Chorizo Skillet Supper

This recipe showcases Capellini pasta.    Capellini is not something which I have had a very easy time finding here in the UK actually.

Capellini, or angel hair pasta traditionally cooks in a fraction of the time as regular pastas.  I decided to do an all in one pan dish, with the pasta actually cooking in the sauce.  I thought Capellini would be perfect for this because of it's shorter cooking time.

I used fresh chorizo sausage, which was easily crumbled and gave the sauce a bit of a kick.  Feel free to use the dried version as well.  Both are good.

Some tinned chopped tomatoes, a tin of drained borlotti beans, some frozen peas along with onion, garlic and stock and I had a very delicious entree indeed, and all in one pan.

I like it when I can cut back on the washing up don't you???   All in all it made for a lovely and fairly quick supper.  A scattering of grated cheddar on top and we were good to go.  The pasta worked very well and the whole dish was very tasty and colourful.  A pleaser all round!

*Chorizo Skillet Supper*

Serves 6 to 8

Printable Recipe 

A quick and simple supper that is not only easy to make but quite, quite delicious! 

1/2 pound chorizo sausage, cut into 1/2 inch pieces if it is the dried chorizo, skins removed and crumbled if it is the raw sausage like chorizo

1 TBS olive oil

340g of capellini pasta (12 ounces angel hair) or thin spaghetti, broken in half

1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped

4 cloves of fresh garlic, peeled and finely chopped (or to taste)

1 (400g) tin of beans (black bean preferred, or your favourite will do) drained and rinsed.  (15 1/2ounces)

1 (400g) tin of chopped tomatoes in juice, undrained (14.5 ounces)

675ml of chicken stock (3 cups)

1 TBS dried oregano

a coffee mug of frozen petit pois

120g of grated strong cheddar cheese (1 cup)

fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat.  Add the oil.  Heat and then crumble in the chorizo.  Cook for 3 to five minutes, until golden Scoop out and set aside.  Reduce the heat to medium.   Add the pasta and cook in the drippings for 2 to 3 minutes or until the pasta begins to toast.   Remove and set aside with the sausage.  Add the onions and garlic to the drippings.  Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until beginning to soften and very fragrant.  Add the tomatoes, chicken stock and oregano.  Return the  pasta and sausage to the pan.   Stir to combine.  Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 8 to ten minutes, until the pasta is cooked and most of the liquid has been absorbed.  Stir in the frozen peas and heat through.   Season to taste.  Sprinkle with the cheese and serve immediately.

Irish Supper

 

I don't know about you, but I find that it's getting harder and harder to stretch my food budget these days.  Food just seems to be costing more and more and sizes are getting smaller.  (Don't get me started on that scam!!) I am always looking for ways to make a little bit go further, but at the same time keeping things to the same standard of deliciousness and nutritiousness that we are used to.

 

Pasta is a great meal stretcher.  I know it's not Todd's favourite thing to eat, but he does like the idea of saving money, and so he tolerates it.  Myself . . . I adore pasta, and so these types of meals are my absolute favourites!



Meals which take a little bit of protein, some vegetable and some pasta, combined in a tasteful way.   Simple recipes which make good use of simple ingredients in a delicious way.



I have no idea why this is called Irish Supper.  I am not even sure if this is actually Irish!  Certainly there would be cabbages and sausages in Ireland, but the pasta noodles?   Well, I am not too sure about that!!



What I know for sure it that it makes a little bit of meat go a very long way and that it is delicious.  Two things that are positives!  I do hope you will try it and that you will enjoy it as much as I do!



You want to use a good quality sausage with this.  Not those cheap and nasty ones that are all filler and fat.  You get what you pay for.  Paying a tiny bit more and using a good quality sausage makes sense as you won't be pouring half of it away and they'll also taste a lot better!  Choose a nicely flavoured one!  I am partial to a peppery Cumberland myself!

