Leftover Spaghetti with ginger garlic

Picture: Spaghetti with whitebait

This is is my tried and tested Ginger Garlic combination which I use very often.
It is so versatile and loved by all.
You can make it vegetarian, or add a little leftover roast or even flaked fish, cooked prawns.

Ingredients for 4 people:

• 300 gr dry spaghetti
• Flavorings: 100 gr cooked meat of fish, mushrooms, vegetables
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 cm cube of ginger, grated
• 1 hot chili
• olive oil
• Paprika to garnish

Method

• Cook the spaghetti in plenty of boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain and keep to one side.
• Peel the garlic and chop it finely.
• Grate the ginger.
• Heat 3 tbsp oil a large pan, add the garlic, ginger, chili and your chosen flavoring; cook for a few seconds. Add the spaghetti. Mix everything with a fork and reheat well. Serve.

Macarroni a la Russia

Easy and delicious,
An authentic italian recipe created in 1931

Ingredients for 4:

300 gr macaroni
1/2 red pepper, chopped
1 chili, chopped
2 tbs. tomato concentrate
100 ml double cream
1 small glass of Vodka
Salt, pepper,
Grated Parmesan, to taste

Cook the macaroni for lo 6-7 until just cooked. Drain and reserve along with a little of the cooking liqueur.
Fry the pepper for a few minutes until soft. Add the Chili, vodka, tomato concentrate. When it starts to bubble add the pasta;  stir until heated through. If the sauce is too thick, add a little of the cooking liqueur until it is the consistency of single cream.
Serve in hot plates with grated parmesan and a green salad.

Boat Harissa

I created this recipe during an unforgettable cruise around Ibiza.

You can make it in advance and store in an airtight jar for weeks.

The quantities of each ingredient vary according to your taste.

It can be served as a dressing for boiled rice, Potatoes or even pasta.

Salsa Harissa:

• 1 cup of strong olive oil
  
• 5-8 stoned black olives, chopped up finely.
  
• 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
• tsp ground cumin seeds
  
• tsp hot chili flakes
  
• salt and pepper, to taste
  

Pound all of the ingredients in a mortar until smooth.

Serving suggestion:

Rice Salad with Harissa.

Boil 2 cups of rice until tender. Drain and pour into a bowl, let it cool down.

Mix in some chopped tomatoes, a drained can of tuna and 3-4 tablespoons of harissa sauce. Serve as a side dish.

Polenta Lasagna

Italian Ragú Bolognese
You can make it with lamb, beef or pork. If you like hot and spicy, you can add chilli flakes. If you don’t want meat in it, make it with mushrooms for example.

• 1 quantity of Basic polenta 
  
• 400 ml white sauce
• 1 onion, chopped finely
  
• 1 carrot, chopped
  
• 1 stick celery, chopped
  
• 1 tbsp tomato concentrate (if you have it)
  
• 300 grs minced meat,
  
• 200ml white wine
  
• 200 ml tomato puree
  
• 1 tsp oregano, dry or fresh
  
• salt and pepper to taste
  

Make the Polenta first. pour it in a bowl and let it cool down until it hardens.

Gently fry in 1 tablespoon of oil the onion, celery and carrot in a saucepan for 10 minutes, add some salt to help draw the water out of the onion. When the vegetables are soft and beginning to brown, add the meat and break it up with a fork as you brown it all over. Add the tomato concentrate if you are using it.

Now add the rest of ingredients and let it cook down for 30 to 50 minutes, until reduced.

Assemble the dish:

Cut the cold polenta into 1cm slices. Line the bottom of a greased ovenproof dish with the polenta slices. Cover the polenta qith a layer of ragú. Repeat the layers untl ou have finished the sauce, finish with a layer of sauce.

Cover this with cheese sauce.

Bake in a hot oven for 40 minutes until it is bubbling and brown.

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.

Beef in Red Wine Sauce

This is a rich and delicious meat stew to serve with tagliatelle.
Will also go very well with mashed potatoes or polenta.
It is even better when made a day or two ahead.

