Spaghetti with Pine Nuts, Sundried Tomatoes and Pesto

Ingredients:

• 1 packet of Spaghetti, cooked
• 80g of Pine Nuts
• 3 Rashers of streaky bacon
• 8 - 10 good sized sun dried Tomatoes
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 cup chopped fresh basil
• 1 tblspn chopped fresh thyme
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh flatleaf (continental or Italian) Parsley
• 2 or 3 cloves garlic, peeled
  
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Method

• While the pasta cooks, take about a quarter of the pine nuts and add them to a mortar and pestle with the garlic. Pound into a rough paste and add a lug of olive oil. Add the chopped herbs and pound into a rough pesto and put to one side. Strain the pasta, add pepper and olive oil to taste, put to one side.
  
• In a frying pan, heat another lug of olive oil. Put the remaining pine nuts in the pan and stir until they begin to brown, then add the balsamic vinegar. Roughly chop bacon into strips, and the sun dried tomatoes into thin strips. Once the liquid has coated the nuts and began to thicken, add the bacon.
• Once the majority of the liquid has thickened, add the tomato and fry until the bacon is cooked to taste, about 5 minutes.
• Add the pine nut and bacon mix to pasta, add the pesto and stir through. Serve immediately.
  

Great for lunch when you have friends over, as it's simple to make and doesn't take long at all. Optionally you can add almond slivers to the pine nuts and bacon, and you can add baby spinach or basil leaves to the pasta when you stir it all through. Experiment with your own herb combinations to make different pestos, or add Ricotta cheese or mascarpone to make a creamy pesto. Cumin seeds, crushed with Coriander, parsley and fennel seeds or tumeric make a nice pesto, especially when you substitute the sun dried tomatoes for roasted capsicum or peppers. I've also used a good dukkah mix instead of pesto before. Possibilities are limited only by your imagination and your pantry.

Enjoy!

-James, the Not So Skinny Cook

Mushroom Soup

Ingredients:

• About 1 kg Mushrooms (button or cup)
• 8 Large Swiss Brown Mushrooms
• 10 Oyster Mushrooms
• 45g Dried Porcini Mushrooms
• 2 spring onions, chopped
• 1 Spanish, or red Onion, chopped
  
• 2 Litres Chicken or Vegetable Stock
• 250ml Cream (light preferably)
  
• 3 Garlic cloves, crushed or grated (I grate all my garlic)
• Handful of chopped fresh thyme leaves
• handful of chopped continental (flatleaf) Parsley
• 4 or 5 tblsp Mascarpone cheese
• 1 lemon
  

Method

• Place the dried Porcini mushrooms in a bowl and cover with boiled water, and place to one side. In a large pot, heat a large lug of Olive Oil and add the onions and mushrooms (excpet the Porcini. Once the mix started to get moist and fragrant, add the herbs and garlic (save a little of the thyme for garnishing if you wish).
• Simmer for about 10 mins and then add the stock. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  
• When the Porcini is soft strain into another bowl to remove grit, and save the water. Chop half the Porcini and add to the mushrooms, put the other half to the side for later. Add the Porcini water.
• Simmer for about 20 mins, then allow to cool a little. Take half the soup and process it, or use a chef master mixer, then return it to the soup. Place soup back on heat. Add Cream and bring to the boil, then remove from heat
• Pour into bowls, garnish the remaining Procini mushrooms in the centre of each bowl, and ladle with a spoon the juice of 1 lemon between the bowls. Lightly dust with the zest from the lemon and any thyme that you reserved. Serve with a big dollop of the Mascarpone, and thick crusty bread.
  

Every once in a while I make something that pretty much ruins meals for me. By this I mean that once I've had it my way, I cannot conceivably order it at a restaurant ever again. I did it with Spaghetti Bolognaise, and now I've done it with this Mushroom soup. Up until about 3 or so years ago, I was not a fan of any mushrooms but there was this Cafe that I used to live above (next door to a porn shop) in Kings Cross, Sydney. They served a massive 3 egg omelette with mushrooms in it which totally rewired my taste for mushrooms. Unfortunately the Cafe is no longer there, but I'll never forget those Omelettes. And so began my exploration of mushrooms.

This recipe is another Jamie Oliver recipe variation, I dont think he uses cream, from Jamie's Dinners (Page 148).

Enjoy!

-James, the Not So Skinny Cook

Tomato and Sausage Bake

Ingredients

• 1kg Tomatoes
• 500g gourmet Sausages (I use fat chicken and garlic snags)
• 2 or 3 strips of streaky Bacon
  
• 1.5 - 2 cups Balsamic vinegar
• Olive Oil
• 1 tblspn Rosemary roughly chopped if fresh
• 2 tspn thyme
• 2 or 3 Bay leaves
  
• 1 tin Tiny Taters (or baby potatoes)
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 2 or 3 Garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
  
• Tasty Cheese, grated (optional)
  

Method:

• Preheat oven to around 190 degrees. Pour oil into oven proof deep dish and layer bacon in the bottom. Put in oven for about 5 mins until fragrant.
  