*Irish Supper*

Serves 4 to 6

Printable Recipe  

I don't know if this is Irish, I only know it's economical, easy and very delicious!

1 pound of wide egg type of noodles, uncooked (I used some German ones I found in Aldi,
but you could use any type, so long as they are wide and flat)

1 pound good quality, well flavoured sausage meat, crumbled

1 small head of white cabbage, cored and finely shredded with a sharp knife

salt and black pepper to taste

1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves

1 tsp sugar

a knob of butter

finely grated cheese to serve

Crumble your sausage into a large skillet.  Cook over medium high heat until it is browned.  I use a potato masher to mash it up as it is browning.  This helps to break it up all crumbly like.  Once the sausage is browned add the cabbage.  Sprinkle with salt, pepper and thyme leaves.   Cook, stirring until it begins to wilt.  Turn the heat to low and cover with a lid.  Cook for about 5 minutes.

While the cabbage is cooking, cook your noodles according to the package directions in a pot of lightly salted water.   At the end of five minutes remove the lid to skillet and turn up the heat and cook stirring, until the cabbage begins to brown a little.  Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

Turn out the heat and drain the noodles well.  Toss the drained noodles into the skillet along with a knob of butter.   Toss to combine.  Serve immediately without or without cheese as desired to your grateful family which will be sitting at the table drooling in anticipation.

 

Do you think they might approve??  I like to think they would . . . ☺ to be sure, to be sure . . .

A Couple of Tasty Pasta Dishes

 

As you all know I occasionally get sent products to try.  I was recently contacted and asked if I would like to try some of  the Garofalo range of gluten free pastas.  New to the UK since last autumn it is made with a combination of corn, quinoa and rice.  I'm not normally a fan of quinoa, but I figured that it wouldn't really matter if it was in a pasta and not served as a grain on it's own.



I was sent a package of Penne Rigate and a package of  Casarecce.  (Don't ask me to pronounce that last one!)  As you can see from the package they looked just like regular pasta.

From their page:

Can a producer of ‘normal pasta’, using a raw material containing the best gluten, produce an excellent gluten free pasta? The answer is in our philosophy and focus on the product: Good taste is a right. 

We set our selves the objectives of creating a product with the knowledge that Garofalo pasta is synonymous with the experience of taste. We knew that the flavour could not be the same due to the different raw materials, but it was of great importance to us to produce a Garofalo pasta that was no better or worse in flavour, just different. It was not to be just for those on a gluten free diet but a new cooking opportunity for everyone. It was equally important to produce a healthy product, which in the end might even be better than normal pasta. 

We have worked extensively on this line, which is not produced in our factory because of the risk of contamination with our pasta containing wheat, and remain in control at all levels from the raw materials to the production methods. The results are a product that is extremely good, especially when compared to the gluten free products currently on the market, but we are confident we can improve it even more. The phrase “it’s good considering it’s gluten-free” is not enough, we believe the pasta can reach the levels of pasta made with durum wheat semolina.  

I decided to cook and present what I was sent in two different ways so that I could see how it performed.  The first was to cook it and make a type of macaroni and cheese with it.  I used the Penne for this as it was the most suitable.



Here it is cooked and draining.  As you can see it looks like any other type of pasta which has been cooked. I had in mind to do a macaroni and cheese type of casserole with this, adding broccoli for extra colour, fiber and taste.    

  

I folded both into a delicious cheese sauce and then poured them into a casserole dish, topped the casserole with more cheese and then baked it until it was golden brown. 



You would be hard pressed to tell this pasta from any other kind of pasta.  It looked completely normal.

  

It tasted completely normal as well, although I did find it to be a bit chewier in consistency, but this is something which could be handled well by simply cooking it for a bit longer, and of course texture is all a matter of taste.   Some people like their pasta a little firmer and on the al dente side.  I do sometimes and I don't at others.  With a mac and cheese type of dish I would have liked it to be a bit softer. 



