Roasted aubergine and goat's cheese pasta

This recipe is from Waitrose Recipes of the Month for May 2010
It was very tasty and easy to make. Next time I would probably use Feta cheese instead of goat's cheese

Ingredients
1 medium aubergine, cut into wedges
1 Red Onion, cut into wedges
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
8 leaves fresh basil, shredded, plus a few whole leaves for garnishing
150g essential Waitrose
Fusilli dried pasta
100g pack goat’s cheese
2 tbsp toasted pine nuts

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 220°C, gas mark 7.
2. Arrange the aubergine and onion in a small roasting tin. Scatter over the chopped garlic, olive oil and shredded basil leaves. Season. Roast for 20–25 minutes, stirring once or twice until tender and charred.
3. Meanwhile, bring a large pan of water to the boil and cook the pasta for 10 minutes until tender.
4. Drain and toss with the cooked vegetables, goat’s cheese, pine nuts and seasoning. Garnish with basil leaves and serve with a green salad.

Prawn Pad Thai

Ben and I cooked this together. I was the sous chef, I got all the ingredients prepared, he, being a master cook. put it together.

Prawns Pad Thai
For Sauce
2 tablespoon tamarind paste
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons palm sugar or gur / jaggery; grated
½ teaspoons of red chilli powder; or to taste

Mix the tamarind paste, fish sauce and gur in a warmed pan, stir until the gur melts, add the chilli powder, and stir. Remove from heat and set aside.

Noodles
250gm rice sticks or noodles;
2 tablespoon vegetable oil2
teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon minced ginger
20 large tiger prawn; deviened
2 large eggs, lightly beaten with the 1 tablespoonsesame oil
6 spring onions sliced diagonally into 1 and 1/2 inch pieces
1 cup of Chinese chives; cut in to 1 and 1/2 inch pieces
1 cup of green beans; cut into 2 inch pieces
1 cup bean sprouts (home grown!)
1/3 cup chopped roasted peanuts
3 tablespoons chopped coriander
1 lime, cut into wedges
chilli flakes

Method
1 Soak the noodles in cold water for about 30 minutes or when soft.
2. Drain the noodles.
3. Heat the wok, and then add the oil and heat until almost smoking. Add the garlic and ginger; stir for a few minutes.
4. Add the prawns stir for 3-4 minutes and remove and keep aside.
5. Add the chives, spring onions and beans, stir-fry for a few minutes.
6. Add the noodles and stir-fry for 2 minute, add the sauce, little at the time
7. When the noodles are covered with sauce, push them to one side of the wok and scramble the eggs and sesame oil mixture.
8. Add the prawns, half the peanuts and bean sprouts. Mix, place in serving bowl or individual plates.
9. Garnish with the remaining peanuts, the coriander and lime wedges.
Extra chilli powder / flakes can be added at the table.

Serves 4

Watercress, tomato and Walnut Chutney / Pesto Tagliatelle

This is my entry for One Hot Stove's A-Z of Indian Vegetables

W is for Walnuts and Watercress both of which are power foods
Although pasta is not Indian, the walnut chutney is.




Walnuts
Walnuts are a power food, they are a very good source of omega-3 essential fatty acids, a handful a day provides enough of these essential fats.
Watercress
Watercress is also considered a power food, it is full of beta carotenes.


1. Walnut and Coriander Chutney / Pesto
Ingredients
2 cups coriander leaves
8 green chillies; seeds removed (or to taste)
4 -6 cloves garlic; peeled
1 cup walnut pieces
2 limes; juiced
salt to taste
Method
Place all the ingredients in a food processer and grind to a paste.

2. Pasta and Sauce
16oz pack of fresh tagliatelle
2 cups of cherry tomatoes; quartered
1 cup of mozzarella cheese; grated
2 cups of watercress; washed and drained
1 tablespoon of olive oil
walnut chutney from above (about 1 cup)

Method
1. Cook the pasta according to packet instructions; drain
2. In the same pan, heat the olive oil and fry the tomatoes for 1-2 minutes
3. Add the walnut chutney, stir the in pasta and the mozzarella cheese and the watercress, cook until the watercress begins to wilt
4. Serve immediately

Seared Salmon and Green Beans Tagiatelle

Ingredients
2 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
500gm salmon fillet; skinned and cut into large cubes
2 tspn minced garlic
1 lemon; juiced
handfull Green Beans; topped and tailed
200ml Creme Fraiche
2 tablespoons chopped Dill
500 gmTagiatelle
salt to taste




Method
1. Marinate the salmon in the garlic, a little salt and lemon juice.
2. Heat the oil, and fry the salmon until nicely brown (6-8 minutes)
3. Put it aside, reserve the oil

4. Cook the pasta as per instructions on the packet.
5. Add the green beans for the last 5 minutes
6. Drain the pasta and beans, add the reserved olive oil, dill and creme fraiche, mix thorougly
7. Place in a serving dish or individual dishes, arrange the seared salmon on top.

Nutty Stir-fried noodles with Fresh Salmon

We had this for Sunday lunch, it is very easy to prepare. The sesame, pumpkin and sunflower seeds give it an added crunch!

Ingredients

12 oz skinned fillet of Salmon; cut into cubes
3 cloves garlic; minced
2 inch piece of ginger; grated
3 green chillies; minced

1 cup mange toute, topped and tailed
1 large red pepper; cut into large pieces
1 small head of brocholi; cut into florettes
3 shallots (small onions); sliced lengthways
4 spring onions cut in rings
1/4 cup coriander; chopped
2 tbspn sesame seeds
2 tbspn sunflower seeds
1 tbspn melon seeds
1 tbspn oyster sauce
1 tbsn hoi sin sauce
2 tbspn sesame oil, salt to taste
2 tspn vegetable oil

Method
1. Marinate the salmon in soy sauce
2. Fry the seeds in 1 tspn of oil until brown, remove and set aside
3. steam or microwave the brocholi until al dente.
4. Cook the salmon in the same pan as the seeds without adding any more oil.
5. Meanwhile boil some water in a large pan, add the noodles boil for the prescribed time on the packet, in this case 5 mins. Drain, rinse with cold water and set aside
5. Heat the other tspn of oil in a big wok or pan, saute the pepper and the onions slices for a few minutes, add the garlic, ginger and chillies and the sesame oil, oyster and hoisin. Mix well.
6. Add the noodles, sauce.
spring onion and coriander, the browned seeds and cooked brocholi, mix.
7. place in individual dishes or large serving dish, place the cooked salmon on top
8. Serve

Mohsin's Penne all'arrabiata

This is the only dish Shaheen will trust me to cook (so this is a one off) - my children love it.

Ingredients:

1 medium onion
4-5 cloves of garlic, 2 hot chillies
400g chopped plum tomato
Spoonful tomato puree
Oregano, Basil, Olive Oil
Penne Pasta, Lemon Juice
Salt, Parmesan cheese



Method

1. Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan.
2. Stir in the crushed garlic, chopped onions and chilled until Onions just start to yellow







3. Add chopped tomatoes, pinch of salt (remember parmesan cheese also has salt) and bring to simmer
4. Add oregano and basil to taste and a splash of lemon juice and allow to simmer on very low flame
5. Half fill a medium saucepan with water spoonful of olive oil (stops the pasta sticking together) and bring to the boil (cheat by using an electric kettle to give you a head start).
6. Cook the Penne pasta according to the packet instructions.
7. Drain the pasta and wash with water to wash starch away, and then stir it into the sauce.
8. Serve sprinkled with parmesan cheese to taste.