• Cut the cores out of the tomatoes, about 2 or 3 cm in, and place hole down in dish. They should be snug fit. Place back in oven for about 10 mins, then remove from heat. Roughly remove the skins (should be wrinkly now) and then add the herbs and garlic and season with salt and pepper.
  
• Roll sausages in oil and season with salt and pepper. Add the potatoes and sausages to the tomatoes and pour the vinegar and a little olive oil over the lot. Return to oven and bake for a further 30 - 40 mins. If cheese is used, add to the top in the last 10 mins.

This is a variation of a Jamie Oliver recipe, one a mate and I have made on occaison and its a favourite. You can substitute the taters for chunky crusty Itallian bread if you like, or just about anything you can think of. The more gourmet they snags, the better the dish so dont just use cheap ones, and they have to be thick snags for this to really shine. You can accompany this dish with mashed potato, polenta, rice, pasta, or chunks of bread. By all means, use several diffferent types of sausages!

Enjoy!

-James, the Not So Skinny Cook

Simon's Ordeal

Hey folks, today's post is in support for Simon. Last weekend he checked himself into the Navy's version of rehab, in an effort to get himself sorted out good and proper. I've known Simon for some 4 or 5 years now, and although he's not my oldest friend, he's one of my closest. He recognized that he has a problem and is taking steps to overcome it and become a better person, and that's something we can all strive to achieve. They say that you can like a man for his qualities, but love a man for his flaws, and this is true where Simon is concerned. I've lost count of the times when I've just rolled my eyes and groaned at Simon's escapades but despite his tomfoolery and hooliganism, his bad judgement and even badder temper, I know that inside he is a noble and brave person and has an amazing capacity for love. 90% of his troubles have their roots in either the bottle or some other excess, but now that's going to become a thing of the past. So, if and when you read this, Simon, I wish you all the best, and to anyone else out there; in support for what Simon's doing, I want you all to give up something that you know you do to excess while Simon is in the tank (1 month). Our own private, non-denominational Lent.

So, a toast....to noble causes!

Handy in the Micro wave

Handy in der Mikrowelle

Vegie and Beef Pasta Bake

Ingredients:

• 500g Beef Stirfry strips (or diced beef)
• 2 Cups pasta (Penne, Rigottini, Fusili)
• 1 Medium Zucchini, diced
  
• 1/3 Cabbage, shredded
  
• 1 medium onion, diced
  
• 3 fresh chili peppers, cut into thin slivers (or 3 tspn chili)
• 1 Carrot, diced
  
• 2x 440g Tins diced Tomatoes
• 1 Capsicum, diced
  
• 2 cups grated Cheese (any type will do)
• 2 crushed Garlic cloves
  
• 2 Tblspn Paprika
• 2 Tspn Oregano
  

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Cook Pasta according to instructions and set aside.
   
2. In a large frying pan, heat 2 tblspn Olive oil and saute onions and carrots for 5 mins, then add chilis, garlic, paprika and oregano.
3. Add meat to pan and brown, then add zucchini and cabbage and cook for about 5 mins. Add capsicum and cook for another 5 mins. Veges should still be slightly el'dente (helps keep their nutritious value).
   
4. In a large oven proof greased deep dish, layer the drain pasta and then the meat and vege mix. Cover evenly with the tinned diced tomatoes. Top with cheese.
5. Place in oven and bake for 15 mins, or until golden brown on top.

Put this number together when I saw I had fresh veges that needed eating, and some beef strips that i was planning on making a stroganof with. More or less chili can be used, depending on taste, and for a twist you can put about a cup of cream in with the tomatoes, and stir through half a cup of cheese as well as topping it with cheese. Or use diced cheese through the tomato. Possibilities are endless.

Enjoy!

-James, the Not So Skinny Cook.

Soused Fish with Saffron and Onions

450g snapper or trevally or red mullet
plain flour for dusting
olive oil for frying
salt
2 large onions, peeled and finely sliced
1 large carrot, peeled and thinly sliced
1/4 tsp saffron threads
1 fresh bay leaf
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
3/4-1 cup water
2-3 tsp sugar
1 tbsp toasted pinenuts (optional)

Chef: Brigitte Hafner

Photo: Marina Oliphant

Source: The Age
Tuesday May 10, 2005

German, Quick, Contemporary, Healthy, Dairy free, Starter

This isn't really a "pickle" - the fish is first fried then marinated in a sweet and sour sauce of onions, vinegar and sugar. It's very delicious.

Method
Cut the fish into small bite-size pieces. Lightly dust with flour and pan-fry in olive oil over low-medium heat until just cooked through on both sides. Season with salt, then place in a deep enamel or glass dish.

In a pot, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil and gently cook the onions and carrots until pale golden and soft. They should not brown. Add the saffron, cook a further minute then add the bay leaf, vinegar, water and sugar. Reduce heat and cover with a lid.

Cook for 5 minutes then pour the hot liquid over the fish. Allow to cool completely before serving.

To serve
Sprinkle with toasted pinenuts if you wish and enjoy with a crisp salad as a starter or light lunch.

Serves 4 as an entree.