Other than that there was no discernible different, truly.  This was fabulous.  I thought the pasta tasted nice, just like any other pasta and had I not known it was gluten free I would not have been able to tell.   I gavew it a 10 out of 10 for taste, and performance.  Well done to the Garofalo people.

   

*Broccoli Mac & Cheese*

Serves 4

Printable Recipe  

Better than anything from a box and good for you too!  

3/4 pound of uncooked pasta

1 broccoli crown, stalks peeled and chopped, broken into florets

2 TBS butter

25g of plain flour (1/4 cup)

1 small onion, peeled and minced

450ml of milk (2 cups)

225 ml of chicken stock (1 cup)

1/2 pound of cheddar cheese, grated (2 cups)
salt and pepper to taste

pinch of cayenne pepper  

Topping:

1 TBS butter, melted

4 TBS Parmesan cheese

4 TBS soft white bread crumbs

4 TBS grated cheddar  

 

   

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to the boil.   Tip in the pasta and cook according to package directions, adding the broccoli stalks and florets for the last 3 to 4 minutes.  

While the pasta is cooking make the sauce.   Melt the butter in a medium saucepan.  Add the onion and saute lightly without browning.  Whisk in the flour once the onion is softened.  Cook for a minute, then slowly whisk in the milk and stock.  Cook, whisking constantly over medium high heat until the sauce bubbles and thickens.  Remove from the heat and whisk in the cheese, salt, pepper and cayenne.  Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.  

Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5.  Butter a casserole dish.  Drain the pasta well, rinse and drain again.  Stir the pasta and broccoli into the sauce and pour the mixture into the baking dish.  Mix together the topping ingredients and sprinkle over top evenly.  

Bake in the heated oven for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown.  Serve hot.   


 

For the Casarecce I decided that I would make a sauce that it could be stirred into.  Something which would cling to all those folds and get into those crevices.

 

A simple sauce of tinned tomatoes, herbs, and pasta sauce, with onions, garlic and two cheeses to make it creamy.  Nicely flavoured. 



A sauce it could just be stirred into and not cooked in.

  

Once again it performed really well.  Other than the fact that once again it was a bit chewier than I normally like, you would not have been able to discern any difference between this and the regular pasta, which again could be easily remedied by cooking the pasta in it's initial cooking for a tiny bit longer, and also is a matter of preference and taste.  It tasted great and the sauce worked well with it. I gave it a ten out of ten as well. 

*Creamy Tomato Skillet Pasta*
Serves 4  

Printable Recipe  

A bit of this and a bit of that combine to make a really quick, easy and delicious pasta dish!  

1 pound of uncooked pasta

1 TBS olive oil

1  onion, peeled and finely minced

1 fat clove of garlic, peeled and minced

1 400g tin of chopped tomatoes in tomato juice (14.5 ounce tin)

1 family sized jar of tomato pasta sauce

2 tsp dried oregano

2 tsp dried basil

1 tsp dried parsley flakes

salt and black pepper to taste

1 (250g) package of cream cheese (8 ounce)

90g of grated Parmesan Cheese, plus more to serve (1/2 cup)  

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to the boil.   Add the pasta and cook according to the package directions.  Drain well and rinse.  Drain again and set aside.  

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet.   Add the onion and saute to soften without browning.  Once softened add the garlic,  Cook for one minute until very fragrant.   Add the tomatoes and bring to the boil.  Cook for a couple minutes, then stir in the pasta sauce, herbs and salt and pepper to taste.  Simmer for about 10 minutes, then whisk in the cheeses and allow them to melt.  Stir in the pasta and heat through.  Serve hot with more Parmesan for sprinkling at the table.   

 


Altogether I was very happy with both pastas.  I don't have a problem with wheat but we have friends with a son who does and it's nice to know that there are more and more products out there that are available for people with a gluten intolerance.

Giving up gluten without compromising flavour or texture is the premise behind the Garofalo lines of pasta products.  With a wide range of types and high attention to production and product performance Italy's most popular pasta makers have come up with a real winner here. 

