Broccoli Farfalle from The Food Fix by Yumi Stynes and Simon Davis

I have a confession. My kid only eats pasta with butter and the cheap parmesan cheese. 

Before becoming a parent, I swore black and blue that my child will never eat just butter pasta but the universe had other plans and gave me little one who only wants butter on his pasta, is very firm on 'no sauce' and has to put the parmesan cheese on himself. So this particular dinner I made was only enjoyed by the people in the family who are not against sauce. But apart from being delicious, it was simple and easy and worked great on it's own and on the side of some spicy sausages. If you have a partner who looks at vegetarian dinner and asks. Where's the meat? you feel me.

In fact the entire book if full of these kind of recipes and they couldn't say it better than they do on the cover; 'Real World Dinner Solutions for the Exhausted'. Is that not everyone right now?? 

As you know, I really love the 5min Food Fix podcast. Its quick and snappy and gives you dinner inspiration when you feel like the fridge is a scary place to be. The ideas and simple recipes they share are so great so when I was sent this lovely cookbook, I couldn't be happier. It's the podcast in book form. They have the fish-finger sushi in their too!! It's actually so delicious. 

I hope that the below pasta recipe makes one night this week feel easier, taking the decision of what to cook off your mind. and the best thing... you can serve it with a side of butter noodles or spicy sausages keeping everyone happy.

Broccoli Farfalle

Recipe from 'The Food Fix' Real World Dinner Solutions for The Exhausted by Yumi Stynes and Simon Davis
Serves 4-6

Broccoli - not just a veg of champion (and about the only one both Yumi and I can consistentlu get our kids to eat) but also a delicious creamy pasta sauce? Sure thing! If you like a bit of heat and little ones aren't involved, then feel free to add a finely chopped red fredh chilli to the oil along with the garlic.

1 lareg head of broccoli, cut into small florets
2 garlic cloves
1/2 cup (125ml) olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste
400-500g (14oz-1lb 2oz) farfalle
grated parmesan cheese, to serve

Throw the brocoli florets into a large saucepan of boiling salted water and cook for 8 minutes or until soft. Drain.

Squash the garlic cloves with the flat of a knife.

Heat the olive oil in a frying pan, then add the garlic and cook for 4-5 minutes, or until golden all over. Fish the garlic out of the pan and discard.

Add the broccoli to the pan and stir it around in the garlicky oil until well coated. Season generously with salt and pepper and keep it ticking away over medium-low heat for 10-15 minutes, squashing the broc with the back of a wooden spoon and adding a splash or two of water as necessary, so it all smnooshes together to form a creamy sauce.

Meanwhile, cook the farfalle in a saucepan of salted boiling water until al dente.

Drain the pasta and add the the pan with the broccoli. Toss everything together and serve with plenty of grated parmesan and pepper.

Tips.
1. Pasta always tastes better when it's cooked 'al-dente' (which is just the italian way of saying 'to the tooth' or that it has a bit of bite left in it). I tend to go by memory rather than timer - sorry, Yumi! - and taste mineas it cook to see if it's just right, but if you're unsure then follow the parket directions, subtracting a minute or two as they always seem to be a bit cautious.

2. The pasta amount here is, well, variable because, lets be honest, it's almost impossible to cook the right amount. I tend to do this by eye or throwing in a whole packet for a famkly of five. Any uneaten pasta makes good leftovers.

Creamy Cauliflower Pasta.

Thought I'd quickly jump on and share what I had for dinner last night. It was a riff on the Alison Roman's Creamy Cauliflower pasta from NYTimes Cooking which is what I had intended to make but then opened my fridge to find a leek that desperately needed to be used and I also didn't have any panko breadcrumbs to make the crunchy topping she calls for. I also couldn't be arsed to get the food processor out to blitz some bread to make my own, sue me.

So instead of following her recipe, I used it as a base and made my own and it was rich and creamy and comforting and delicious. It won't give you abs, but it will fill your belly with the warmth I think we all need.

Creamy Cauliflower Pasta

Serves 3

1 leek, washed and sliced (you can use an onion, shallot or even spring onions instead)
1 medium head of cauliflower, leaves removed and sliced/roughly chopped
A good splosh of olive oil
A knob of butter
1 cup of white wine (you can use a stock cube + 1 cup water here if you don't have white wine)
1 lemon, zest and juice needed
300ml cream
300g short pasta (I used rigatoni)
Parsley (optional - I didn't have it but it would have been a delicious addition)
Salt and Pepper
Parmesan, to serve

Heat oil and butter in a large frying pan on medium heat. Add the leek and a pinch of salt and cook for about 3-5 minutes until it started to soften. Add the cauliflower, breaking up any large pieces and cooking for a further 5 minutes.

(Get your salted water boiling for the pasta.)

Once the cauliflower starts to soften, add the cup of wine and lemon zest and cook until all the liquid has been cooked away and you start to hear a sizzle again. This can take about 8 - 10 minutes, you want to cook all the liquid away until it starts frying again so you get a little bit of colour and caramelisation on the vegetables.

Start cooking your pasta, according to the packet instructions. Make sure you keep about 1 cup of pasta cooking water.

Once the cauliflower starts to colour, turn the heat down to low and add the cream. Cook on low until the sauce thickens.

When your pasta is cooked and the sauce thickened, add the pasta to the sauce along with some of the pasta cooking water bit by bit and give it a good toss. You may not need to add the whole cup, depends on how much your sauce thickened. Turn the heat off.

Add the juice of half the lemon, the chopped parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve piping hot with parmesan and maybe a squeeze more lemon juice.

Baked Pasta Shells Filled with Mushrooms and Ham

When I need a little comfort, I make pasta and bake it. Nothing beats bubbly pasta bake piping hot straight out of the oven with its crunchy top and molten middle. No matter the reason you may need comforting, whether it be because you miss someone you love, jammed your finger in a drawer at work and are now sporting a purple fingernail, you're angry at the government or have run out of milk for your morning coffee. I truly believe pasta bake helps, even just a little. 

