Crab, Chilli and Rocket Linguine

Here's a sexy little number to add to your pasta recipe repertoire (I know you have one).

It's quick, light, fresh, and uses tinned crab meat so is also very economical. I made this for a weeknight dinner calling for something a little bit special, but that could be knocked together in 10 minutes over a catch up and a glass of Sauvignon Blanc. You will not be disappointed! Go, go, go!

150g linguine

1 small tin white crabmeat

1 garlic clove, crushed

1/2 a red chilli, chopped

1/2 a lemon

A good handful of rocket (sorry I do not weigh rocket!)

olive oil - regular and extra virgin

Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Add the linguine and cook according to packet instructions until al dente. 

Whilst the pasta is cooking, gently fry the garlic and chilli in the (regular) olive oil on a low heat, until the garlic starts to lightly colour - this will only take 3-4 minutes.

Stir in the crab meat and warm through for another couple of minutes.

Drain the pasta, then return to the pan and stir through about a tbsp of extra virgin olive oil. This will add flavour and also stops the pasta from sticking.

Add the crab mixture and some rocket, plus a good squeeze of lemon juice, and mix together.

Serve on warmed plates with an extra drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Nothing like feeling a bit fancy on a school night.

Courgette, Lemon and Chilli Fettuccine

I had a friend round for dinner the other night and made her this simple, summery pasta dish. We also had a bit too much Prosecco but that's optional. Oh and if you're interested in what we had for dessert check out my previous post!

To serve two:

2 large courgettes

200g fettuccine pasta or similar

4 rashers streaky bacon, roughly chopped

1/2 a red chill, deseeded and finely chopped

1 egg yolk

Approx 40g grated parmesan, plus extra to serve

2 tbsp creme fraiche

zest of 1 lemon

1.Coarsely grate the courgettes, then place in a sieve over a bowl. Press to squeeze out all the liquid - this may take a few mins, but try to drain away as much as you can.

2.Cook the pasta in boiling salted water. Meanwhile, heat a large, non-stick frying pan, then dry-fry the bacon, stirring often, until crisp.

3. Add the chilli and cook for 1 min more, then tip in the courgettes and cook on a high heat for 2-3 mins.

4.Mix together the egg yolks, cheese, cream and lemon zest. When the pasta is cooked, drain it, reserving a little of the cooking water. Tip everything back into the pasta pan and toss together. Divide into bowls to serve, with extra Parmesan.

Creamy Pasta with Prawns and Broccoli

A great thing happened in my kitchen the other day...the Wonderboy ate prawns for the first time! Hooray and hurrah! He said they tasted "like fish and peas" which, weirdly, is kind of right. Once again, I have learnt to never underestimate the sophistication of a child's palate.

This makes for a handy emergency dish, as it requires very few ingredients and I even used frozen prawns and frozen broccoli. Simply put some pasta shapes onto boil (I used rigatoni). Add the broccoli for the last 3 minutes of the cooking time. Now drain the pasta and broccoli, making sure to retain some of the cooking liquid seperately for later.

Return to the pan. Now add the prawns, a couple of tablespoons of creme fraiche, some freshly squeezed lemon juice (I used half a lemon for 2 adult-sized portions), and plenty of salt and pepper. Put over a low heat, stirring until hot. This is where you can add some of the cooking water back to the pan if the sauce is a little thick.

Stir through a fresh herb of you have some-I used basil, though I think mint or parsley would also work well.

Then just act super casual, like it's no big deal and "hey all 4 year olds eat seafood, chill out man", and see if your little one digs in..

Tagliatelle with Pesto and Pan Fried Scallops

Dinner last night was quick, simple, yet delicious. And if you think scallops are too extravagant for a weeknight, I urge you to start buying your fish and seafood from Morrisons (if you live in the UK, obviously). I know this sounds like a real housewifey tip, or that they're sponsoring me, but honestly their fish section is really reasonable and great quality. I think my packet of scallops was about £3, and there was some leftover for another meal. Can't really argue with that.

Spicy Penne with Chorizo

I had the girls round for dinner last night, so obviously wine and pasta were required, despite all reference to a healthy new year. I've been good up until now, honest. And, just so you know, we did have a huge side salad alongside the generous portion of meaty pasta!
I came up with this recipe after having a similar thing in a restaurant once, and wanting to re-enact it at home. After a few attempts I think this one's a winner!

To make 4 portions:

Prep your ingredients: finely chop 1 garlic clove and 1 large red onion. Roughly chop 1 and a half red peppers. Dice four rashers of bacon, removing the fat. Cut one vacuum-packed chorizo sausage in half, remove the papery skin, then halve lengthways and slice.

Now heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large frying pan or saute pan. Add the onion, garlic and pepper, and soften on a low heat for 5 minutes. Now add the bacon, and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
Add the chorizo and a good sprinkling of dried chilli flakes, and cook for 2 minutes more, being careful not to let the chorizo burn.
Tip in 2 tins of chopped tomatoes and add a dash of red wine, if you have a bottle open. Season, turn up the heat to bubbling, then reduce to a simmer and leave simmering for about half an hour while you cook the pasta (you'll need aout 100g of pasta per person).
Taste the sauce when you think it's ready, and adjust seasoning if necessary. Add the pasta to the sauce, stir through, and serve with parmesan.

Be sure to give this one a try. I would say it will go down well with the man in your life, but actually it was a hit with the girls too!