For 6-8 people:

• 500 gr stewing beef
• 500 ml red wine
• 300 ml tomato pasata
• 1 onion, chopped
• Salt, pepper
• oregano, to taste

Fry the onion in a little olive oil for 10 minutes until it begins to caramelize.
Cut the beef into chunks, add to the onion and brown for a few minutes. Season with salt, pepper and oregano.
Add the tomato and red wine to the pan, bring to the boil and cover.
Simmer gently for 2 hours or more, until the meat is tender and breaks easily with a fork.
Check the seasoning and turn off the heat.

To serve:
Serve this stew with tagliatelle and grated parmesan.

Pasta Omelet

This is a classic Italian dish that uses up any leftover pasta, with or without sauce.

• leftover pasta, 1-2 servings
• 3-4 eggs
• 50ml full milk
• salt and pepper
• 50 gr grated cheese

Mix the pasta with the eggs and the milk.
Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large pan and pour the pasta mix over it. Cook this gently on one side for 5 minutes.
Turn the omelet and cook the other side for 5 or 6 minutes.
Alternatively, put the pan under the grill to cook the top side, for 6 minutes.

Let the omelet rest for 2or 3 minutes, until the egg sets
Serve warm or cold, with braised vegetables or salad.

Polenta

Modern polenta is a thick porridge made with cornmeal. I used to find it bland and tasteless until I discovered that cooking it with milk instead of water, makes all the difference.

It is easy to make large quantities of polensa;  remember that when you cook 1 measure of polenta corn meal; you get 4 times the volume of the finished polenta.

Basic polenta serves 4:

• 100 gr fast cooking corn meal or polenta
• 250 ml milk
• 250ml water
• Salt, pepper
• 30 gr butter
• 50gr grated Parmesan cheese
  

Heat the water and milk together in a pan until it comes to a boil, pour in 100 gr approximately of polenta and stir vigorously to avoid lumps, the mass will start thickening very quickly. Mix the butter and Parmesan into the polenta; taste and add more milk, butter or salt to your requirements.

Cooking ideas:
Dry Polenta
Make a very thick polenta and spread it over a greased plate, leave it to cool completely, cut into segments and treat as you would gnocchi (see gnocchi) or shallow-fry to serve with steak.

Wet Polenta
Make a loose polenta with the consistency of mash by adding more milk or cream, and use it to serve with sausages or a meat sauce (see Meat ragú)

Pizza Polenta
For a different take on Pizza.
Cook 100gr Polenta to a fairly thick consistency, spread over a greased pizza sheet. Spoon 3 tbsp tomato sauce over the base; arrange mozzarella cheese and a few bacon rashers cut into strips on top of the tomato, add dried or fresh oregano; and bake for 20 minutes in the oven.

Noodles with Ginger and Garlic

Quick Saturday lunch idea

ingredients for 2:

• 160 gr spaghetti
• 1 x 1cm piece of fresh ginger, grated
• 1 or 2 cloves of garlic, sliced
  
• salt, pepper, chili flakes
• soy sauce, to taste
  

Boil the spaghetti according to packet instructions. Drain and set aside.
For the sauce:
Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large pan, add the garlic and ginger, season with salt, pepper, chili and soy sauce; cook for 15 seconds, then pour the cooked pasta over and toss until combined.
Check the seasoning and serve hot.

Variations: add any leftover meat or cooked prawns to the spaghetti.

Meatballs and Spaghetti

For the meatballs:

• 500 gr minced beef meat
• 1 slice white stale bread, mashed with a bit of milk
• 1 small onion, grated
• 1 tbsp mixed herbs
• salt and pepper
• ½ tsp grated nutmeg

For the Sauce:

• 200 ml crushed tomatoes
• 1 tbsp vinegar
• 1 small onion, chopped
• salt, pepper
• 200 ml white wine

Mix the meatball ingredients in a bowl; if the mixture is too wet, mix in some breadcrumbs.

