Feta Cheese salad, with Pasta

A simple salad with feta cheese and two varieties of olives, dressed in olive oil. Diced tomatoes, dressed in some chives and black pepper, diced spring onions, grated carrot, plus cooked wheat-free pasta (ten minutes cooking time, with some turmeric). Drain, and allow to cool.  Then dusted with some smoked paprika. Quick to make. 

Pasta Salad, with grated carrot and diced red onion

 Delicious, but there is not much to this one. Wheat free pasta cooked in salted water for about twelve minutes, and then dusted with powdered paprika. Served with a grated carrot, and about one third of a red onion diced. Dress in a little freshly ground black pepper. 

Cubed Beef and Pasta

 Cubed Scotch beef, cooked for an hour and a half in a lidded pan at a medium heat, with olive oil. The green beans and spinach were cooked for ten minutes along with some dried rosemary in a separate pan. The wheat free pasta was cooked in a third pan for ten minutes or so at a medium heat. Fabulous meal!

Chicken Minestrone

Minestrone has always been a dish based on using up various left-over ingredients. This version used left-over diced roast chicken and carrot. With added garlic and some red chilli. I used arrowroot as a thickener. Great dish!
 

Macaroni in Green Pesto, with Chicken

Salad dish, made with Sainsbury's wheat free macaroni. Cooks slightly more slowly than their other pastas, but that isn't a problem. Cooked with a red and a green pepper for extra heat. Cooled in cold water, and then dressed in the green pesto (Sacla brand). I added dustings of smoked paprika, white pepper, and coriander leaf. 

Served with sliced chicken breast, from an oven roast. 

 

Red Pesto Fusilli with Prosciutto

A simple pasta dish made with wheat-free fusilli and diced prosciutto crudo. Dressed in red pesto. Served cold, with a little black pepper.  

 

Cubed Beef Chilli, with Wheat Free Pasta

Good quality cubed beef from the local Co-op. Browned in olive oil for twenty minutes. After that, I added diced leek, a quarter of a yellow pepper, two diced green finger chillies, and three cloves of garlic. Cooked for twenty minutes, with frequent stirring.

Boiling water was added (about 100mls), and then a standard tin of plum tomatoes. The tomatoes were diced with a spatula. Simmered under glass for an hour.

After that I added beef stock (actually a beef Oxo cube), and some diced fresh basil leaves. Allowed to simmer for another fifteen minutes.

The pasta was cooked for fifteen minutes under glass (with salt and a drizzle of olive oil), with frequent stirring.

The beef chilli was decanted to a pasta bowl, and the (drained) pasta was laid on top. Dressed with a little dried oregano.  Delicious!

Fusili with Chicken, Leek and Fine Beans

Bargain leek and celery from the Co-op, which prompted this dish.

3 centimetres of the head of the celery, finely diced, and one whole leek, cut laterally in half, and then divided into four, and then diced. Boiled for twenty minutes.

The meat from two legs of chicken was added to the pot, along with chicken stock, plus crushed garlic, and 200 mls of tomato passata (tomato puree will do just as well). Stir together thoroughly, and simmer under glass for an hour.

Add chopped fine beans (these were from Morocco), a quarter teaspoonful of paprika, plus the herbs oregano, basil and sage, according to taste. Add black pepper.

The fusili was wheat-free, and from Sainsbury's. Cooks in the same amount of time as standard pasta, but I let it rest after boiling in lightly salted water for a couple of extra minutes before draining. Serve with a dressing of freshly ground black pepper.

Minestrone, with Yellow Peas and Coriander

A simple minestrone soup made with diced coriander, dried whole yellow peas (hydrated overnight), broken pasta, carrot, diced spring onion and dwarf beans, plus half of  a green pepper, a couple of squirts of tomato puree, and one clove of garlic.

Cooked for forty-five minutes under glass at a low heat. After which the herbs (basil, parsely and oregano) were added, along with the chicken and vegetable stock. I also added half a teaspoonful of fish sauce (Asian nam pla, which resembles the fish sauce used by the ancient Romans), and a few shakes of ground white pepper.

Simmered under glass for a further forty minutes or so, before serving.

Baked Pasta Cheese with Chorizo Sausage

A variation on macaroni cheese, made with wheat-free pasta, chorizo sausage, spring onion and tomato, with Cheddar cheese.

I diced about 50g of chorizo, and fried it slowly in an omelette pan for about twenty minutes. The diced tomato was added, along with the spring onion. Cook in the fat from the chorizo for another fifteen minutes.

The stir-fry was decanted into a pyrex bowl. Once the pasta was prepared, it too was added, and stirred through.

Next I made the pasta sauce with cornmeal (use cornflour if you prefer a finer texture), milk and about 50g of grated cheddar. Heated in a saucepan (stirring almost constantly) until the cheese had melted, and the sauce had begun to thicken.