This recipe of stuffed giant pasta shells filled with garlicky mushrooms and prosciutto covered in a bechamel sauce and baked until golden is one for the repertoire. It's from Gennaro Contaldo's new cookbook 'Gennaro's Pasta Perfecto!'. You start by chopping everything very small, which sounds a little tedious but instead of chopping nearly a kilo of mushrooms by hand, because let's remember, you are making this because you want a little warm n' fuzzy, get the food processor/Tupperware chopper thing/ grater out and use the help you have. I did and it worked perfectly. But, if chopping is your thang/therapeutic, then you go girl! Chop away!

After you've finished your're chopping/blitzing it all comes together in about four simple steps. One, cook the pasta until al dente, remember it will continue to cook a little in the oven. Two, fry your garlic, prosciutto, mushrooms, and white wine until everything is cooked through and smelling delish. Three, make your white sauce, which always sounds harder than it actually is - trust the method below and you'll do great. And four,  putting it all together and filling your pasta shells. Ok, five, topping it with more parmesan and shoving the whole thing in the oven for 20 minutes.

When it comes out, it's creamy and crunchy, piping hot, full of flavour because of the mushroom-packed filling and white sauce with its touch of nutmeg, it's a tray of comfort. If you want a vego version, you can remove the prosciutto and up your mushrooms, or even add some soaked dried porcini mushrooms to get some extra mushroom-i-ness into it. 

Make it for yourself when you need the warm and fuzzy's or make it for someone else who does. Either way, just make it because Gennaro thinks 'Pasta is love' and I agree. I think we can all do with some more love in the world.

Baked Pasta Shells Filled with Mushrooms and Ham

aka Conchiglioni Al Forno Ripieni Di Fungi e Prosciutto

Recipe from Gennaro's Pasta Perfecto! by Gennaro Contaldo

Serves 4

About 30 conchiglinoi pasta shells (giant pasta shells)

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

150g prosciutto, very finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

750g mushrooms, very finely chopped

2 tablespoons white wine

2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

sea salt and ground black pepper

For the white sauce:

3 tablespoons (40g) butter

1/4 cup (40g) plain flour

500ml (2 cups) milk

pinch sea salt

pinch grated nutmeg

150g (2 1/4 cups) grated parmesan

Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil and cook the conchiglinoi until al dente (check the instructions on your packet for cooking time). Drain the pasta, rinse under cold water and let drain upside-down on a large plate or tray, so any excess water drain off.

Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat, add the prosciutto and saute for 1 minute, then add the garlic and sweat for another minute. Stir in the mushrooms, increase the heat, add the wine and saute for 5-7 minutes, until the mushrooms are cooked. Remove from the heat, season with salt and pepper, then stir in the parsley and let cool slightly.

Preheat oven to 180C fan/ 200C / 400F.

Make the white sauce: melt the butter in a small saucepan, then remove from the heat and, with a small whisk, mix in the flour very quickly to avoid lumps. Gradually add the milk, whisking well in between each addition. Return to the heat and cook over medium heat for 3-4 minutes, whisking all the time, until the sauce begins to thicken. Remove from the heat, season with salt and nutmeg, and stir in half of the grated parmesan.

Combine a ladleful of the white sauce with the mushroom mixture and mix well. Line the bottom of a large baking dish (about 34 x 22cm) with about half of the white sauce. Fill the pasta shells with the mushroom mixture and lay them in a dish on top of the sauce. Pour over the remaining white sauce and sprinkle with the remaining grated parmesan. Bake in the hot oven for 20 minutes, until golden and bubbly.

Peas, Pappardelle, Parmesan from Nigel Slater's Greenfeast: spring, summer.

Pasta again, I know. But it is one of my favourite foods of all time so naturally, I am drawn to every pasta recipe ever created. Also, yes I can read. I know that we are currently in winter and this book is named Greenfeast: spring, summer. But when you get sent as lovely a cookbook as this, you can't wait six months to share it and plus, peas are available all year round thanks to Mr McCain and his trusty freezer. So now you can enjoy the taste of spring and summer after the cold, dark commute home from work midweek with me. Thank me later :)

Greenfeast; spring, summer by Nigel Slater is a bit like a handbook for summer and spring vegetables and how to eat them in a non-boring way. I'm surely not the only one who stares at a zucchini for longer than anyone should ever stare at a zucchini for wondering what to do differently with it. Well, this book will give you a whole bunch of new ideas of how to use summer and spring produce and you won't be staring blankly at your zucchini's ever again. It is the first of a duo. Summer, spring is out now, for the UK summer months and then autumn, winter will be released later on in the year for the UK's, well duh! winter months. Backward for us southern hemisphere folk but that didn't stop me from sticking tabs throughout half of the book of things I want to make now. If you are looking for some fresh ideas for your veg, this book would be a winner, plus the way Nigel writes about food is almost romantic and a joy to read. Even something as simple as toast, he can make it sound like it should be on a degustation menu.

Next time you are at the shops, pick your self up a bag of frozen peas, some pappardelle pasta nests, a parmesan block and some fresh goats cheese or ricotta which is what I used. And dinner is done in fifteen minutes, tops! You'll have a bowl full of steamy comforting, yet fresh pasta that will remind you that the clocks do change again and we'll be complaining about how hot it is before we know it.

I know when the warm days start, this book will get a workout. But right now I am enjoying the cooler nights, rugged up in a dressing gown on the couch in uggs with a bowl of steaming pasta. I'm getting my winter warmer coat on you see while eyeing off the mustard guacamole, mozzarella, bagel for lunch this week and the rice, pickles, nori for dinner (need to find tsukemono pickled vegetables) or even the shitake, coconut, soba noodles. YUM! A little taste of summer in the mid-Australian winter.

Peas, Pappardelle, Parmesan

Quiet Flavours.

Recipe from Greenfeast: spring, summer by Nigel Slater
Serves 2

vegetable stock 600ml
peas 300g (podded weight)
pappardelle 300g
parmesan 25g, grated
fresh young sheep's or goats cheese 200g

Put the vegetable stock on to boil (you can use water at a push). Keeping a handful of raw peas to one side, cook the rest in the boiling stock for five to seven minutes, depending on their size. Whilst the peas cook, boil the pappardelle for seven to eight minutes in generously salted water.

