Spaghetti with Garlic, Oil and Chili

A tasty meal that can be made with ingredients from the store cupboard
Ingredients for 4 people:

• 250 gr spaghetti
• 1-2 chilies, depending on how hot you like it!
• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced
  
• 4tbsp olive oil
• A handful of spinach
  
• Salt and pepper to taste

Boil the spaghetti in plenty of boiling salted water for 6-7 minutes until just tender. Drain, reserving a little of the cooking water, and set aside.

Heat the oil in a large pan or wok. Add the garlic, chili, salt, pepper and the chopped spinach. Stir for 5-10 seconds. Add the cooked spaghetti along with one or two tablespoons of the cooking water. Stir until heated through.
Serve hot, with extra olive oil and chili.

Salmon Spread

To serve with fresh, or toasted slices of bread.
This can be served as a light appetizer or as an elegant dip.
Ingredients:

• 200gr packet of cream cheese
• 100 gr smoked salmon
• 1-2tbsp cream or plain yogurt
• pepper, to taste
• 1 tsp horseradish (optional)
• 1 tbsp lemon juice

Put the cream cheese in a bowl and soften it with a fork, mix in a little cream or yogurt to loosen it.
Take the salmon out of the package and place in on a chopping board. Chop it finely with a large knife for a rough texture; or use a food processor for a finer texture.
Mix the salmon with the cream cheese and season with pepper, horseradish and lemon juice to taste.
Place the spread in a clean serving bowl, cover it with cling film and refrigerate until needed.
This will keep in the fridge for up to 24 hours.

Lemony chicken

Ingredients for 2-3 people:

• 6-8 pieces of chicken, thighs, wings and/or drumsticks
• Juice of half a lemon
• salt, pepper, cayenne, to taste

Place the clean pieces of chicken in an ovenproof tray. Pour the lemon juice over them and rub it into the meat with your hands. Sprinkle the pieces with salt, pepper and cayenne to taste.

Bake for 40-45 minutes at 180ºC.
Serve hot with potatoes and salad.

Avgoleomono Soup

In Greece, many dishes are thickened with avgolemono sauce, which is the juice of a lemon whisked with an egg.
In this dish, the avgolemono combines prefectly with the rice and gives a wonderful flavour and creaminess.
This soup is a delicious winter warmer and it can be made in 20 minutes.

Ingredients for 4:

• 1 onion, chopped
• 1.5 litres chicken stock
• 1 cup chopped cabbage
• 1 cup frozen prawns
• 150 gr rice
  
• Salt, pepper, cayenne, to taste
• Avgolemono: 1 egg, beaten with the juice of 1/2 lemon
  

Gently fry the onion in 2 tbsp olive oil for 5 minutes until it starts to colour. Add the stock, cabbage and seasoning.
Bring the soup to the boil and add the rice. Cook the soup for 15 minutes, until the rice is cooked.

Add the prawns and the avgolemono. Stir into the soup and let it cook for 1 minute.

Serve hot, with crusty bread.

Variations: instead of cabbage you can use spinach, or even chopped lettuce leaves.

Potato Skins

For this recipe I am using some potato skins I have already cooked. I emptied the shells to make mash and have the potato hulls ready for stuffing with something delicious.

Ingredients for a snack or light supper for 2

• 4 potato skins, cooked and hulled
• 1 slice of ham
• 100 gr Raclette or Cheddar cheese
• salt, pepper, and cayenne to taste
  

Place the skins in a shallow ovenproof dish, pour a little oil, salt and pepper over them.
Roughly chop the ham and divide it into 4 equal amounts, put one portion into each skin.
Place a quarter of the cheese into each hull.
Bake in a hot oven at 200ºC for about 15 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbling.

Serve hot with a green salad.

Cheese Fondue

In Switzerland this dish started as a way to use up dry cheese and bread.
Traditionally you would use a mixture of Gruyere and Emmental, but you can try using up other cheeses. The best cheese is a slightly rubbery cheese that will melt easily.

Here is an idea for an informal dinner party

For 6-8 people:

• 2 glasses of cider or white wine
• 2 tsp flour
• 400 gr grated Gruyere
• 400 gr grated cheddar or Emmental
• Seasoning: pepper, nutmeg, cayenne

You will also need an earthenware pot that will hold 1,5 litres of liquid.
Place the pot over a low heat and pour in the wine or cider. Add the cheese and start to stir. After a few minutes, when the cheese starts to melt, add the flour, season with black pepper, cayenne and nutmeg. Continue to stir the cheeses until they are melted and you can dip a piece of bread in it. If it is too thick you can add more wine.

Serve the pot over a burner on the table. A tea light will be sufficient heat to keep the cheese melted. After a while the cheese will start to form a clump at the bottom, but there are always volunteers to eat them up!

I serve this with a large green salad.

Dairy health benefits

Milk and dairy foods are healthy foods and considered nutrient-rich because they serve as good sources of calcium and vitamin D as well as protein and other essential nutrients. They provide phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, and vitamins A, B12, and riboflavin1.

The calcium in milk, yogurt and cheese is significant yet most people don't get enough calcium or vitamin D each day2. Getting the recommended three servings of dairy per day can help build bone mass, leading to improved bone health throughout the life cycle.