Salmon Pasta

Posted on March 28, 2012 by Tandy

I love the saying “it never rains, it pours”. And this past week, it seems to apply to me very well. Last Thursday night I lost my charm bracelet which has a charm for each year we have been married. Then I decided I would make a pasta dish for our Sunday night supper. I am using up all our tinned ingredients as I want to only eat fresh food where ever possible, and so I created a dish from what I had in my pantry. I decided to take some pictures of the unfinished dish, to see how they would compare to the end product. I then placed the pasta into the cold oven to ‘store’ it there until we got home from our wine tasting, but I ended up knocking the edge of the dish against the edge of the oven, and the pasta ended up all over the floor, between the (non removable) door of the oven, and under the oven. It was a mess which had to be painstakingly cleaned, morsel by morsel. I was so grateful for the photo’s I had taken, as the end product was not very pretty at all. Dave says the flavour is good, so I am sharing with you my ‘disaster’.

SALMON PASTA

Ingredients:

200g pasta, cooked to package instructions

15mls olive oil

1 shallot, sliced

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 x 415g tin pink salmon

1 teaspoon dried dill

Freshly ground black pepper to season

4 tablespoons Mascarpone cheese

Salt for seasoning

Parmesan cheese for garnishing

Method:

Preheat the oven to 200° Celsius

While the pasta is cooking, heat the oil in a pan

Sauté the shallot and garlic until soft

Add the salmon and using a wooden spoon, break it up

Add the dill and the pepper

Remove from the heat and add the Mascarpone cheese

Adjust the seasoning

Drain the pasta and season with salt

Add to the salmon and mix well

Place into an ovenproof dish

Cover the top with grated Parmesan

Bake for 15 minutes

SALMON PASTA PRINTABLE VERSION

I am submitting this recipe to Presto Pasta Nights, which is being hosted this week by Helen of Fuss Free Flavours

Tandy

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Mediterranean Pasta

Posted on January 17, 2012 by Tandy

There is something about the sea that draws me to it. We live 500m from the beach, and if we go away in South Africa, we usually go to a coastal town along the Garden Route. We have explored the beaches from right up the West Coast all the way along to Natal. My favourite stop is the Wilderness, where the sea really sings and the dolphins play. Our April holiday is always spent going to Europe. We are doing one city at a time, exploring and getting to see the ancient buildings and ruins. We have been to many interesting cities, but each visit is punctuated by a trip to the sea. We have explored the Mediterranean from the west coast to the east coast of Italy and come very close to it in France. We have made sure to take a day out when in Rome to head to the sea, and spent an entire holiday up and down the coastal region of Brittany. This pasta is inspired from the regional products of these areas and Spain – a country still on our list of places to go.

MEDITERRANEAN PASTA

ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, sliced

½ red pepper, sliced

50g mushrooms, sliced

1 Spanish sausage, cut in half and sliced

1/3 cup stock

10 olives, stoned and cut in half

salt and freshly ground black pepper for seasoning

2 tablespoons cream

grated Parmesan and micro basil leaves for garnishing

method:

while your pasta is cooking, heat the oil in a large frying pan

sauté the onion and the garlic until soft

add the red pepper and the mushrooms and cook until the mushrooms are soft

add the red pepper and the stock and allow the stock to simmer

add the olives and season to taste

stir in the cream and toss the pasta in the sauce

serve with a generous grating of Parmesan cheese and the basil

MEDITERRANEAN PASTA PRINTABLE VERSION

I am submitting this recipe to Presto Pasta Nights, which is being hosted this week by Alisha of Cook.Craft.Enjoy

Tandy

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Creamy Pasta with Beef, Sundried Tomatoes and Mushrooms for The Secret Recipe Club:

Posted on December 12, 2011 by Tandy

I am loving being in The Secret Recipe Club, as I have met so many bloggers! The time difference is the only thing that does not work well for me – the afternoon’s for me are busy, and so I only get to the posts the day after they are published. This month my assigned blog is Good Thymes and Good Food. Rachel is originally from Florida (where some of my family live) and she now lives in Atlanta. I have been to the airport there countless of times, but have never been out of the airport as I have always been in transit. Rachel is a stay at home mom – how blessed her son is

As I also participate in Presto Pasta Nights and my draft folder is empty of pasta recipes, I chose the first pasta recipe I found on the blog. It had so many of my favourite ingredients in the recipe, I knew it would be great, even before I tried it. I chose not to do a holiday recipe, as that is the farthest thing on my mind right now. This is the busiest time of the year for me work wise. I made a little extra for the freezer – there may be a night soon that I don’t have time to cook!