After that the saucepan was removed from the heat, and the sauce was decanted into the pyrex bowl, and stirred in thoroughly. Add white pepper.

Grate another 50g of cheddar and sprinkle on top. Preheat the oven to 190 deg C (about twenty minutes or so), and place on the middle shelf. It should be ready in 40 to 45 minutes, by which time the cheese topping should have begun to brown. Delicious!

Cheese, Pasta and Prosciutto Salad

Diced prosciutto crudo, served with wheat-free fusili, slices of cheddar cheese and spring onion.

The fusili was Sainsbury's own brand, which cooks pretty much like a wheat based fusili (ie, somewhere between nine and fourteen minutes). Cooked in salted water, with a little olive oil to prevent the pasta sticking together.

The dish has a really delicate flavour. No herbs, no chilli, no garlic. Served with a light dusting of black pepper.

Dark Minestrone Soup (with Black Rice)

A great dish for using up odds and ends in the fridge. This one was made with broken spaghetti, diced onion, carrot, potato, spring onion, diced garlic, some red lentils, chopped celery, a quarter of a red bell pepper, a handful of Thai black rice, plus a little spelt grain, three squirts of tomato puree, and chicken stock.

Prepare the vegetables and the spaghetti, and add to a pot of boiling water. Add the rice and the spelt, the tomato puree and the chicken stock. Simmer under glass at a low heat for an hour and a half.

Serve with a toasted garlic and coriander naan bread. Delicious!

Roast Pork, Pasta, and Tomato Salsa

The dish was begun with frying diced leek and onion in some olive oil, for about seven minutes at a medium heat. Then I added a third of a pint of boiling water, and added three squirts of tomato puree.

After that I added some finely diced fresh coriander leaf (dried will do just fine instead), some oregano and half a teaspoonful of paprika.

Then I deseeded a red chilli and cut it into thin strips. I diced two cloves of garlic, and added them to the pan. I broke a couple of slices of the roast pork into smaller chunks, and added everything to the pan. The resulting pork and tomato salsa was simmered for half an hour at a low heat under glass.

Served in this case with wheat-free pasta, cooked in salted water with a little olive oil to prevent sticking Ten to twelve minutes preparation time.

Dress with some freshly ground black pepper.

Wheat-Free Pasta Salad, with Garlic and Onion Mayo

The garlic and mayo salad was made a couple of days before this dish, and kept in the fridge. Made by using a food chopper to dice one clove of garlic, and half a medium sized onion. Mixed together with two dessert spoonfuls of standard mayonnaise.

The vegetables were: half a dozen cherry tomatoes, each cut into three with a sharp vegetable knife, half a green bell pepper, a handful of diced spinach leaves, and one diced spring onion.

The pasta was cooked for nine to ten minutes at a low heat in salted water under glass, then drained, and rinsed in cold water until cool. Drain again.

The vegetables, pasta and the garlic and onion mayo were stirred together in a glass bowl, and then decanted to the serving dish. Topped with some finely grated parmigiano reggiano cheese. Fifteen minutes preparation time!

Spaghetti and Bacon, with a Blue Stilton Napoletana

I diced two rashers of smoked bacon, then fried the pieces in a large saute pan in a little olive oil. I then added a julienned onion, and half a diced pepper. The ingredients were stir-fried for twenty minutes at a medium heat, until the onions began to brown, and the bacon became crispy.

I mashed a tin of peeled plum Italian tomatoes in a bowl and added them to the saute pan, along with about 400mls of boiling water. Stirred through the dish thoroughly, and add vegetable stock. Then I added about 40g of pieces of Blue Stilton cheese. Stirred for about seven minutes at a medium heat, until the cheese had entirely dissolved in the salsa.

The hob was turned down to a low heat, and was allowed to simmer for half an hour, with occasional stirring. Add black pepper, oregano, and some basil.

Served in this case with a wheat-free spaghetti from Sainsbury's, which behaves in the pot just like  durum wheat spaghetti. The pasta was cooked at a fairly low heat for twelve minutes, in salted water with a pinch of turmeric. Stir frequently!

Pasta and Bacon Napoletana

Always risky to try a variation of an established dish if it is Italian! This one is fairly simple however, and should not annoy. It involves only two extra ingredients - Blue Stilton cheese, and diced green pepper.

I began by dicing two rashers of smoked bacon, and frying the pieces in a large saute pan in a little olive oil. I then added a julienned onion, and half a diced pepper. The ingredients were stir-fried for twenty minutes at a medium heat, until the onions began to brown, and the bacon became crispy.

