegetarian pasta

Paula Deen’s Creamy Mac and Cheese in the Slow cooker

November 13, 2011September 9, 2022 Belinda

This is a real hit with the kids, and even the adults keep picking at it. Very moreish. The Campbell’s cheddar cheese soup sounds weird, but really makes it! We have this every year as an extra and it’s

always gone!

Serves 10

2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni (an 8 oz box isn’t quite 2 cups)
4 tbsp (1/2 stick) butter, cut into pieces
2 1/2 cups (about 10 oz) grated sharp Cheddar cheese
2 large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup sour cream
2 cans (10 3/4 oz) condensed Cheddar cheese soup (I used Campbells)
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup whole milk
1/2 tsp dry mustard (I use Colmans)
1/2 tsp black pepper, ground

Boil the macaroni in a 2 qt saucepan in plenty of salted water until not quite tender, about 5 minutes.
Drain. In a medium saucepan, mix butter and cheese. Stir until the cheese melts. Okay, so here, having used the pre-packaged grated American cheddar cheese, it didn’t seem to melt and stayed all lumpy. Next time I will grate my own “real” mature cheddar cheese, but the lumps do go away once it goes into the slow cooker.
In the slow cooker, combine cheese/butter mixture and add the eggs, sour cream, soup, salt, milk, mustard and pepper and stir well.
It might still be weird and lumpy at this stage but don’t worry as it all changes when it’s cooking so slowly.
The add the drained macaroni and stir well again. Set the slow cooker on low setting and cook for 3 hours, stirring occasionally.

Do-ahead · Nuts · Pasta · Sauces · Vegetarian pasta

Pesto a la Arriabiata sauce

August 23, 2011September 9, 2022 Belinda

We are going out for dinner tonight to some vegetarian friends and I didn’t just want to take wine, so was wondering what I could make with whatever I had in the house that only took 30 minutes.
Looking outside on the table, I noticed the three full basil plants we bought at Trader Joes.
“Ahh, pesto sauce”, I thought, “but how could I make it different”?

My husband came into the kitchen while I was throwing stuff into the processor and after I made it, pronounced it “lovely” so that was the seal I needed.

1 whole (full-leaved) Trader Joes basil plant stripped completely and the leaves washed and spun in the salad spinner.
5 cloves garlic
1/2 cup grated fresh Parmegiano Reggiano cheese
1/4 tsp dried red chilli flakes
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp Kosher salt
1/2 to 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp drained capers
1/2 heaped cup pitted kalamata olives
6 sun dried tomatoes (in oil)
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
1/2 lemon, juice only

(cream added can make it more luxurious!)

Start by putting all the basil into a food processor and turn it on. Through the tube in the top, put the garlic, chilli flakes, olive oil, parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, capers,sun dried tomatoes, pine nuts, lemon juice, olives and anything else you may have forgotten.
Puree for a few minutes, then taste and add more seasoning if it needs it.
Pour into a lovely glass jar with a lid and you have a great pasta sauce, or a base for crunchy, toasted bruschetta, or a base for many seafood dishes. It’s lovely as a dip for grilled shrimp, a coating on a piece of white fish, or even added to a soup as a dollop in the middle of the bowl just as you serve it, as in “pistou”.

There are endless ways to use it and it lasts a long time, including freezes well.
The Trader Joes basil plants are the most economical way to make pesto based sauces if you don’t grow basil. Unforunately we are having a battle with the garden snails and they claimed this year’s basil!