Make a regular tomato sauce in a large saucepan:
Fry the onion for 10 minutes until soft. Add a dash of vinegar and let it reduce for 1 minute. Add the rest of ingredients and cook over a low heat for 15 minutes.

What I do is simply shape the meatballs and drop them into the sauce one by one as I make them. This saves a lot of time and they come out perfect.
One all of the meatballs are in the sauce, simmer gently for 30 minutes.
Serve with freshly cooked spaghetti.

Basic Tomato Sauce

This sauce is the base of so many dishes it deserves its own post; so it can be used as reference.
My version of the classic sauce has a dash of vinegar to give this lovely sauce a slight piquancy.

Ingredients:

• 400 gr crushed tomatoes
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 tbsp vinegar
• salt and pepper

Gently fry the onion for 5 minutes in 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the vinegar and let it reduce for one minute. Pour the tomato and season to taste. Let the sauce cook for 20 minutes.
Serve with pasta, on its own or sprinkled with Parmesan shavings.
Or use as a base for other dishes.

Creamy Spaghetti with Bacon and Mushrooms

The cooking time of this dish is 30 minutes or less, and it uses store cupboard ingredients, making it ideal for a mid week supper dish.

Ingredients for 4:

• 350 gr dry tagliatelle or spaghetti
• 150 gr bacon cut into lardons
• 150 gr mushroom, sliced
• 30 gr butter
  
• 100 ml single cream
• 100 ml white wine
• salt and pepper to taste

Cook the pasta in plenty of boiling salted water for 5-6 minutes, until cooked but with a bit of bite left in them.
While the pasta is cooking make the sauce.
Cook the mushrooms and the bacon together in a large frying pan, for 5-6 minutes. Season well with salt and pepper; pour in the wine and let it cook out for a few seconds. Add the cream to the Sauce.
Drain the pasta reserving a little of the cooking liquid, pour over the sauce and mix well with two forks.

Serve hot with some grated cheese. Parmesan is best but you can use any other grated hard cheese.

Gnocchi Bolognese

Prepare the basic potato gnocchi and place them on a baking dish.
Make an italian ragu sauce like the one below.
Cover the Gnocchi with the sauce, sprinkle with grated cheese and bake in a moderate oven for 35-40 minutes.

Italian Ragú Bolognese
Here is a basic idea of how to make simple tomato based meat sauces to go with pasta or polenta. Make your own version by adapting it to your style.
You can make it with lamb, beef or pork. If you like hot and spicy, you can add chilli flakes. If you don’t want meat in it, make it with mushrooms for example.

1 onion, chopped finely
1 carrot, chopped
1 stick celery, chopped
1 tbsp tomato concentrate (if you have it)
300 grs minced meat,
200ml white wine
200 ml tomato puree
1 tsp oregano, dry or fresh
salt and pepper to taste

Gently fry in 1 tablespoon of oil the onion, celery and carrot in a saucepan for 10 minutes, add some salt to help draw the water out of the onion. When the vegetables are soft and beginning to brown, add the meat and break it up with a fork as you brown it all over. Add the tomato concentrate if you are using it.

Now add the rest of ingredients and let it cook down for 30 to 50 minutes, until reduced.

Spaghetti with Sobrasada

This curious recipe was given to me by a French lady who lived in Algeria until the 60's when she had to move to France. There was an important Majorcan colony living and working in Algeria at the beginning of the 20th century. They manufactured tobacco products, and because they wanted to eat the same foods as in Majorca, they also produced the famous sobradasa, a spicy red sausage that can be spread on bread and which every Majorcan adores.

This is also a fast food recipe. It takes 15 minutes to make and requires very few ingredients.
Ingredients for 4:
30o gr spaghetti
150 gr sobrasada
Olive oil

Cook the spaghetti in plenty of salted boiling water for 6-8 minutes until just booked. Drain and set aside.
Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a pan and add the sobrasada, melt it gently separating the meat with a fork. Add the drained spaghetti and mix well, with a fork.
Serve hot.