I mashed a tin of peeled plum Italian tomatoes in a bowl and added them to the saute pan, along with about 400mls of boiling water. Stirred through the dish thoroughly, and add vegetable stock. Then I added about 40g of pieces of Blue Stilton cheese (bargain buy from the local co-op over Christmas!). Stirred for about seven minutes at a medium heat, until the cheese had entirely dissolved in the salsa.

The hob was turned down to a low heat, and was allowed to simmer for half an hour, with occasional stirring. Add black pepper, oregano, and some basil.

Served in this case with a wheat-free pasta from Sainsbury's, which behaves in the pot just like  durum wheat penne. The pasta was cooked at a fairly low heat for twelve minutes, in salted water and a drizzle of olive oil (to prevent sticking), and some chopped garlic. Stir frequently!

Chicken Pasta Bake

A simple dish made in two parts. First the pasta was prepared in salted boiling water, but not cooked to the full extent. This is because the pasta will be the base of the bake, and will cook further once the other ingredients are added. Drain and allow to cool, and add evenly to the base of the roasting tray.

Stir fry the mushrooms and the onion for ten minutes at a medium heat, and then add a third of a pint of water. Add tomato puree and the chicken stock, and then the meat from two chicken  drumsticks. Stir together and cook for half an hour until the sauce is considerably reduced. You can add a mixture of water and cornmeal to thicken, it, or some onion gravy granules.

Add the chicken salsa to the roasting tray lined with pasta. Spread evenly. You can add the Cheddar cheese in grated form, or in thin rectangles, according to preference. Bake in the oven at around 190 deg C until the cheese has melted and has begun to brown. This could be anywhere between twenty minutes and forty minutes on the middle shelf in the oven. Watch it carefully, at least once every five minutes! Take it out when it looks right. Serve with freshly ground black pepper.

Spaghetti Chicken Parmigiana

This is a version of the Chicken Parmigiana recipe posted recently, so this is something of a recap.

Made with the meat from two chicken drumsticks, an onion, tomato passata, two cloves of garlic, and 75 grams of finely grated parmigiano reggiano cheese.  The one difference from the earlier recipe is the addition of four topped green finger chillies.

The chicken drumsticks were preroasted, and still with their skins, into which some sea salt had been rubbed. Both the skins and the flesh were decanted into a small saucepan, together with one diced onion, and a little sunflower oil. Stirfried for four minutes at a medium heat, after which 150g of tomato passata was added, along with the finger chillies.

Simmer for fifteen minutes under glass, with a little black pepper. After that, allow to cool a little for five minutes, and then decant into a tray suitable for grilling.

Grate the cheese into a bowl. Then shake the grated cheese over the surface of the grilling tray, ensuring an even spread (I used a dessert spoon for this). Leave to stand for five minutes while you fire up the grill.

Toast the cheese under the grill for seven to nine minutes (check the progress by eye). When the cheese has melted and browned, remove from the grill rack. Allow to cool for five minutes, then decant into a serving bowl.

Served with spaghetti, boiled with a little turmeric. Delicious!

Spaghetti with Green Pesto

Delicious semi-dried spaghetti, with shredded salad tomato, diced spring onion, garlic, and yellow pepper.

The vegetables were first cooked in a little sunflower oil, and then allowed to cool.

The spaghetti was boiled in water for six minutes, stirring more or less continuously. It was then drained through a sieve, and then added back to the original saute pan.

 I added the vegetables, and stirred them together. Then I added two teaspoonfuls of Sacla green pesto sauce, and stirred the pesto through the spaghetti and the vegetables.

Decanted to a pasta bowl, and served with freshly ground black pepper.

Chicken (Pollo) Parmigiana

A simple and tasty dish made with the meat from two chicken drumsticks, an onion, tomato passata, two cloves of garlic, and 75 grams of finely grated parmigiano reggiano cheese.

The chicken drumsticks were preroasted, and still with their skins, into which some sea salt had been rubbed. Both the skins and the flesh were decanted into a small saucepan, together with one diced onion, and a little sunflower oil. Stirfried for four minutes at a medium heat, after which 150g of tomato passata was added.

Simmer for fifteen minutes under glass, with a little black pepper. After that, allow to cool a little for five minutes, and then decant into a tray suitable for grilling.

Grate the cheese into a bowl. Then shake the grated cheese over the surface of the grilling tray, ensuring an even spread (I used a dessert spoon for this). Leave to stand for five minutes while you fire up the grill.

Toast the cheese under the grill for seven to nine minutes (check the progress by eye). When the cheese has melted and browned, remove from the grill rack. Allow to cool for five minutes, then decant into a serving bowl. Serve with a four leaf salad (in this case). Add a dusting of oregano if desired. The dish can also be served with spaghetti, penne pasta, or with potatoes. Utterly delicious!