CREAMY PASTA WITH BEEF, SUNDRIED TOMATOES AND MUSHROOMS

ingredients:

4 rashers streaky bacon

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

250g ground beef

salt and freshly ground black pepper to season

120g mushrooms, chopped

¼ cup sun dried tomatoes, chopped

15g butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 tablespoons flour

375mls chicken stock

1/3 cup cream

200g pasta

½ cup frozen peas

½ cup grated Parmesan
method:

add the bacon to a frying pan over a medium heat and cook until crisp

remove from the pan and chop

sauté the onions and the garlic until soft

add the beef and brown

season and add the mushrooms and cook until soft

add the sundried tomatoes and the bacon and leave to simmer

in a separate saucepan melt the butter in the with the olive oil over a low heat

add the flour and cook for at least 30 seconds

add the stock while whisking the whole time

whisk in the cream

add 1 cup of the sauce to the meat and leave to simmer for 20 minutes while you bring your pasta water to the boil

cook the pasta as per the package instructions

add the peas and heat through

add more sauce to your liking

add the Parmesan and allow the cheese to melt

loosen the sauce with the pasta water before tossing in your cooked pasta

Printable Version

I am submitting this recipe to Presto Pasta Nights, which is being hosted this week by Rachel who blogs over at The Crispy Cook

Tandy

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Coppa And Courgette Pasta With Exotic Mushrooms

Posted on October 11, 2011 by Tandy

I do not like moral dilemma’s. I don’t want to have to argue with myself whether telling or not telling is a good thing. Or alternatively, whether telling or not telling is a bad thing. I am sitting here knowing a friend of mine is hurting herself with her choices. She is making them from an adult, grown up perspective and so I should sit back and allow her to do so. But her choices are hurting her. They are hurting her physiologically and psychologically and it breaks my heart to see her hurting so. But, if I tell her that I know she is doing this she may just pull out of our friendship. That would mean not being there when she really needs someone. I also don’t want her to hide the issues surrounding her, as in the end that would be worse. So, I feel I am left with no choice but to let her carry on making decisions which are harming her. I will have to hope someone else will confront her and tell her. Maybe that is being a bit cowardly, but I really don’t know what other choice to make right now! At least for dinner, this choice was easy. It was a meal made up of the ingredients in my fridge, and I know it is good for you

COPPA AND COURGETTE PASTA WITH EXOTIC MUSHROOMS

ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil

5 slices of coppa, sliced

150g exotic mushrooms, sliced

1 clove garlic, chopped

5 courgettes, thinly sliced

20g Parmesan grated

method:

while your pasta is cooking heat the olive oil in a large frying pan

add the coppa and the mushrooms

when they mushrooms start to soften add the garlic and the courgettes

thin the sauce out with a tablespoon of the pasta water

add the parmesan with the pasta and toss all together

Printable Version

I am submitting this recipe to Presto Pasta Nights, which is being hosted this week by Kirsten who blogs over at From Kirsten’s Kitchen To Yours

Tandy

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Red Pepper, Sausage and Rocket Pizza

Posted on August 23, 2011 by Tandy

I really never did get the saying my sister from another mother - not because I did not understand the meaning, but because I did not get the sentiment. I grew up with someone – from when we were 3 to when we were 23 we were like a married couple. And when that relationship ended, it was more like getting divorced than losing a sibling. Then, the other day a reply to an email popped into my inbox “I cannot imagine a time when you were not part of my life”. And then, I GOT IT. I have a friend who is so much more than a friend. She is like my sister. It is as if she has always been a part of who I am. I am ‘friend shy’ and so I don’t always make a move friendship wise. I fear rejection. And yet, with this person, I know she is more than my friend.

