Zucchini, Bacon & Fetta Pasta

There’s nothing as fresh and delicious as spaghetti with Zucchini, bacon & fetta.  We often get sick of tomato based sauces and creamy concoctions and yearn for something bright and zesty.  The added attraction of adding some veggies into anything is always a bonus.

This dish can be made in just the time it takes for the pasta to cook so it can be on the table in 15 minutes and any shape of pasta can be used.   We use Persian fetta as it is rich and creamy and adds a lovely tang…  The amounts here serve two people…

Ingredients:

Pasta of choice

Generous lug of good olive oil

6 slices of streaky bacon cut into strips

2 garlic cloves grated

Zucchini cut into ribbons using a vegetable peeler

1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves finely chopped

50g Persian feta, crumbled

Method:

Cook pasta in a large saucepan of boiling salted water, following packet directions, until al dente Drain, reserving 1/4 cup cooking liquid.

In the meantime heat oil in a large, deep frying pan over medium- high heat

Add bacon and garlic and cook 3 to 4 minutes or until golden.

Add zucchini, tossing for 3 to 4 minutes or until tender.

Just before pasta is ready to be drained add about ¼ cup or a couple of small ladles of the pasta water to emulsify the sauce

Drain the pasta and toss bacon & zucchini mixture for a couple of minutes until heated through

Add parsley and fetta

Season to taste with salt and pepper

Gently toss to combine and serve piping hot

 

Bon Appetit!   🙂

Baba Ganoush

I went to a vegetarian cooking class many years ago and one of the lessons incorporated Middle Eastern dips which everybody loves and are so easy to make…

This beautiful eggplant dip is our favourite and is foolproof – I have been making it for years and it always tastes the same.  Light and airy with a soft smoky taste…  It’s a winner

Serve with flatbread or carrot and celery sticks…

 

Ingredients:

1 large Eggplant

I large clove of garlic grated

2 tablespoons Tahini paste

Juice of one lemon

½ teaspoon of salt

1 tablespoon of Greek yoghurt (can be substituted with sour cream)

1 teaspoon of good olive oil

Paprika for garnish

Method:

Peel the eggplant and cut into large chunks

Place in a steamer and steam for about 10 minutes or until soft enough to put a skewer though it

When cool enough to handle place in a food processor and pulse until just broken up

Add all other ingredients and pulse until smooth and airy

Pile into a bowl and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with paprika to serve

Serve with pita bread or vegetable sticks…

 

Bon Appetit!  🙂

Egg and Bacon Pie

Who doesn’t crave old-fashioned comfort food at times!  With winter on its way Egg & Bacon Pie is one of those old recipes that have been around forever and this version is delicious.  I use red onion as they are sweeter that the brown ones but any onions can be used including leeks.  It just depends what you have on hand… You can add extra flavours to the layers or omit those you don’t like – there is very little that can go wrong.  Vegetarians can omit the bacon…

Only tip is to be gentle and careful when breaking in the eggs and putting on the top pastry layer. Part of the beautiful look of this pie is the whole eggs peeking out of their pastry cocoon…

Ingredients:

2 or 3 sheets puff pastry

1 red onion, finely diced

8 rashers bacon, trimmed and sliced

1 cup peas, fresh or frozen (I lightly cook them first)

1 cup grated tasty or cheddar cheese

1 tomato, finely sliced

8 eggs

Salt & pepper to taste

Method:

Preheat oven to 180C

Lightly grease a pie dish and line with one sheet of pastry (overlap with another if dish is too large)

Spread a layer of onion and bacon over pastry, cover with peas, cheese and tomato slices

Gently crack whole eggs over, keeping yolk intact

Season with salt & pepper

Gently lay remaining sheet of pastry over the top, trim edges

Cook in pre-heated oven for 40 – 45 mins or until golden

 

Bon Appetit!   🙂

French Style Potato & Green Bean Salad

This sensational salad is an ideal light lunch or supper on its own or can be served as a side dish with a steak or salmon.  The flavours just burst out and it’s a lovely way to use up veggies at the end of the week…  Feel free to change ingredients – sweet potato can be used as well as zucchini or spinach…

Don’t be afraid to use anchovies – they are essential in the dressing as they add a fabulous tang to the whole salad…  The fresh herbs are so fresh and bright – this is a seriously good salad!

Ingredients:

6-8 baby potatoes

Salt and pepper

1 clove of garlic grated

1 tablespoon chopped anchovy

1 tablespoon chopped capers

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

4 tablespoons white wine vinegar

⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil

250 grams Green beans

4 large eggs

1 tablespoon thinly sliced chives

2 tablespoons roughly chopped parsley

2 tablespoons roughly chopped basil

6 to 8 anchovy fillets, optional, for garnish

Handful of rocket leaves, optional

Method:

Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil

Add the potatoes and cook at a brisk simmer until the potatoes are firm but easily pierced with a skewer

Remove and let cool slightly then slice in half – you can use larger potatoes and cut into thick slices

Top and tail the beans

Simmer in salted water until firm-tender, about 3 to 4 minutes, then cool under running water and pat dry.