Put the peas and 150ml of their cooking liquid into a blender and process till smooth, introducing more stock as necessary to produce a thin, brightly flavoured sauce. Drain the pasta and return to to the pan, pour in the pea sauce, scatter over the Parmesan and fold in. Check the seasoning. Divide between two deep plates.

Break the sheep's cheese into large pieces, scatter over the pasta with the reserved raw peas and serve.

* Start the pea sauce before putting the pasta on. The sauce will hold in good condition whilst the pasta cooks. If you are using fresh peas, check them every minute or so throughout cooking; they can take anything from four minutes to much longer to become tender. Much depends on their age and size. If you are using frozen peas, they should be done in four to five minutes. Process the peas and their stock in two goes rather than risk overfilling the blender. (sorry. Obvious, I know, but it is so easy to.)

* You can make a similar sauce the broad beans. They are more starchy than peas, so be prepared to add a little more vegetable stock during bending.

Pasta all' Amatriciana with Tomatoes from Where Cooking Begins by Carla Lalli Music.

Did you ever play that trust falling game when you were younger? Close your eyes and fall backwards in the hope that your friend catches you. Well, I made this pasta dish the other day and it reminded me of that game. I didn't fall backwards int the kitchen and land in pasta, no, but it did go against everything I've ever done before. I trusted and it worked and it was one of the best homemade tomato spicy pasta dinners I've made.

The recipe, Pasta all' Amatriciana with Confit Tomatoes is from a cookbook called Where Cooking Begins by Carla Lalli Music (thank you!). The book itself is split into two sections, technique and recipes that use the techniques you've learnt in the first half of the book. Some of the techniques I am not so confident in such as confit and she simplifies and breaks them down into easy-to-do steps. She then gives you a whole bunch of ideas to use that technique. Such as with confit, she gives you a dozen things that you can confit and shows you step by step how to do it. Garlic cloves, carrots, chicken thighs, potatoes, leeks, lemons, parsnips, tinned tomatoes, salmon, turkey legs, tuna steaks and butternut squash. Other techniques she guides you through are, saute, pan-roast, steam, boil and simmer, slow roast and pastry dough. Each of them then has their own dozen of examples. It's definitely going to become one of my go-to reference guides and that's before even getting to the recipes.

Pasta alla Norma from Simple by Yotam Ottolenghi

Last week I was stuck indoors with a virus that after going to the doctor I was told, had to run it's course and just to rest. I feel like I went slightly mad being stuck inside all day, waiting to feel better. Waiting to snap out of it.

Cooking dinner for myself helped. On Monday I felt so rotten I couldn't get off the couch so ordered Thai take away for one. Tuesday I escaped the house for dinner and had Chicken Curry at Kate's (sooo good!), Wednesday I made a one-pot mac and cheese from Hetty McKinnon's cookbook Family. That was the easiest and probably the tastiest mac and cheese I've ever made. It had sweet potato smooshed in it and I didn't have 100 pans to wash up after! I'll have to share the recipe for that when I make it again next time and can snap a photo or two. Thursday my fruit and veg box arrived which had a lovely eggplant in it just waiting for me to douse it in olive oil and add it to a pasta. Which I did and it was insanely good. Friday I made a vegetable curry of sorts... it was strange but it was comforting which was all I wanted.

Minestrone Veloce from Gennaro's Fast Cook Italian

Hello old friend. I’m sitting here writing this surrounded by boxes and bags waiting for pizza to arrive. We’re moving on Monday you see. Across the road. Yep. All we need to do is walk our belongings out the front door, around the corner and across the road… it’s about 100 metres away. You’d think that would make moving a whole lot easier but I don’t think it will as we are determined to do it all ourselves. We = husband and I. I’ve been packing this week while Tris is away for work and eating my way through the freezer. I’ve found all sorts. Smokey mexican beans, pork and fennel bolognese, peas, edamame, pumpkin soup, two types of dumplings, lots of crusty bread, veggie fried rice and even two portions of minestrone soup that had a dollop of pesto on top and everything. Oh how I loved my past self this week.

The kitchen was the first thing we started packing and I finished off. I don’t know if that was a good idea but I guess picking the most challenging room first was better than leaving it last and now that it’s completely done, the rest feels like it’ll be a sinch. Only thing is, we still have two nights and I’ve packed everything except two bowls, one plate and a couple of utensils, hence the takeaway tonight.

Anna Jones's one-pan pea, lemon & asparagus pasta.

Lets be honest, we don't really get four seasons in Sydney, we get two and a few days of odd change in between. For the past couple of days I've felt the cool change, the shift into Autumn, and I love it. It's cooler at night (Thankgawwd!!) and the days haven't been stifling hot. I've happily (against my waistline) craved more comfort foods, slept with the donna on and even considered turning the oven on to bake rather than avoiding it like the plague. I know this won't last, there are some hot days on the forecast but I am enjoying the shift while it's here and also enjoying the last of summers produce before tomatoes lose their taste and stoned fruit feels like a dream.

January, perspective + Marcella Hazan’s Tomato Sauce with Onion and Butter.

Blogs are a funny one. You share a part of your life but not all of your life because who wants to read about the crappy stuff. It’s the same with social media, who wants to see a filtered photo of a too cold, sad sandwich (yes sandwiches can be sad) balancing on your knee in a hospital room? The answer is no one. But life does have it’s crappy moments and January, boy oh boy did you have yours. Everything’s different now, for not so great reasons and also, for the best.

We knew it was coming, it just snuck up on us all a little quicker than expected. About two weeks ago we moved my dad into a nursing home to live. He has alzheimer's. He was diagnosed 5 years ago, just before his 63rd birthday. He was too young then and still is. It’s shit. It’s not fair. But it is life I guess. 

I know how lucky I am for everything and everyone I have and I could have kept this to myself and there are things I have kept to myself over the years. It is just part of life now and if I didn’t share it I’d feel weird going on and on about, what sometimes feels like nonsense here, when really some days are just plain shitty. I do also feel weird sharing it but I think it’s good to see both the good and crappy. It’s real. It’s life. And I don't think it's talked about enough.

