PEPPER GARLIC SPAGHETTI WITH RICOTTA

Another day, another little homework row - I dont know how Arabella and I are going to get through the next 11 years of prep - I expect it is going to be a bumpy ride. Thankfully I had chosen to cook something rather simple as otherwise our evening would have got even more complicated!!

This took 15 minutes in total and only needs a few ingredients so is perfect for a school or busy night when you have limited time.

Ingredients for 4 people:

400g pasta - I used spaghetti but you could also use fettuccine or linguine
40g butter
6 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced
1 1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
40g torn basil leaves
1 x 250g tub of fresh ricotta
Parmesan to serve

Cook the pasta in salted boiling water according to the packets instructions. Mine took 11 minutes until it was al dente. 

Whilst this is cooking, prepare the garlic and basil.

A couple of minutes before the pasta is ready, add the butter, garlic and pepper to a pan and cook for a 2 minutes maximum. I did slightly too long!!

Drain the pasta and then add it to the butter, pepper and garlic and toss to coat.

Stir through the basil.

Divide the pasta between the bowls.

Top with ricotta and sprinkle with Parmesan.

I love a quick and simple recipe and this certainly hit the spot. It only has a few ingredients however it is full of flavour - I love the garlic butter sauce. To be honest you could even have it without the ricotta. Arabella enjoyed it although she would swap the ricotta for some goats cheese but no surprise there!!

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PEPPER AUBERGINE PASTA

Sorry for the lack of blog posts but I havent cooked or been anywhere new in ages. I was so busy with the end of term and then Pascal and I escaped to the sun for a week, we ate, swam, sunbathed and read - it was blissful. But it is back to reality now!!

As Arabella is with her father we decided to cook a pasta dish which she wouldnt like - something with aubergines. This is a recipe from Gennaro Contaldos cook book - he is Jamie Olivers mentor, friend and first ever boss. It took about 30 minutes to cook in total.

Ingredients for 2 people:

1 aubergine, trimmed and chopped
1 yellow or red pepper, deseeded and sliced
Extra virgin olive oil
200g pasta (we used dried)
1/2 a fresh red chilli, sliced (we didnt include this as we dont like spice)
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
8 black olives, chopped in half
4 tbsp of baby capers, rinsed
8 ripe cherry tomatoes, quartered
1/2 a bunch of fresh basil leaves, torn
Salt & pepper
Parmesan cheese, to serve

First things first, prepare the ingredients. Chop the aubergines into around 1cm cubes - you dont need to be too accurate! Slice the pepper length ways into strips and then cut in the middle. Finely slice the chilli, chop the olives and tomatoes into halves and quarters respectively and crush the garlic.

Boil the water in the kettle for the pasta.

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat, add the aubergine and fry for about 8 minutes, or until soft, stirring occasionally.

Place on a double layer of kitchen paper to drain.

Return the frying pan to the heat, add another 2 tablespoons of olive oil and cook the peppers, chilli (if using) and garlic for 3 minutes.

Next add the olives, capers and a good splash of water and cook for a further 4 minutes.

At this point I started our pasta in boiling salted water which took 8 minutes.

Add the tomatoes and tear in half the basil leaves and cook for a further 2 minutes.

Then add the aubergines and season well, mixing all together for a final 2 minutes.

Drain the pasta and stir the sauce.

Serve with some Parmesan, a drizzle of olive oil and fresh basil leaves.

This tasted very Mediterranean with the combination of the vegetables and capers. I used to hate capers as a child but they really made this dish and gave it flavour. Pascal adored the pasta - it is something he would order in a restaurant. I liked it and I would do it again however I would add some mozzarella at the end - I think it would be the perfect addition melted into the dish. Bellissimo!!  

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RED PEPPER RISOTTO WITH GOATS CHEESE

I made a real error today by deciding to cook risotto. Arabella and I had enjoyed a very busy fun weekend with friends and so Sunday was dedicated to homework, reading, piano and flute practise, supermarket shopping, washing etc etc. Arabella also wanted to do some baking. Therefore with so much going on, spending an hour cooking lunch wasnt the best idea however it was worth it.

Ingredients for 4 people:
3 red peppers
1 litre vegetable stock (I only had beef which seemed to work)
1 onion. finely chopped
350g risotto rice (Carnaroli or Arborio)
300g goats cheese (or you could use Camembert)
5 tbsp olive oil
Salt & pepper

First things first, preheat the grill.

Cut the peppers in half and remove the seeds, stalk and inner membrane. Drizzle oil over the peppers and sprinkle with salt. Then place them in a roasting tin, cut side down and grill for about 10 minutes until the skins are blackened and blistered. I probably should have done mine for a bit longer!!

Transfer the pepper halves to a bowl using tongs and cover with cling film - this will apparently help the skins to steam off. Leave to cool completely, then peel away the skins and discard. This wasnt as easy as it sounds and I only ended up peeling only half the skin off….not that it mattered.

Roughly chop the peppers and place in a food processor. Mix with 3 tablespoons of olive oil, season and blend to make a smooth puree. Set aside until later.

Heat the stock in a pan and bring to a gentle simmer. (I used beef rather than vegetable stock).

Add 2 tbsp of olive oil to a heavy based pan and then cook the onion for 2-3 minutes.

Stir in the rice and cook for 1 minute until the oil has been absorbed and the rice grains are translucent. 

Now for the time consuming part! Add a ladle of simmering stock to the pan of rice and onion and stir continuously until the liquid has been absorbed. Continue adding ladlefuls of the stock, stirring all the time, and making sure that the previous addition has been almost absorbed before adding the next. Repeat this until you use up all the stock.

Preheat the grill again for the cheese.

After about 18 minutes, when the rice is nearly cooked and the stock is used up, stir in the red pepper puree and cook for a few more minutes, still stirring. Season generously.

Meanwhile cut the goats cheese into slices, season with black pepper and drizzle with olive oil.  Place under the grill for a couple of minutes until bubbling.

Finally divide the risotto between four bowls and top with the melting cheese.

Even though this took a while to make and needs constant attention, it was worth the effort and it even got the thumbs up from Arabella. Although not surprising as she loves anything with goats cheese and this was particularly good as we stirred all the melted cheese in with the rice. Camembert or brie would work just as well. Great flavours!

This is a recipe from Ainsley Harriots "Just Five Ingredients" recipe book….every recipe requires 5 ingredients other than the usual store cupboard accompaniments like oil. I love it as I hate having to buy random ingredients never to be used again so expect to see some other supper ideas from this book!!!

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