Blue cheese and chive pasta

This is a really simple, delicious pasta that I served here with spaghetti.
Use your favourite creamy, blue cheese for the sauce...the more pungent the better! ;)

I served this with a very simple, chickweed salad...yes, it is a weed! I actually stumbled upon it at the farmer's market today....tasted it and loved it! It is also extremely nutritious and high in vitamin C!

Ingredients:
2 servings pasta
2-3 cloves garlic, sliced
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
1/2 cup milk
1 tbsp. creme fraiche
1 tbsp. chives, chopped
1 tbsp. olive oil
salt
freshly ground black pepper

Method:

Heat the oil, add the garlic and toss until softened. Then add the blue cheese, milk and whisk over low heat until the cheese is incorporated into the sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Turn off the heat, add the chives and creme fraiche.

Cook pasta until al dente, add to the cheese sauce and combine. Serve with a green salad.

Papardelle carbonara

It's really all about the pancetta! I was able to get some of Salumi pancetta, anise flavoured, a limited edition seasonal version, which just made this to-die-for!

Traditional versions of carbonara, in fact the first time I tried this was in Rome...is made with spaghetti but I like it with the flat pastas too like fettuccine and papardelle.

Ingredients:

1 slick slice of pancetta (Italian bacon), chopped

1/2 cup grated percorino

1 egg and 2 yolks

fresh pasta sheets, cut into papardelle (or whatever you like) to serve 2

salt

black pepper, freshly ground

olive oil

1 tbsp Parsley, chopped

Method:

Render the pancetta in a pan with a little olive oil until crispy, drain over paper towels to remove excess fat. Whisk the egg and yolks with the cheese, salt and pepper.

Cook the pasta until al dente, add to the egg and cheese mixture and toss immediately to coat. Add a few tablespoons of the pasta water as needed. Add the pancetta and toss again, garnish with parsley, drizzle with a little extra olive oil and serve with a simple, green salad of arugula or watercress.

papardelle with cauliflower, garlic breadcrumbs and pine nuts

It's not often that you find pasta dishes with cauliflower but this one is a staple in my repertoire. It has great texture ...crunchiness from the breadcrumbs and pine nuts and the creaminess of cauliflower. The florets have to be cooked until really soft. It is a great way to add nutritional value to your meal - I specifically steam the florets so it retains all the goodness.



Ingredients:
1 cauliflower - cut into florets
1/2 tsp. red chili flakes
4 - anchovy fillets, minced
1 cup - fresh breadcrumbs made from day old french bread
2 tbsp. - pine nuts
1 tsp. - parsley, chopped
olive oil
4-5 garlic cloves, sliced
1 cup stock (chicken or vege.)

Method:
Steam the florets until cooked through and soft, rough chop and set aside. Boil water for the pasta in the mean time with plenty of salt.

Heat olive oil in a pan, add sliced garlic and saute until golden. Then add breadcrumbs and pine nuts, parsley and toss for a few minutes until golden. Then remove and cool on a plate.

Now for the sauce, heat some oil in a skillet, add the minced anchovy fillets and stir until they disintegrate and flavour the oil. Skip the anchovies for a vegetarian version but they do add great flavour! Then add the chili flakes and then the cauliflower and cook for a few minutes. Add stock as needed to combine and form a sauce.

Cook the pasta until al dente, then add to the sauce and toss. Top with bread crumbs , drizzle some good olive oil and serve.

Zucchini pasta

This is an easy, satisfying week-night recipe and a great way to get your veges! Zucchinis cook down in volume ...so what looks like a lot will end up being just enough. The balsamic vinegar is a great combination with zucchinis and adds a bit of sweetness. The chili flakes counter that with a bit of spiciness.

I prefer to use fresh pasta and stock up my fridge with it but you could always use dried pasta.
















Ingredients:

Zucchini - 2-3, sliced
chili flakes - a pinch or more to taste
Balsamic vinegar - 1 tbsp
Salt to taste
2 servings of pasta (tagliatelle, papardelle or similar)
Olive oil
fresh ground black pepper


Method:

Bring a pot of well-salted water to boil. Slice the zucchinis using a food processor or a mandolin into thin slices with the skin on.
Heat a wide skillet, coat with some olive oil and then add the zucchini. Spread it in a thin layer all over the skillet.

In the mean time, boil the pasta according to instructions.

Let the zucchini cook and caramelize for a few minutes, the key is to not keep turning it over as it gets mushy, if you do. Then carefully turn the zucchini over once in portions to cook the other side for a few minutes.

Season with salt, pepper, chili flakes and the balsamic vinegar and toss before you turn off the heat. Add the pasta to the zucchini and toss with enough of the pasta water to make it moist. drizzle with olive oil and serve immediately.