But in saying that, I scrolled through the photos on my phone last night and it made me realise you’d never have known the year didn’t have the most joyest of beginnings. We just don't take photos of the ok days, it’s the good ones which you find yourself blurting ‘SMILE!’ out at someone and also grinning like an idiot in hopes the other person smiles too. Yes, some days were sadder than others but not every day was bad. January also included a mini-break to Cottesloe in WA for a cousin-in-laws (is that a thing?) wedding where we met up with family who we don’t see nearly enough and I rode a bicycle. Now this may not sound like a big thing for the average joe but I’m so so bad on a bike and it was my idea to hire them. As soon as I said it and everyone agreed I instantly thought, oh crap what have I done!? But I’m getting better and it was so worth the sore bum and all the weird squarks I made trying not to ride into people and parked cars. The views and beaches along the costal bike track are beautiful but pretty sure the cold beer and chicken parama at the end helped too. Oh and there are so many dogs along the way!! I couldn’t appreciate them as much as the others or I’d have fallen off and face planted the path but why doesn’t Sydney have more dog beaches? They should.

Rome’s Involtini di Manzo (Beef Rolls) from Tasting Rome.

This will be my last post before I enter into a blissful week of tropical summer where my hardest decisions will be whether I order a cocktail in a coconut or pineapple. I'm going on holidays!!! And I'm so excited. It's been 5 years since I've been on a proper 'hop-on-a-plane' holiday and the first time in 9 years going overseas with my other half. Thailand here we come baby!!

But before I disappear off cyber space for the next week I thought I'd share the dinner I made on Saturday night when the big chill decided to hit the east coast of Australia. My previous post must of jinxed it and Mother Nature thought 'I'll show her!' and let Jack Frost go mental on us all. So to warm our little footsies a hearty, carb filled, slow cooked dinner was on the cards with a glass of wine (or a bottle or two) for Saturday night.

Earlier in the week I read a blog post from 'Dinner: A Love Story' where guest blogger Katie Parla shared a recipe for Rome’s Involtini di Manzo (Beef Rolls) from her new book Tasting Rome who she wrote with Kristina Gill - I cannot wait to get my hands on a copy when I'm back. As soon as I read the post, I knew I had to make it this weekend, especially if it was going to be as cold as they were predicting. And it was. Jack Frost did not hold back although he didn't quite bring the snow to Sydney unfortunately.

Now I could tell you that the entire dinner went smoothly and I had no hiccups but then my nose would grow and quickly poke the laptop screen in front of me as I'd be telling you a fib. I blame the fact that there was a cheese plater and a bottle of really delicious bubbles that made me (kind of) forget about the involtino in tomato sauce blipping away that needed checking now and again to make sure it hadn't reduced too much or caught on the bottom. It was my nose that picked up on it before dinner ended up a total disaster. I could suddenly smell something and I instantly knew what it was, I've done this before you see. I had a 'Julie and Julia' moment when Julie Powell burns the stew... no no no no! I walked very quickly (I didn't want to cause alarm by running despite what instinct told me to do) over to the pot and lifted the lid. I had caught it just in time. I turned the heat off, didn't stir it and scooped the involtini out of the pan and the parts of the thick sauce which hadn't caught to the bottom of the pan yet and put it all in a new pot with about a cup of boiling water to save dinner. It worked...thank goodness!! Dinner was saved and even with my hiccup it tasted pretty darn delicious.

The recipe says 'cook once, eat twice' but I decided to serve the entire dish with spaghetti and serve it all together with the involtini sliced on top. It was delicious and the leftovers on Sunday night were just as good, if not even better.

I know I will make this again and again, I love pasta with tomato based sauces and any kind of slow cooked beef. Yum. It does take and hour and a half on the stove and YES it needs to be checked now and again to make sure it hasn't reduced too much or caught on the bottom of your pot. But then maybe don't try and consume half a bottle of bubbles and a cheese plate while cooking or at least set a timer if good wine and cheese distracts you as much as it does me.

It was a great way to spend a chilly Saturday night... great food and great company now bring on the cocktails and sun lounges. Laters!

Rome’s Involtini di Manzo (Beef Rolls)

Makes 6 involtini, plus about 2 cups sauce for pasta
From Tasting Rome, by Katie Parla and Kristina Gill

500g beef sizzle steaks or rump roast, cut into six equal thin slices
sea salt
6 thin slices prosciutto
1 carrot, julienned
1 celery stalk, julienned
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, crushed
800g can whole peeled tomatoes
1 cup dry white wine
Freshly ground black pepper

- Lay the slices of beef flat on a chopping board and season with salt on both sides. Place 1 piece of prosciutto over each slice of meat, followed by 3 or 4 sticks each of carrot and celery at one short end of the meat. Roll the meat around the vegetables, forming a medium-tight involtino (roll). Using a couple of toothpicks inserted flush with the meat to keep the roll closed (or you can use kitchen twine).

- Heat the olive oil in a medium to small pot over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the involtini and brown on all sides, about 5 minutes. Remove the rolls from the pan and set aside.

- Add the crushed garlic to the same pan and cook, stirring constantly until it just turns golden, about 2 minutes. Stir in the canned tomatoes and wine and cook until the alcohol aroma dissipates, about a minute or two.

- When the sauce begins to simmer, add the involtini back to the pan. The meat should be mostly covered by the tomato sauce. Cook, covered, until the meat is fork-tender, about 1½ hours, checking occasionally (very important!!) to be sure the meat is at least two-thirds submerged and adding water if necessary.

- Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately with spaghetti (like I did) or separately serving the sauce with pasta as an entree and the Involtini as a mail. Or allow the dish to rest in the refrigerator for up to three days to allow the flavours to develop - it's even better the next day!

Carbonara from 'It's all Easy' by Gwyneth Paltrow.

Raw egg. Some people have a huge aversion to it. Whether it's scrambled eggs which aren't cooked enough and still have the wobbly bits, a whole raw egg in a protein shake, stirring it through hot pasta or the eggs in desserts that haven't being heat treated. Everyone has their limits, mine being the egg in the protein shake. Younger me was very different, I'd cook scrambled eggs until they were dry and rubbery. Now I like them silky and soft and taken off the heat just before they are all the way done so the residual heat continues to cook them ever so slightly. I would never have made them like this when I was younger, I would have cooked the buggery out of them each and every time. Same goes for spaghetti carbonara, it was more like spaghetti with a side of scrambled eggs- it was awful!

