Spaghetti with Chilli (Vegetarian)

A simple and delicious vegetable chilli made with carrot, red onion, red pepper, diced green finger chillies (2), tinned tomatoes, vegetable stock, olive oil, coriander leaf. Allowed to simmer together under glass for forty minutes at a low heat.

Served in a pasta bowl with wheat free spaghetti (cooked for fifteen minutes at a medium heat, stirring frequently). Judge readiness by eye. Dressed in a pinch of coriander leaf.

Chicken in a Spicy Tomato Salsa

Chicken from roasted drumsticks, cooked with leeks in a spicy tomato salsa (tinned tomatoes mashed in this case).

One red, one green chilli, plus chicken stock. Simmered at a low heat under glass for forty-five minutes. A teaspoonful of capers is a good addition to this ensemble.

Served with a toasted garlic and coriander naan bread. Dressed with chopped spinach leaves.

Quick and delicious!

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!

Poached Egg with Black Pudding

A simple breakfast with black pudding (aka 'blood pudding'), poached egg, hash browns, chopped fried onion and two peeled tomatoes.

The onion, hash browns and the black pudding were all cooked in a large saute pan for twenty minutes at a medium heat. The black pudding and the hash browns were turned three times during the process, and the onions were stirred around also. The pot was lidded, but at a slight angle, to allow moisture and steam to escape.

The tinned tomatoes were heated slowly for the twenty minutes. The heat was turned up to medium, and the egg (in a silicon poacher) was placed in the middle of the tomatoes during the last five minutes, with the pot completely lidded.

Garnished with some leaves, and served with black pepper.