Cook the eggs in a medium pot of water for about 8 minutes for a somewhat soft-centered yolk or 9 minutes for a firmer yolk.

Cool the eggs immediately in ice water, then crack and peel

Cut each egg in half and season lightly with salt and pepper.

In the meantime stir together the garlic, anchovy, capers, mustard and vinegar

Slowly whisk in the olive oil

Season to taste with salt and pepper

Whisk again before using if the dressing separates

Gently combine the beans and potatoes, using hands to toss, and pile onto a platter

Sprinkle with chives, parsley and basil and arrange the eggs over the top

Garnish with anchovy fillets and rocket leaves if desired.

Bon Appetit!  🙂

Lamb Steaks with Couscous & Chickpeas

We were looking for a change from the usual lamb dishes and decided to make a Moroccan style lamb dish.  This is a marvellous dish with many textures which can be made in just one pan in minutes from start to finish.

You can add any dried fruits or nuts you have at hand – I only had dried apricots and they worked a treat.  The sweetness of the dried fruit and the tang of the green olives along with the kick of chilli sauce make every mouthful a delight!

This will serve 4 people…

Ingredients:

4 lamb steaks

2 tablespoons of McCormick Moroccan Seasoning

1 tablespoon olive oil

½ cup Sriracha Chili sauce

8 finely sliced dried apricots

½ cup sliced green olives

100g couscous

400g can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

100ml hot chicken stock (a cube is fine)

seasoning to taste

Handful of finely chopped coriander or parsley

Greek yoghurt to serve

Method:

Rub the lamb generously with Moroccan Seasoning

Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the lamb for 3 mins on each side for medium-rare, or a little longer for well-done

Lift the meat out of the pan and the Sriracha sauce, dried apricots, green olives, couscous and chickpeas, then stir to coat in the paste

Take the pan off the heat and pour in the stock

Stir briefly and return the lamb to the pan and cover with a lid over a low heat for around 10 minutes until the couscous has absorbed all the liquid.

Fluff up the couscous with a fork, season to taste and fold the coriander or parsley through to serve

Serve with a dollop of Greek yoghurt or sour cream

 

Bon Appetit!  🙂

Sriracha Spiced Bacon

I first saw this recipe on Pinterest  (acknowledgement to The Kitchen Whisperer) and was determined to try it.  Being a bacon lover, this ticks all the boxes – crispy, sweet, spicy – it is divine.  We fell upon it and devoured it in  minutes, fighting over the last little crumbs…

One tip – the drippings in the oven do burn and our kitchen filled up with smoke when I opened the oven door so make sure you have all the doors and windows open.  Or, do what we are planning to do next time – do it in the kettle BBQ – the neighbours will be salivating…

 

Ingredients:

500g streaky bacon

1 cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons  Sriracha Chili sauce (or more if you like it really hot)

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

 

Method:

Preheat oven to 220C.

Combine brown sugar, Sriracha sauce and cinnamon in a bowl

Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminium foil

Place a wire cooling rack on top

Spray the rack with cooking spray

Place the pieces of bacon on top of the rack trying not to overlap

Microwave the spice mixture for 15-20 seconds until it’s spreadable

Spoon or brush the mixture on top of the bacon.

Place in oven and cook for about 10 minutes.

Remove from the oven and flip the bacon.

Reheat the spice mixture

Spoon or brush the mixture on top of the bacon

Return to the oven and cook for an additional 10minutes.

Remove from the oven, allow to cool 1 minute on the rack and then using cooking tongs, and remove the bacon from the rack

The bacon will crisp up as it cools so leave for a few minutes

 

Bon Appetit!  🙂

Savoury Impossible Pie

Who remembers “Impossible Pie” from their youth?  My mother would make a sweet one with coconut or a savoury one like a simple quiche.  Whichever one you chose it was always a success and very tasty.  The alchemy of the flour sinking to the bottom and magically creating a crust is beyond my comprehension but believe me – it always works.  Just make sure your filling isn’t too wet and it will crisp up beautifully.