Being older and wise now my egg murdering days are gone but not forgotten and that might be because I've steered clear of carbonara and mastered the scrambled eggs. But when I received Gwyneth Paltrow's new cookbook 'It's All Easy' last weekend I was instantly drawn to the pasta and noodle recipes, more specifically the carbonara recipe. It's in a chapter called 'in a pinch'. Ha! I thought, carbonara in a pinch!? She's got to be joking. Then I read the recipe and it dawned on me that I could probably make this 'in a pinch' but would I end up with scrambled eggs again? She said it's easy, I mean she even says in the notes that 'it's shockingly easy to make' and I had all the ingredients so why not? I was kind of scared. Yes thats right. Scared of carbonara.

I could have gone for any of the other recipes that also caught my eye such as the chicken and zucchini noodle pho, ramen 4 ways- miso, spring veggie, spicy prawn, roasted pork, or the poached asian chicken salad or even the grilled cheese and easy tomato soup. All of which look amazing and mind you, don't look like your average midweek dinner but until you get reading, they are actually quite simple dishes to put together. But I'd set myself a challenge at this point and I wasn't backing down. I was going to make carbonara, no side of scrambled eggs tonight. I mean we could always have cheese on toast for dinner if I botched it up real bad.

I followed Gwyneth's instructions as if they were sacred. While the pasta cooked and my bacon pieces fried I cracked my eggs yolks and whole egg into a large mixing bowl and added grated one and a half cups of parmesan (I even measured it) and one teaspoon of freshly cracked pepper. After a slight moment of yelling at the book when the cracked pepper ended up everywhere other than on my teaspoon, I gave it a mix. I clung to every step and reread them about five times when it came time to assemble and tossed my hot pasta in the egg mixture and bacon pieces adding a tablespoon at a time of the 'hot' pasta water (mixing constantly) until I got the silky consistency a carbonara should have. I served it straight away with a simple green salad with a punchy lemon dressing.

And... it's one of the best carbonara's I've ever eaten. Yep, I said it. It was creamy and cheesy and not gluggy at all, the amount of black pepper was so delicious and bitey. I thought it was going to be too much and over powering but it matched the richness of the sauce and the saltiness of the bacon perfectly. In saying that though, if you don't like pepper I wouldn't put so much in but I loved it. And you know what? There wasn't one bit of scrambled egg in there at all. A perfect carbonara if you ask me... in a pinch and shockingly easy. YUM.

Carbonara

ever-so slightly adapted from 'It's All Easy' by Gwyneth Paltrow
Serves 4 (or three greedy people)

salt
120g of bacon or pancetta, cut into small dice
2 egg yolks (or 3 to make it extra creamy)
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups finely grated parmesan cheese, plus more to serve
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
340g bucatini (tubular spaghetti)

- Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to boil over high heat for the pasta.

- Fry the bacon in a pan over medium heat until crispy, 5-7 minutes.

- Combine egg yolks, egg, parmesan and pepper to a large bowl and mix well.

- Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions until al dente reserving 1 cup of hot pasta water (the temperature is important because you are going to use this water to help cook the egg).

- Drain the pasta and add it immediately to the bowl with the cheese and eggs, tossing immediately to mix everything together.

- Add the bacon and any rendered fat from the pan to the bowl, toss to coat, and add the hot pasta water 1 tablespoons at a time until the sauce reaches a creamy consistency (this usually take about 1/4 cup)

- Taste and adjust with more cheese, pepper or salt.

Saucy Baked Ziti from Stir by Jessica Fechtor.

I just finished reading Stir, My broken brain and the meals that brought me home by Jessica Fechtor and whenever I finish a really great book I feel a little down after because I want more. I often find myself flicking through the last pages hoping that there is another page hidden somewhere in the back. It's a brilliant memoir which take you on her journey through to recovery after having a brain aneurysm rupture at 28 and how food and cooking brought her back into the kitchen which inturn helped her healing. She started a food blog called Sweet Amandine, named after her favourite almond cake during her recovery so she could share her stories and recipes. My words here can't do her book or writing justice. It's a touching memoir that makes you want to hug everyone you love just that little bit tighter and feed them till they are passed full.

The writing in this book makes you feel like you were there through her pain, her recovery and when she finds her way back in the kitchen. How she learnt be the guest in her own home when normally she was the host. You crave the grilled salmon, dressed salad and crusty bread her and her husband make while away at a friends cabin and when she talks about taking her helmet off when she felt safe, it's like you were right there with her. Jessica Fechtor has a way with words that takes you with her and her story.

And the recipes in this book match her writing, they are page splatterers, you can't help but want to get elbows deep in them. With a story behind each one it brings the food to life when you're cooking and knowing that someone all the way across the other side of the world made this recipe every week for Friday dinners and now it's found it's way into your little kitchen, it's a nice feeling to have while pottering around the kitchen.

The first one that tickled my fancy before I'd even finished the book was the Saucy Baked Ziti. Only a few months ago I had never heard of Baked Ziti before, what on earth is this hashtag going around instagram!? A bit of googling and insta-stalking later I realised that it essentially was a type of pasta bake. The internet does not do this dish much justice to be honest and I'd never heard of this type of pasta called 'ziti'. But then it popped up in Jess's book where she mentions that she never really knew what the fuss was about and I'll be honest again, either did I and I love a good pasta bake! If she didn't know what the fuss was about but the recipe has made it into her book then it must be worth a try and... Wholly Cow! It was good!!

Rich and comforting but spicy and slightly creamy with cheese and basil throughout. Oh and how can I forget the panko bread crumb topping!?! I'm going to say it... One of the best pasta bakes I've ever had. Jess's Saucy Baked Ziti rocked! Sorry to all the other hundreds of Baked Ziti recipes out there in the cyber void, I will forever stay true to this one.

