Pasta with Chickpea and Spinach
Serves 2
INGREDIENTS
1 onion, diced
1 zucchini, diced
A bunch of fresh spinach
1 can of chickpeas
1 small can of tomato paste
Salt and pepper to taste
A pinch of chilli flakes (optional)
Your favourite pasta
Greek yoghurt (optional)
METHOD
Prepare your choice of pasta as instructed on the package, and set it aside when done.
Meanwhile, gently fry the onion in olive oil on a large pan over medium heat. Add the zucchini and continue to fry for a few minutes.
Add the drained chickpeas to the pan and stir the ingredients together for a few minutes before adding the tomato paste and a little bit of water. Heat through, taste with salt, pepper, and chilli flakes (optional).
Roughly chop the fresh spinach and add to the mixture together with the pasta.
To serve, add a scoop of Greek yoghurt on top (optional).
Bon appétit! Served on my “La Bohème” soup and pasta plate.
Easy Pasta Salad
Serves 2
INGREDIENTS
375 g fettuccini or your favourite pasta
3 tbsp red wine vinegar
5-6 tbsp olive oil
800 g tomatoes, peeled and chopped
2 spring onions, finely chopped
1/3 cup green olives, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Italian basil to top
METHOD
Prepare the tomato sauce by mixing the vinegar, olive oil, tomatoes, spring onions, olives, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Set it aside and let it sit for 10-15 minutes.
Cook your favourite pasta in salted boiling water as instructed on the package. Drain the pasta and let it cool slightly before adding it to the tomato sauce mixture.
Serve with your favourite toppings, for example, oven-baked eggplant or feta cheese.
Bon appétit! Served on my “La Bohème” pasta and soup plate.
Tuna and Fennel Pasta
Serves 2
INGREDIENTS
200g tuna
1 large fennel bulb
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
125 ml vegetable stock
375 g spaghettini
Grated parmesan cheese (optional)
METHOD
Drain the oil from the tuna.
Clean the fennel and chop it up roughly, including most of the feathery fronds. Add it to a food processor and mince.
Heat the oil in a saucepan, add the garlic and minced fennel, and fry gently until soft.
Flake in the tuna, add the vegetable stock and heat through.
Meanwhile, cook the spaghettini al dente in salted boiling water as instructed on the package.
Drain the spaghettini and quickly toss it in the hot tuna fennel sauce, stirring to make sure everything gets coated thoroughly.
Divide into two servings and sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese if desired.
Bon appétit! Served on my “La Bohème” soup and pasta plate.
Greek Style Shrimp Pasta
Serves 2
INGREDIENTS
2 tsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
500g medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 cups plum tomato, chopped
1/4 cup fresh basil, thinly sliced
1/3 cup kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
2 tbsp capers, drained
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
240 g angel hair pasta
1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled
METHOD
In a pot, prepare the pasta as instructed on the package.
Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
Add the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds.
Add the shrimp and sauté for 1 minute., then add the tomatoes and basil.
Turn the heat down to low, and let the mixture simmer for 3 minutes or until the tomatoes are tender.
Stir in kalamata olives, capers, and black pepper.
Add the drained pasta to the skillet with the shrimp mixture and toss well to coat the pasta in the sauce.
Divide equally onto two plates and top with crumbled feta cheese.
Bon appétit! Served in my “La Bohème” pasta and soup plate.
Garlic Shrimp Pasta with Tarragon-Wine Sauce
Serves 2
INGREDIENTS
500 g fresh large shrimps in shells
200 g linguini
⅓ cup dry white wine
3 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp fresh tarragon, finely chopped
2 tsp cornstarch
1 tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
¼ tsp crushed red pepper
2 tbsp parmesan cheese, finely shredded
METHOD
Peel, clean and devein the shrimp, leaving the tails intact. Rinse and pat them dry, and put aside.
In a small bowl whisk together the wine, lemon juice, tarragon, and cornstarch.
In a large pot, cook the pasta according to the directions on the package. Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water when draining the pasta and set both aside.
In a pan, heat the oil up over medium heat. Add the garlic and red pepper; cook and stir for 30 seconds. Add the shrimp; stir for 3 minutes or until shrimp is opaque. Remove the shrimp.
Add the wine mixture and reserved pasta water to the pan. Cook and stir until the consistency thickens, then continue to cook and stir for 2 more minutes. Stir in the pasta and shrimp, and heat through.
Divide into two servings and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Delicious served with butter steamed baby asparagus.
Bon appétit! Served on my “Piano” and “Impromptu” pasta and soup plates.
Lemon Garlic Pasta with Scallops
It all begins with an idea.
Serves 2
INGREDIENTS
250 g linguine or fettuccine
500 g scallops
Salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp butter
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 large shallot, finely chopped
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 cup white wine
1 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
1 lemon, zested and juiced
METHOD
Cook the pasta as directed on the package in salted water.
Meanwhile, prepare the scallops by patting them dry with a paper towel and seasoning them with salt and pepper.
Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and 2 tablespoons of butter. When the butter melts into a liquid, add the scallops. Sear the scallops for 2-3 minutes on each side, until super golden brown. Remove scallops from the pan and cover them loosely with foil to keep them warm.
Add a drizzle of olive oil to the skillet and add the garlic, shallots, and crushed red pepper. Reduce the heat to medium-low and sauté the garlic, shallots, and red pepper for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly.
Add the wine to the pan and scrape up any pan drippings. Reduce the wine for about 2 minutes.
Add the parsley, lemon zest and juice and the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter and stir the mixture until the butter has melted.
Add the cooked and drained pasta to the sauce and stir, making sure the sauce coats all the pasta. Continue to cook for a minute so that the pasta absorbs the flavour of the sauce.
Distribute the pasta onto two plates and arrange the scallops on top. Serve immediately.
Bon appetite! Served on my “Impromptu” soup and pasta plate.