The Garofalo lines of gluten free pastas are available online via Ocado and Nifeislife.

Many thanks to the people at Garofalo for sending me these pastas to try out!

Spicy Sausage Pasta

  

   

I don't know about you, but I am about done with all that holiday food of the past few weeks.  Today I was craving something simple.   I also wanted to use up a bit of stuff that I had leftover from the hols . . . but I didn't want it to be holiday food, if you know what I mean.  

  

I had some chorizo that was left from all the finger food snacking/tapas occasions . . . and some cheddar cheese that needed using up and so I decided to torture the Toddster with some pasta . . . because as all my readers have surmised.  He only thinks he doesn't like pasta.  He usually eats it up whenever it is served and seems to enjoy it.  Methinks he doth protest too much.  'Nuff said.    

  

Anyways.   I browned the chorizo in a large skillet and added onions and garlic, until everything was nicely softened and fragrant.   I then added some stock, tomatoes and pasta.  I am rather lazy (as you also know) and so I just added the pasta raw.  It cooked in the tomatoes and stalk, absorbing some of it and thickening it all up a bit.    

   

I then added some richness using double cream and a bit of cheese, stirred into the mixture, just to melt it.  I tasted the sauce and I could have eaten it right then and there!  But I wanted to make it extra irristable and so I topped it with some sliced spring onions, which also needed using and which added a bit of colour and crunch . . . and more cheese.  

I then popped it under the grill until that cheese on top started to bubble, melt and brown and then I scattered on some parsley for colour and served it up nice and hot with some crusty bread and a salad on the side.    

 

Oh boy, was this ever good . . . and definitely not holiday food.   This be comfort food.  January comfort food.   Dig in!  

*Spicy Sausage Pasta*
Serves 4 to 6, depending on appetites

(Printable Recipe)  

I had some chorizo that was getting close to it's end and so I put it together with some pasta and a few store cupboard ingredients to make a simple, tasty and economical dish.  If you don't have any chorizo, you could use any highly spiced or smoked sausage.  

1 TBS extra virgin rapeseed oil

8 ounces of dried chorizo sausage, sliced

(Or smoked sausage, or even hotdogs)

1 medium onion, peeled and chopped

1 clove of garlic, peeled and minced

1/2 to 1 tsp easy chilies (depending on
how hot and spicy you want it to be)

450ml of hot vegetable stock (2 cups)

400g tin of chopped tomatoes in tomato juice, undrained (10 oz tin)

125ml of double cream (1/2 cup)

1/2 pound of curly pasta (I used Fiorelli), uncooked

salt and black pepper to taste

120g of strong cheddar cheese, grated and divided (1 cup)

4 spring onions, thinly sliced 

chopped flat leaf parsley  

  

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the sausage slices and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown and turn golden.   Tip in the onions and allow them to soften without browning, again stirring from time to time.   Add the garlic and cook, stirring until quite fragrant.  Stir in the easy chilies, stock, tomatoes and pasta.   Bring to the boil, then reduce to a slow simmer, cover and allow to cook for 15 to 20 minutes, until the pasta is tender.  (Start checking at 15)  At the end of that time, stir in half of the cheese, allowing it to melt.  Stir in the cream.


Preheat the grill to high.  Scatter the remainder of the cheese and the spring onions on top.   Place under the grill until the cheese is melted and bubbling and golden in places.  Remove from the heat, scatter with the chopped parsley and serve immediately.   Delicious!

Lemons, Pasta and other things

I make no apologies for it . . . when it comes to my every day cooking, I can be rather lazy.   I don't like a lot of fiddle faddle and faffing about.  I like to just get on with it.  I also don't like to eat out of tins, so I try find a compromise somewhere in the middle.   A middle place where I can cook from scratch, but where the cooking is quick, easy and simple.