A variety of fillings can be used from vegetables to bolognaise sauce, it just depends what is at hand.  I find this a terrific way to use up all the leftovers at the end of the week or when you have a glut of eggs…

I also use Massel Chicken Stock powder which is gluten-free, vegan, and suitable for people with Coeliac Disease. They come in three delicious flavours, a classic vegetable blend, a vegan chicken style stock and a vegan beef style stock.  I find these add more flavour instead of just using salt…

Impossible Pie puffed up and golden straight out of the oven…

Let sit for 10-15 minutes and it slices beautifully… Delicious warm or cold.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon of olive oil

1 onion finely chopped

1 clove garlic grated

4 large Roma tomatoes deseeded and sliced

2 cups baby spinach leaves

1 small tin of sweet corn

2 tablespoons of roasted red peppers chopped

1 cup of frozen peas

1 generous teaspoon of Massel Chicken Stock powder

Pepper to taste

4 large free range eggs

1 cup of milk

100g of self-raising flour

1 cup of grated pizza cheese (a blend of cheeses or just mozzarella)

½ cup of tasty cheese cubed

Hungarian paprika for garnish

Method:

In a non-stick pan fry the onion and garlic gently until golden and cooked

Add in the other vegetables and fry until the spinach is wilted

Add in the chicken stock powder and pepper to taste and leave to cool down

In a large jug lightly beat the eggs and milk together

Add in the flour and gently stir until combined

Tip the vegetables into a glass pie dish

Sprinkle over the grated cheese

Dot the top with cheese cubes

Carefully pour over the egg mixture and ensure it has gone through to the bottom of the pie dish

Sprinkle the top with paprika

Place on a baking sheet and cook at 180c fan-forced for around 35-40 minutes until puffed up and golden brown

When removed from oven – let stand for about 10-15 minutes and the pie will be easy to cut.

Delicious warm or cold…

 

Bon Appetit!   🙂

Chermoula

Chermoula is a marinade used in Algerian, Libyan, Moroccan and Tunisian cooking. It is usually used to flavour fish or seafood, but it can be used on other meats or vegetables.  I made this simple version as I had some preserved lemons in a jar I wanted to use up,  I also had some coriander and parsley, so what better than to blend it all together and make this delicious, tangy sauce.  We spread some on a divine fillet steak and it gave the meat a wonderful kick…

The amounts below give approximately 1/2 cup of sauce which will keep in the fridge for 7 days…

Ingredients:

1/2 preserved lemon

3 Tablespoon s of parsley

3 Tablespoons coriander

2 cloves garlic

½ teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon hot paprika

2 Tablespoons of fresh lemon juice

2 Tablespoons of good olive oil

Method:

Put all the ingredients into a food processor (or Ninja) and pulse until it becomes a smooth sauce

Add a little extra olive oil if it’s too dry

Serve as a sauce on any meat or chicken

 

 

Bon Appetit!  🙂

Oven Baked Tacos

This is the best way we have found to prepare tacos without them falling to bits and crumbling all over the place when you try to eat them.  Served straight out of the baking dish, they also stay hot for ages.  I was pressed for time so just used a boxed Taco Kit which had the seasonings included but it is even better using home made chilli…

This dish would also be fanatic for a bulk gathering – make a couple of trays and see them vanish before your eyes as you can’t stop at scoffing down just one…

Bake the tacos filled with chilli and shredded cheese

While still hot in the baking dish pile on your favourite toppings…

Ingredients:

½ kg lean minced beef

1 packet Taco Seasoning

½ cup of water

10 hard Taco shells

Shredded Cheese (Mexican Blend is good)

 

Toppings

Baby tomatoes

Avocados

Black Olives

Sour Cream

Taco Sauce

Sour cream

Coriander

Shredded Lettuce

 

Method:

Preheat oven to 200C

Cook the minced beef according to the instructions on the Taco Seasoning packet

Place 12 hard taco shells upright in a baking dish – some aluminium foil rolled into balls is handy to keep them upright if necessary

Sprinkle some cheese in the bottom to stop the shells from absorbing any moisture from the meat sauce

Spoon meat sauce into each taco as desired – about halfway is good

Top with generous amounts of shredded cheese.

Bake for around 15 minutes or until cheese is melted

Leave the tacos in the baking dish and add your toppings as required

Serve immediately…

 

Bon Appetit!   🙂

Middle Eastern Style Green Beans

We love our vegetables and any tasty way of cooking them is always a treat.  This recipe is so quick and easy and so delicious it will be on your menu for a long time to come.  The cinnamon and allspice give it a deep sultry flavour and it’s very easy to just eat a bowl on it’s own with bread to mop up the sauce.

Ingredients:

50 g butter

2 onions chopped

4 garlic cloves grated

500 g green beans topped & tailed

1 can of Italian tomatoes

1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon of allspice

Salt and pepper, to taste

Olive oil, to taste

Method:

Melt the butter in a heavy-based saucepan over medium heat

Add the onions and garlic, cover and cook until translucent

Add the tomatoes, cinnamon, and allspice, and season with salt and pepper

Add the beans, cover and cook over low heat for 20 -30 minutes or until the beans are cooked through but still have a little bite and the sauce is thickened

Remove the lid and cook until the excess liquid has evaporated and the sauce is thickened

Remove from heat, add the olive oil and stir to combine. Sit for 5 minutes

Can be eaten warm or cold with Lebanese bread to mop up all the juices or as a side dish for meat dishes

 

Bon Appetit!  🙂