To my darling friend, I know you will read this, and know it is about you! There is a space in my heart where you belong! My home is always open to you and my ears will be there for listening, my shoulders there for leaning on and any time you need it, a bottle of wine will be open for us to share. You are my sister from another mother!

This pizza is a perfect meal for sharing – slice for slice, or bite for bite!

RED PEPPER, SAUSAGE AND ROCKET PIZZA

ingredients:

1 pizza base (you can use a standard bread dough recipe)

1 tablespoon olive tapenade

½ red pepper, sliced

1 sausage sliced (I used a German Vienna)

10g Parmesan, grated

handful of fresh rocket

method:

preheat the oven to 180° Celsius

put your pizza dough into a pizza tin

use the back of a teaspoon to cover with the tapenade

spread the sausage slices evenly around the pizza

sprinkle over the Parmesan

bake for 15 minutes

add the fresh rocket before slicing

Printable Version

Tandy

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Tomato and Anchovy Pasta

Posted on July 5, 2011 by Tandy

I have a good friend who is in love with anchovies! Well, at least I think she is, as she uses a whole bottle to make potato salad. My friend Cindy not only loves anchovies, she also prompted me to do Tandy Tuesday. This is a pasta theme that started with using only 5 ingredients to cook a pasta dish, excluding the pasta, oil, salt and pepper. I love the simplicity of pasta and the fact that you can make a sauce of olive oil, garlic and chilli’s; or go over the top and add a shopping cart of ingredients to make a sublime ragú. Every time I cook pasta, Cindy becomes a part of my kitchen, and the night I prepared this meal, she was even more a part of the whole cooking experience as I used her favourite ingredient. I too love anchovies, but it is a taste I had to acquire. Ten years ago you would not have found me eating one and now, I can quite happily not only cook with them, but eat them with a slice of cheese on a cracker. I have been told they are expensive, but, you use so few at a time that I personally feel it is worthwhile having a jar in your fridge, not only for pasta’s, but for tapenade and to use when you next roast a leg of lamb.

TOMATO AND ANCHOVY PASTA

ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 whole chilli, split down the middle

1 garlic clove, sliced

4 anchovy fillets

125g roma tomatoes, cut in half

small handful of fresh basil, chopped

parmesan for garnishing

method:

while your pasta is cooking heat the olive oil in a large frying pan

add the chilli and the garlic and sauté the garlic until soft, without browning

add the anchovy fillets and allow them to break down

add the tomatoes and let them heat up

remove the chill

mix in your pasta and basil

garnish with parmesan

Printable Version

I am submitting this recipe to Presto Pasta Nights, which is being hosted this week by Helen of Fuss Free Flavours

Tandy

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Basil Infused Tomato Pasta

Posted on June 14, 2011 by Tandy

The past two weeks have been exceptionally hard, and part of what has been difficult is making the choice to put Maxine to sleep for the right reasons. I never wanted to have any lingering doubt that we had just given up on her. Giving up is so easy to do. It is what I sometimes feel like doing when business is bad, like it is now. But I know I cannot just give up. I cannot give up on friendships and I have never given up on a challenge, life or love. Some weeks it is exceptionally hard to come up with a pasta recipe – but Tandy Tuesday is ‘set in stone’ for me, and I cannot give up doing at least one pasta post a week. This week I am sharing with you a pasta recipe from January – it is not seasonal so it can be enjoyed all year round.

BASIL INFUSED TOMATO PASTA

ingredients:

1 tablespoon basil infused olive oil

125g cherry tomatoes, quartered

1 chilli, deseeded and sliced

2 garlic cloves, chopped

10 olives, depipped and halved

1 tablespoon crème fraîche

10g parmesan, grated

method:

while your pasta is cooking heat the olive oil in a large frying pan

add the tomatoes and allow them to warm up

add the chilli and the garlic and cook till soft

add the olives and warm through

add the crème fraîche and make sure your pasta sauce is warm

toss the pasta through the sauce and top with the parmesan

Printable Version

I am submitting this recipe to Presto Pasta Nights, which is being hosted this week by Juli of Pictures of all my Princesses