Don't get me wrong . . . I do enjoy a challenge and will rise to it on occasion . . . but occasion is the key word here, and every day cooking isn't an occasion.  Which doesn't mean that the food isn't tasty or delicious or exciting.  It just means that it doesn't take a lot of work to create it.



That's why I like to keep a well stocked store cupboard and larder of essentials such as pasta, tinned tomatoes, fresh lemons and herbs, cheese and dairy, amongst other things.  Those are things you will always find in my house and having them means I always have a tasty and quick meal at my fingertips.

Over the next three weeks The Sunday Times is publishing a pull out Ultimate Cookbook as part of the Incredible Edibles Food Series, dedicated to food and dining.   This weeks focus is Quick Eats, and you can get your copy of The Sunday Times Ultimate Cookbook: Quick Eats this weekend, on Sunday the 24th November, featuring no less than twelveof the finest, tastiest and quickest  recipes brought to you by twelve different celebrity chef's.



As you can see there are some very nice names there . . . and you will find amongst the twelve a delicious recipe for Tom Kitchin's Pork Chops with Tomato Compote and James Martin's (The King of Desserts) Marshmallow Whiskey Ice Cream, not to mention a signature pudding from "The Ivy" restaurant in London.  Who says quick eats have to be  un-exciting!



I could not wait to get stuck into the recipes and since I had some lovely De Cecco Linquine pasta in the cupboard and a lovely bowl of fresh un-waxed lemons I decided to make Nigella Lawsons delicious sounding Lemon Linquine.  The pasta hater was out for the day, so I did not make the whole recipe.  Happily I was able to successfully reduce it to serve just one.

 

It used simple ingredients . . . liguine, fresh lemon, cream, parmesan cheese . . . some seasoning, fresh parsley as a garnish . . .



It went together lickety split . . . in the time it took to cook the pasta . . . it was basically done and I was indulging myself in a delicious carb fest . . .



Which made me very . . . very . . . VERY happy indeed!   As I sat there munching away on this lemony, creamy, buttery deliciousness  with a big smile on my face . . . I had to ask myself the question . . . why aren't more things in life this quick, delicious and easy?

*Nigella's Lemon Linguine*
Serves 4

Printable Recipe  

A deliciously simple pasta dish, with a sauce that's low of effort, but high on flavour!

900g linquine (scant 2 pounds)

2 large free range egg yolks

160ml of double cream (2/3 cup heavy cream)

8 TBS freshly grated Parmesan Cheese

the zest of one un-waxed lemon, plus the juice of half the lemon

(more as needed)

fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

60g unsalted butter (4 TBS)

2 to 3 TBS chopped fresh flat leaf parsley  

Bring a large pot of generously salted water to the boil.  Add the linguine and give it a good stir to separate the strands.  Cook according to the package directions, stirring it occasionally and cooking it at a slow boil.

While the pasta is cooking, whisk the egg yolks, cream, cheese, lemon zest and lemon juice with a fork just to blend.  Have ready the remainder of ingredients.

When the pasta is done, remove 1 cup of the cooking water and quickly drain the remainder in a sieve.  Toss it back into the empty pot and stir in the butter, swirling it about to make sure each strand is coated with butter.  Add the egg mixture, tossing it together with the pasta to coat, adding some of the cooking water only if the pasta seems dry, and only about 2 TBS or so.  Pour into a large serving bowl, and scatter the parsley on top.  Serve immediately.

Note:  I served extra Parmesan cheese to grate over the individual servings at the table.

Get your copy of The Sunday Times Ultimate Cookbook:  Quick Eats this weekend, on Sunday the 24th November, the second in a four-part series.  Featuring a selection of the finest recipes of the celebrity chef era.  The Ultimate Cookbook is part of  The Incredible Edibles Food Series dedicated to food and dining.  Upcomng editions in the series are  Brunch & Baking on Sunday December 1st and Dinner Party on Sunday December 8.

Visit thesundaytimes.co.uk to subscribe and to find out more details about exclusive Times + chef events hosted at some of the country's best restaurants.