I wish I was in Italy..

...because sometimes nothing beats an enormous bowl of bolognese. And because I went to see Eat, Pray, Love last night and it made me desperate for a bit of travel and culture. It was beautifully shot, and there were so many close ups of delicious Italian food, that if you love your food then you should go see this film! (not forgetting the equally delicious Javier Bardem.)

So tonight we pigged out on pasta, and pretended we were in Rome. Although I doubt the Italians would put extra mature cheddar on their bolognese. In fact, I think it would really piss them off.

Spaghetti with Prawns in a Chilli and Tomato Sauce

What do you cook when you're by yourself, it's a cold blustery Saturday night, and you want something warm, indulgent, and full of carbs? THIS.

I made a quick spicy tomato sauce by gently frying 1 chopped garlic clove in some olive oil, adding 1/2 tsp dried chilli flakes, and cooking for a minute. Then I poured in almost a whole tin of chopped tomatoes, brought to the boil, then reduced the heat and simmered for 10 minutes or so. I tipped in a handful of frozen prawns, left it simmering for 5 another minutes, then threw in some frozen peas and cooked for about 3 minutes more.

Meanwhile, I had a pan of organic spaghetti bubbling comfortingly away, and some garlic bread in the oven...you know this makes sense.

Drain the spaghetti, then add to the sauce, also adding a little of the cooking water if the sauce has become too reduced.

Top with some fresh rocket, shaved parmesan and a drizzle of your best olive oil.

Best accompanied with pyjamas, slippers and perhaps (if you're feeling really trashy) a wee bit of X Factor!

Pasta bake with grilled aubergine

Slightly random meal tonight-I had an aubergine lurking in the fridge that needed using. I made a simple garlic and white wine sauce, stirred it through some cooked pasta, then put it in a dish and topped it with a layer of aubergines that I had already grilled. I added some cherry tomatoes, a sprinkling of parmesan and breadcrumbs, and baked in the oven for 20 minutes. Finished with some fresh basil. Actually it was really yummy!

Linguine Puttanesca

Another successful recipe from Tana Ramsay's Homemade cookbook. This will definitely be a new staple in my repertoire - I really recommend you try it. It tastes so authentic, mediterranean and is perfect for summer.

"Puttanesca" or "whores' pasta" orginated in Naples, and was a favoured dish of...um...ladies of the night, shall we say! This was because it can be rustled up quickly and cheaply from ingredients that would be found in any italian storecupboard. Well, I say those ladies must have had good taste 'cos this sauce is delicious! Oh and if you've never had linguine, it's basically halfway between spaghetti and tagliatelle. Spaghetti will work just as well, or penne is also good with this.

Here's the recipe that serves 4, I halved it easily for 2 of us. You'll need:

4 tbsp olive oil

2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped

1 large red onion,peeled and finely chopped

1 red chilli,deseeded and finely chopped

8 anchovies from a tin,finely chopped

100g pitted black olives,halved

3 tbsp capers,rinsed and drained

250g cherry tomatoes,halved

400g dried linguine

1 handful fresh basil leaves

salt and pepper

1. Heat the oil in large frying pan and fry the garlic, onion and chilli for about 5 minutes, until softened. Stir in the anchovies and cook gently for 1-2 minutes until the anchvies dissolve.

2. Add the olives, capers and tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes until the tomatoes have softened.

3. Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to packet instructions. Drain well. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

4. Add the pasta to the sauce and mix thoroughly. Sprinkle in the basil leaves and serve into warm pasta bowls.

Tortellini and Vegetable Soup

Last night's dinner was one of my most-used fallback recipes, a Tortellini and Vegetable Soup. I found this in my Good Food magazine about a year ago, and still use it now. It's great for a quick meal after work, or as a standby meal on the last day before your weekly shop (as in our case!), as you can adapt it to use whatever leftover veggies you have lying around. Packets of tortellini are cheap, keep for a long time, and you can choose any flavour you fancy. I normally use spinach and ricotta. What more can you ask for?

This recipe serves 4-or 2 with leftovers for lunch the next day :

Finely chop 1 large onion and 1 garlic clove, and roughly chop 2 carrots. Heat 1tbsp olive oil in a large saucepan and add the onion, carrot and garlic. Soften for 5 minutes.
Add 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes and 1 litre vegetable stock (made with a cube), and simmer for 5 minutes. Add any fresh herbs if you have them (in the picture below I have used oregano).
Add 200g frozen green beans (or a mixture of beans and peas) and simmer for 5 minutes more.
Once the veg is tender, stir in a packet of tortellini pasta and cook for 2 minutes more.

Serve ladled into bowls. Sprinkle with basil and grated cheddar, or parmesan if you have it.

Miss P's Top Tips : this is also nice with 1 tbsp pesto stirred through,

if you don't have any fresh basil.

It's also great with frozen peas and sweetcorn. For a more italian feel,
you could try tinned artichokes, olives, sundried tomatoes and rocket.

Friday night pasta

A quick and easy meal for a lazy Friday night...good old pasta bake, with extra cherry tomatoes in the sauce and brocolli on the side. I have to say at times like these I am a big fan of Dolmio's no-need-to-boil-the-pasta sauce! The secret to getting a crunchy topping is to sprinkle dried breadcrumbs over the cheese before cooking. My mum used to use crushed ready salted crisps which was also very effective. Sometimes you just can't beat that stodgy post-carb feeling.