It does use a fair few pots but then it goes in the oven for 15 minutes for the final cooking and it gives you time to do an initial tidy and clean so you can sit down knowing that there is only your bowls and the baking dish left. I love a recipe like that and didn't mind the washing up at all for the final result. I will be making this again and again I can already tell. So delicious.

I loved that Jessica shared her story with the world, thankyou. The only problem now is which recipe to make next... the wholemeal chocolate chip cookies? or the Butter Almond cake? or to throw a dinner party on a Friday night and serve freshly baked challah and roast chicken!?

Saucy Baked Ziti

recipe from Stir, My broken brain and the meals that brought me home by Jessica Fechtor.
serves 6 - 8

For the tomato sauce:
4 tablespoons olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon crushed chilli flakes, plus more to taste (I found 1 teaspoon spicy enough)
2 x 400g cans whole peeled tomatoes
1 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more to taste

For the bechamel:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons plain flour
2 cups full cream milk, warmed (but not boiled)
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more to taste
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg, plus more to taste

For the rest of the dish:
450g dry ziti or rigatoni (I used penne)
225g fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 cup (50g) freshly grated parmesan
1 cup (50g) panko bread crumbs
A pinch or two of nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon crushed chilli flakes (optional - I left these out)
2 tablespoons olive oil
A handful of fresh basil leaves, sliced or torn into small pieces

- Preheat oven to 375F or 180C and brush a baking dish with olive oil.

Make the tomato sauce:
- Pour the 4 tablespoons olive oil into a saucepan and warm over medium-high heat. Stir in the garlic and crushed chilli flakes and cook for about 1 minute or so, until fragrant (be careful not to colour the garlic). Add the tomatoes, smooshing them up in your hands as you drop them in the pot along with all the juices. Stir in the salt and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until slightly thickened. Taste and add more salt or chilli if you'd like. Remove the pot from the heat and set aside.

Meanwhile, make the bechamel:
- Melt butter in a clean saucepan over medium head. Add the flour and stir for a couple of minutes to form a pale brown paste. Very slowly add the warmed milk while whisking continuously. Bring the sauce to a boil and cook for about 5 minutes, whisking the whole time until it thickens. Remove pot from the heat, stir in the salt and nutmeg then taste to see if you need anymore of either. Set aside.

Make the pasta and assemble the dish:
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add the pasta. Cook until it's 3 to 4 minutes short of being done. Drain and transfer to your largest bowl. Add the tomato sauce, bechamel, mozzarella and about three quarters of the parmesan and mix well.Transfer mix into prepared baking dish and scatter the ziti with the remaining parmesan.

- In a small bowl, toss the bread crumbs with a pinch of nutmeg, some extra chilli flakes if you want a little extra heat and 2 tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkle over the top.

- Bake until the ziti is bubbling and the top is brown, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes, then scatter the sliced basil over the top and serve.

Pasta e Fagioli with Crispy Prosciutto

I'm having a bit of a soup obsession lately. I think it could be that all I feel like doing when I get home from work is curling up on the couch with a big bowl of steaming soup. Growing up my mum didn't make many soups, mainly because my dad has never been a fan of them. Why? I don't understand because I can't get enough of them this winter.

I made Pasta e Fagioli with Crispy Prosciutto from Ashley Rodriguez's new cookbook 'Date night in' last Tuesday night and it only scraps the surface of whats in this cookbook. This book is full of inspirational menus bursting with ideas, the chapter introductions give you an insight into her home and kitchen and the date nights she shares are just special. Some of the menu's have a cocktail to start the chapter, which is her husbands forte but most of the menu's have entree, main and dessert. Flicking through the pages makes me wish date night was every night but I don't know if I could mentally cope with the amount of washing up after each night if we were to have three courses each night. I am envious of all dishwasher owners.

She has make-ahead tips and tricks throughout the whole book which could also work for dinner parties if you doubled recipes. It makes me want to rent a bigger apartment to fit a bigger dining table with more chairs so I can host dinner parties each week. I didn't make the whole kit and caboodle for dinner on Tuesday night, just the main which I originally thought was a pasta recipe by looking at the photo but boy was I wrong. I was in for a delicious pasta and bean soup with a crispy piece of prosciutto on top. Perfect for a cold night in watching 'House of Cards' on Netflix (I am completely obsessed with this show right now).

The soup itself was relatively easy but didn't compensate on flavour. Ashley gives you a make-ahead tip so you can reheat a couple of days later but to make sure you cook the pasta just before serving and not beforehand so it keeps it's al dente bite. I of course double the amount of pasta which meant I had to also double the liquid too... I couldn't help myself... I love pasta and it did mean there was sufficient leftover for greedy guts me and Tris for work the next day but I agree with Ashley on the make-ahead tip. If you are making this the day before don't add the pasta until you want to serve it. The pasta soaks up all the liquid and it turns into more of a past with sauce rather than a pasta soup.

Now don't be scared of double carbing here. Beans and pasta you say...hmmm. I say... it's amazing! It gives the soup a creaminess without having to actually add cream. It allows the soup to keep all the fresh flavours of the herbs and tomatoes which cream can sometimes dull down. I also really loved the prosciutto which was fried till crispy and served on the side so you could break it up into your soup. It intensified the flavour of it and now and again you found a salt bit of crunch. yum. Am thinking Braised Pork Chilaquiles with Roasted Tomatillo Salsa and Pickled Red onions next and maybe a Aperol Spritz or two.

Pasta e Fagioli with Crispy Prosciutto

Recipe by Ashley Rodriguez from her cookbook 'Date Night In'.
(adapted ever so slightly by me)
Serves 4

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 small brown onion
2 celery stalks
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
4 cups low sodium chicken stock
1 x 400g can cannellini beans, drained
1 x 400g can diced tomatoes
140g orecchiette pasta (I used shells)
4 slices prosciutto
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup finely grated parmesan

- Heat olive oil in a large pot or dutch oven over medium heat and saute the onion, celery, garlic, salt, oregano and thyme for about 8 to 10 minutes until fragrant and the onions are translucent.

- Add the chicken stock, beans and tomatoes and bring everything to a boil. Reduce to a gentle simmer and cook for about 10 minutes- If you are making the soup in advance, stop here and store in the fridge for up to 2 days.