Creamy Gnocchi Gratin

Gnocchi is one thing I always have in my cupboards.  Oh, I know you can easily make your own, but I am of the opinion that if you have a packet of ready made gnocchi in the cupboard, you are never much more than a half an hour or so from putting a tasty meal onto the table.

 

It lends itself beautifully to all sorts . . . especially if you treat it a bit like a potato from time to time.   I have done sauteed Gnocchi with Egg (pretty much like egg and chips, only better with the addition of sage and garlic!)  Gnocchi Mac and Cheese with Purple Sprouting Broccoli (beautifully sauced!)

  

Gnocchi Breakfast Scramble (a fabulous morning delight with eggs, cheese, bacon and chives!)  Chicken and Gnocchi Soup (think Chicken and Dumplings!) and then there is my personal favourite . . . Hashed Gnocchi (Corned Beef Hash, except with plump little gnocchi!)



So, you can see how very versatile a package of Gnocchi can be!  If you can do it with a potato (or a pasta for that matter) you can do it with a Gnocchi! I wanted to showcase some special cheeses today (infused with ginger and rosemary) , so I created a creamy gratin and added some chopped broccoli.  It was fabulously delish . . . but then again, you knew it would be!

*Creamy Gnocchi Gratin*

Serves 4 to 6 

Printable Recipe 

A delicious gratin, with a lucious chese sauce and broccoli for goodness.  I like to push the boundaries of what gnocchi is generally used for.  To me they are just delightful little dumplings begging to be enhanced in delicious ways!

1 (500g) package of fresh ready-to-boil gnocchi (a generous pound)

1/2 of a  bunch of broccoli, trimmed and chopped

235ml of double cream (1 cup)

1 spring of fresh rosemary

1 1/4 inch thick slice of fresh ginger root

2 TBS butter, divided (room temp)

3 TBS finely grated Parmesan cheese

3 TBS fine dried bread crumbs

4 ounces mild blue cheese

salt and black pepper to taste

pinch freshly grated nutmeg

Place the cream into a saucepan.  Add the rosemary and ginger.  Bring to the boil.  Set aside to infused for about half an hour.

Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5.  Butter a shallow gratin dish with half of the butter.  Set aside.

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to the boil.  Cook the gnocchi according to the package directions, half a dozen or so at a time.  Once they float to the surface, scoop out with a slotted spoon and place into the gratin dish, repeating until all the gnocchi have cooked.  Add the broccoli to the water and cook until it is crispy tender.   Drain well and scatter it amongst the gnocchi.
 

Strain the cream and add a touch of salt and pepper, plus a pinch of nutmeg.  Pour this over top of the gnocchi in the dish.  Crumble the blue cheese over top, scattering it over evenly.   Mix together the remaining 1 TBS butter, bread crumbs and parmesan cheese.  Sprinkle this crumb mixture over top.   Bang the gratin into the oven and bake until the filling is bubbling and the topping is golden brown.  This will take about half an hour.   Serve hot.



As you know,  Divo Italiano recently sent me a delicious assortment of exciting new Italian Cheeses to try out. These are thorougly modern cheeses selected by Aldo Zilli specifically for the British Table.   In this I used their Cubed Gorgonzola P.D.O.Picante.



 Gold award winner at the Nantwich International Cheese Awards 2013, a P.D.O. Italian blue cheese without any rind which means nothing goes to waste. Packaged in a convenient pre-cubed format, it is the first to market in this format for Gorgonzola cheese. It is matured for up to 90 days in natural caves in Northern Italy to give it a sharp, spicy (‘piccante’ in Italian) flavour and creamy texture. It makes a delicious match with ripe pears and walnuts tossed into rocket leaves, melted on pizza, or used to make an indulgent cooking sauce. 

This cheese was fabulous and was a great addition to my sauce.   Mmmm . . . I am getting spoilt here!  You can find the DVO range of cheeses in Morrisons and Ocado.