Tandy

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Rich Tomato Pasta

Posted on May 31, 2011 by Tandy

I had a big UP weekend and an equally big DOWN weekend and so comfort food seems like the best option. On the down side, my darling Boxer spent the entire weekend at the vet as she was too weak to stand or eat. The infection is clear but they still do not know what was wrong with her. They do know that her kidney function is good, her liver function is normal, she does not have a cancerous tumour nor does she have diabetes. They do know that her platelet count is low. So, even though she is now home she has to go back for more blood tests on Friday. Dave was away for the weekend so I had to deal with this on my own, but not alone thankfully as my lovely twitter friends were there for me. Another aspect of this was that my Jack Russell was bereft – her ‘daddy’ and ‘sister’ were not home. It was also the weekend for the Good Food and Wine Show and I was not home Friday night until very late, and all day Saturday into the early evening. So, she slept in the bed with me – which did not please Dave to hear. Another down was my masterclass experience with James Martin – which you can read here.

On the up side, my mother flew in from Johannesburg for a conference and I got to spend Friday night and Saturday morning with her. We had a lovely prawn dinner and a fantastic deli lunch together. It was nice having her to myself even though for such a short time. My friend Sidey had a weekend challenge of comfort food – perfect theme for my meal.

RICH TOMATO PASTA

ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 rashers bacon, sliced

6 mushrooms, sliced

1 clove garlic, crushed

5 tablespoons pasta sauce

25g Parmesan, grated

method:

while your pasta is cooking:

heat the olive oil in a large frying pan

fry the bacon until the fat has rendered down

add the mushrooms and when soft add the garlic

add the pasta sauce and bring up to a slow simmer

add your pasta and toss through

garnish with the Parmesan

Printable Version

I am submitting this recipe to Presto Pasta Nights, which is being hosted this week by the founder, Ruth, of Once Upon a Feast

Tandy

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Tomato, Anchovy and Basil Pasta

Posted on May 10, 2011 by Tandy

This is a meal I made on Christmas eve! My parents were here for their annual holiday and we had a busy social time with them for a week. We went out to eat a LOT and on Christmas eve we had lunch at Mariana’s. We needed to eat supper, but of course we did not want anything too heavy and pasta seemed like the best option. My dad is on a gluten free diet, and so this meal was prepared for two different types of pasta’s. Thankfully, the wheat based pasta and the gluten free pasta cooks for the same amount of time – the only thing I needed was enough stove space for two large pots of boiling water. I am really lucky that I have gas burner as well as a four plate electric stove, so space is never a problem. As we had been out all day, I did not want to spend hours in front of the stove. This is when having a basic tomato pasta sauce in the freezer really helps – the long slow cooking needed for a rich tomato sauce had been dealt with before the day. I always make extra and freeze the left overs using 2 ladles as my measure.

TOMATO, ANCHOVY AND BASIL PASTA

ingredients:

basic tomato pasta sauce

2 anchovies, chopped

small handful of fresh basil, chopped

olive oil for drizzling

Parmesan slices for garnishing

method:

while the pasta is cooking heat the pasta sauce

stir in the anchovies

mix in the basil

stir in the pasta sauce

drizzle with some olive oil and garnish with the Parmesan

Printable Version

I am submitting this recipe to Presto Pasta Nights, which is being hosted this week by Jacqueline of Tinned Tomatoes

Tandy

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Mushroom Pasta with Truffle Oil

Posted on April 19, 2011 by Tandy

Mushrooms are one of the two ingredients I am never without. The other would be tomatoes. Mushrooms go with everything and it is their versatility I embrace. However, they are also very good for you and should form a part of your daily food requirements. They are rich in Vitamin D and will help fight off the common winter cold. This super food is, in my opinion, highly underrated. The common white or button mushroom is widely available and can be eaten raw or cooked, whatever takes your fancy. Do not expose your mushrooms to water when cleaning them and do not crowd your pan full of mushrooms when cooking them. This recipe was inspired after our olive oil tasting at Morgenster and I am going to make much more use of my truffle oil than I have in the past.