- When you are ready to serve dinner, bring the soup back to the boil and add the pasta and cook according to packet instructions or until pasta is al dente, about 10 - 12 minutes.

- Meanwhile, crisp the prosciutto in a non-stick frying pan or skillet over medium-high heat until it shrivels and the fat has rendered, about 1 - 2 minutes on each side. Transfer it onto some paper towel. Once the prosciutto cools it will turn crispy.

- Once the pasta is cooked, stir in the parsley, taste and adjust seasoning (keep in mind that the prosciutto and parmesan are salty) and serve with grated parmesan and a piece of crispy prosciutto on top.

'Let my eggplant go free!' with spaghetti from Food52's Genius Recipes cookbook.

If you remember my post from 2 weeks ago about my struggle and failure to cook for one and you decide to keep reading this, you'll find out I still haven't mastered it. BUT what I have done is found a delicious pasta sauce recipe with a rich eggplant and sun-dried tomato sauce which a pretty funky name... 'Let my Eggplant go free'. Yep that the name of the recipe.

While Tristan was away this time I made a conscious decision to not let me self get into a frump about cooking for one. However I made enough dinner to feed about 4 people but only me to eat it. It meant lunches for the next couple of days so I wasn't complaining and it also meant I got to pig out on a huge bowl of spaghetti while watching 'Married at First Sight'.

This recipe has been around for a few years now but it's been recently re-published in the Food52 Genius Recipes cookbook by Kristen Miglore. It is another recipe I first saw on Luisa's blog The Wednesday Chef and then put two and two together while flicking through the cookbook, it's not like you come across a recipe name like that every day. So when I saw it on her blog and in Food52's book I just had to make it.

I'm not sure mushed the eggplant enough as mine looked a little different. I also didn't have dried tomatoes or basil so I used sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil and parsley since our parsley plant has gone bonkers. I've been putting parsley in everything lately... a bit of neglect and tough love and it's thriving!

First I started off salting the eggplant slices which is something most recipes tell you to do when cooking eggplant but I've always skipped this step and never done it. I did however do it this time. I salted my eggplant then jumped in the shower and by the time I was out and dressed again it has been about 20 minutes and the chopping board was full of water. So there is a purpose to this madness of salting. Next I diced it and through it in to the pan with what looked like a huge amount of extra virgin oil but within seconds all the oil was soaked up and the cubes of eggplant looks like they were dry frying.

Sometimes I don't understand the next step in a recipe if I haven't made it before until I see it happening. I have to trust the recipe which can be daunting to see what happens. Fry the eggplant until translucent huh? but it's eggplant. After not too long I knew what the recipe meant... sometimes you have to have faith but I have had experiences where I have screamed at books doing exactly what it said and ended up with a lumpy burnt mess. So it's a little hit and miss making something for the first time but theres nothing like a little adventure in the kitchen!

After adding some water to the eggplant and letting it simmer away until there was almost no liquid left I mushed it up using a potato masher and the back of a spoon, added the parsley and sun-dried tomatoes. I served it with a pretty decent serving of parmesan I sat down to some trashy tv and a huge bowl of pasta on the couch while the cat snored next to me.

This sauce is rich without looking rich. When you start fill your fork with a huge mouthful of spaghetti and try and get a bit of everything on it, all the extra virgin olive oil you put in the pan first is still there in the silky eggplant sauce and coats your lips like a good lip gloss. The herbs thrown in at the end give it a really fresh vibe which I think it needs, maybe even a squirt of lemon juice on top next time. It's not the prettiest but its definitely a winner if you love eggplant, just keep in mind this serves 4 people not 1 person alone with their cat.

'let my eggplant go free!' with spaghetti

Recipe by Francis Lam from Food52's Genius Recipes cookbook. - with my variations below.

Serves 4

450g eggplant, cut into ½ inch slices
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, lightly smashed
2 springs thyme or oregano, chopped - I used 1/2 teaspoon of dried oregano
1 cup chicken stock or water
2 tablespoons sun-dried or oven-dried tomatoes, minced - I used ones which were kept in olive oil
6 leaves basil, sliced thinly - I used a handful of flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
Salt and pepper
450g spaghetti

- Lightly salt the slices of eggplant and stack them back together. Let sit for about 20 minutes or so.

- Put the olive oil in a heavy saucepan, add the garlic cloves, and set over low heat. 

- Dry off the eggplant, cut it into chunks. When you start hearing the garlic sizzle a little and can smell it, drop in your eggplant and stir to coat it all with oil (this is where your oil will look like it has disappeared). Turn up the heat a little bit to medium high and add the thyme or oregano and stir. 

- Cook until the eggplant started to turn translucent and softens. Add the water/stock and let it come to a boil then turn it back down to medium-low. Let it bubble for a bit and cover it, leaving a crack for steam to escape. Stir once in a while so that the bottom doesn’t stick. If it does start to stick add a splash more water/stock.

- After about 20 minutes or so, the liquid in the eggplant pan should be mostly evaporated and the eggplant should be soft and melting. Mash it with a fork or spoon (I used a potato masher), and adjust the seasoning to taste.

- Meanwhile get the water on a boil for your pasta and cook the spaghetti until al dente. Make sure your spaghetti doesn't sit around waiting for you sauce to cook so try and time it according to the packet instructions to give you an idea of when to put it in the boiling water but always taste to check when cooked.

5. Toss the eggplant mush with the al dente spaghetti. Stir in the minced tomatoes and basil (or parsley). Drizzle with a little more olive oil if you dare and serve with some finely grated parmesan cheese and extra cracked pepper.

Chicken Noodle Soup - adapted from Martha Stewart.

So my attitude towards not wanting wintery foods did a 180 pretty quickly over the rainy weekend... all I felt like was chicken noodle soup. chicken noodle soup. chicken noodle soup. chicken noodle soup... I could not get it off my mind.

I've never made chicken noodle soup before but have always thought that it was something that had to sit on the stove simmering away for hours, used a whole chicken and then be able to feed an army with the amount you made. It sounded a bit daunting to me to be honest and not a midweek dinner.

But my cravings for comfort food over came any doubt I might of had and I sought out this recipe from Martha Stewart for Chicken Noodle Soup that didn't require hours of cooking, a whole chook or feed an army AND you can have this soup on the table within the hour. I was sold.

Oh my goodness! how oh how have I never made chicken noodle soup before?? Seriously!? It is everything I ever dreamed the soup to be and better. Perfect for a cold night or if someone in your home has come down with 'man flu' or passed the 'man flu' onto you (cough cough).

I adapted the recipe slightly because I couldn't help myself and added parsley stalks, a knob of butter, a bay leaf and used parsley instead of dill because that is what I had in our herb garden and of course I added a few extra noodles.

This is a great midweek soup that doesn't take long to prepare or cook and definitely feels like you have put a whole lot of effort in. I want to try and make chicken soup using a whole chicken and home made stock this winter but will save that for a weekend of pottering about when it's too rainy to leave the house. Until then... I have found my winter saviour!

Chicken Noodle Soup

Recipe adapted - original recipe by Martha Stewart.

Serves 4

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 knob of butter
2 sticks celery, diced small
2 medium carrots, roughly chopped into 1cm rings (or creative as you like)
1 brown onion, diced small
Salt and pepper
1 bay leaf
4 cups chicken stock
450g (approx.) skinless chicken breasts
220g think spaghetti (or angel-hair spaghetti or vermicelli)
small bunch parsley, chopped, stalks reserved

- Heat oil and butter in a large pot until butter is melted then add your celery, carrots and onions. Fry them on a medium heat for about 5 minutes until the onion is translucent and vegetables start to soften. Season with salt and pepper.

- Tie your reserved parsley stalks into a neat little parcel with some kitchen string (or you can let them wonder around but it's easier to take them out at the end it you tie them up - just don't do a Bridget Jones blue soup - google it!) and add them along with the bay leaf, stock and 4 cups of water into the pot and bring to a boil.

- Add your chicken breasts into the pot, clunk on a lid and simmer until cooked, about 10-15 minutes but it does depend on how large your chicken breasts are.

- Using tongs, remove the chicken from the pot and shred using two forks or chop it into small soup spoon sized pieces. Return it into the pan and bring everything back up to the boil.

- Add your spaghetti (or vermicelli) and cook until tender according to the packet instructions. I used thin spaghetti and it took about 10 minutes but I know other noodles don't take as long.

- Give it a taste, season with more salt and pepper (if needed) and stir in the parsley. Serve and enjoy... mmmm

Spaghetti with zucchini, chilli flakes and lemon juice.

I have felt less than motivated the past week and a bit... no food cravings, inspiration or gusto to want to make a thing to be honest. I am happy to eat (that will probably never stop) but my cravings and want to make anything specific has gone missing. I am currently on the hunt for it...

It definitely didn't help when I thought I'd make myself a proper breakfast on Saturday and failed at boiling an egg. Yes you read that right. I can't boil an egg... according to my attempts on Saturday. I was excited that my want for cooking was on the return and the thought of a soft boiled egg on a freshly toasted english muffin got me excited! This soon turned into a feeling of failure when I cracked the top off my (what I thought was perfectly boiled) egg and scooped out my running yoke to only watch as a mostly raw egg plopped out and pooled around my nicely buttered english muffin. It's mostly cooked...it's mostly cooked....so I tried to tell myself. But the texture of slimy raw egg that had made my english muffin soggy was too much for me to get over and my breakfast ended up in the bin. I gave up and cleaned my teeth and left the house feeling like a failure.

How can I have a cooking blog when I can't even boil an egg.

On a more positive note though, I can boil pasta. Hooray for pasta!

Think positive. Think positive. Think positive.

One night last week when I was home alone and trying to think of something kinda healthy-ish to eat for dinner and required the least amount of dishes to wash up I came up with this. Spaghetti with grated zucchini, chilli flakes and lemon juice. It was quick, fresh and full of flavour...perfect midweek meal even if you feel like a cooking failure you can do this. You don't need to cook the sauce for a start which means there is already one less pot to clean so we are already winning!

I also discovered a little trick... if you pop two small (peeled) garlic cloves into the boiling water the same time as your pasta they go soft and mild and mushy and yum.

While thats all cooking grate 2 small zucchini's on a box grater, juice of half a juicy lemon, a generous pinch of chilli flakes, some chopped herbs if you have them in the fridge (parsley or basil) but if you don't do not stress and wait until your pasta is ready.

Fishing out the garlic cloves is the hardest part of this whole dinner. I suggest fishing them out before you drain the pasta because they seem to float but once you've drained the pasta they get lost in all the strands of spaghetti.

Once you've finished fishing, squash the garlic cloves with the back of a fork and add everything back into the pot you cooked the pasta in, add a splash of extra virgin olive oil, a nob of butter, a good seasoning of salt and freshly ground black pepper and finish with some parmesan cheese.

This made enough for 2 people or one greedy person who just wants to eats it straight out of the pot :)

Spaghetti with zucchini, chilli flakes and lemon juice.

Serves 2 people - or one greedy person

250g dried spaghetti
2 small zucchini's
2 small cloves of garlic
a splash of extra virgin olive oil
nob of butter
a generous pinch of chilli flakes
juice of half a juicy lemon
roughly 2 tablespoons of roughly chopped basil or parsley (optional)
salt and pepper, to taste
grated parmesan cheese, to serve

- Throw your spaghetti and peeled garlic cloves into a pot of boiling salted water and cook according to packet instructions or until pasta is al dente.

- Meanwhile grate your zucchini using a box grater (or any grater you have) and get all your other ingredients ready to go.

- Fish out your garlic cloves just before you drain your pasta then place the drained pasta back in the pot with a good splash of extra virgin olive oil and a nob of butter. Squash the garlic cloves using the back of a fork until they are a paste then add them along with the chilli flakes, lemon juice and herbs (if using) to the pot with the pasta.

- Turn the heat on low for about 2-3 minutes just so the zucchini warms through a little bit more.

- Season with salt and pepper and serve with parmesan cheese sprinkled on top... either in a bowl or eat directly from the pot.