Potato Gnocchi

Gnocchi are noodles made with potato or cornmeal. I serve them in a creamy blue cheese sauce, and they are an instant hit with family and friends. You can buy ready made gnocchi in any supermarket and serve them with the blue cheese sauce. I find that home made ones are best.
They do however need 1 hour to prepare.

Ingredients for 4

• 500gr floury potatoes
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 150g plain flour or less, depending on the texture of the potatoes

Peel the potatoes and boil in a pan of salted boiling water. Drain and mash them into a bowl

Make a hollow in the potato mash, then pour in the egg and sprinkle over some of the flour. Blend everything with your hands, adding more flour but as little as you can get away with (you want the flavour of the potato to come through, rather than that of the flour). Work carefully and quickly, as the more you handle the dough, the harder and bouncier it will become.

You should now have a soft dough that holds together.

Divide the dough into 3 equal pieces. Roll a piece at a time into long, thumb-nail thick cylinders on a lightly floured surface, again working lightly and quickly. Keep the surface well floured as you don't want the gnocchi to stick.


Cut the dough into thumb-nail long lengths. I don't bother to shape and pattern them, but just cook them as they are. Life is too short! However, the shaping and patterning gives a hollow on one side and a pattern on the other that enables the sauce to cling better, and also makes each piece recognisable as a gnocco (a single gnocchi).

To shape them into traditional gnocchi: roll the gnocchi in a little flour. Holding them very lightly, form each into a small concave gnocchi shape: hold them against the prongs of the back of a fork, pressing only firmly enough to get the imprint (not so firmly that they go through the prongs), then guide each one so it tumbles away from the fork. Use your thumb as a guide and your fingers to pick and curl the gnocchi up. Spread them on a large board until required.

Bring a large, deep pot of salted water to the boil. Drop in the gnocchi a few at a time. Let them cook 2 minutes more or less, until they bob back up to the surface, then scoop them out with a slotted spoon and arrange them in an ovenproof dish, spoon over some blue cheese sauce (see blue cheese sauce) and bake in the oven for 15 minutes until bubbling. Serve hot, with a green salad.

Beef and noodles a la Chinese

Recently a dear friend has brought a bag full of Chinese spices directly from China. All of the packages are written in Chinese... so I have no idea what to do with them. However I am going to test all of the spices and have a great time testing recipes.
I find that the main Chinese taste is provided by the garlic and ginger. Just those two ingredients combined with soy sauce and oyster sauce will give you the taste you are looking for. If you also have 5 spice mix in your larder, use it enrich the flavours.

Beef with mushrooms and noodles.

Ingredients for 4

1. 200 gr beef steak, cut into thin strips
2. 200 gr mushrooms, sliced
3. 1 spring onion, chopped
4. 200 gr noodles
5. 1 tsp Chinese spice mix
6. 1 Garlic clove, sliced
7. 1 x 1cm grated fresh ginger

Cook the noodles according to the packet instructions. Drain and reserve.
Heat a large pan or wok with 2tbsp vegetable oil. Add all of the garlic and vegetables; stir fry for one minute. Add the ginger and strips of meat; cook for 3-4 minutes. Pour 200 ml water, the soy and oyster sauces to taste. Add the noodles on top and stir until heated through.
Serve with extra soy sauce and chili oil.

Spaghetti with Prawns

I always have dry spaghetti in my cupboard, and frozen prawns in the freezer. For me this is a store cupboard dish to make on a day like today, when I had no idea what to make for lunch.

Ingredients for 4:

• 300 gr dry spaghetti
• 200 gr frozen prawns
• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced
  
• 2 dry chilies
• 1 tsp tomato paste
• salt and pepper

Thaw the prawns under running cold water.
Put a large pan of water to the boil and cook the spaghetti for 6-7 minutes, turn the heat off and drain them.
Heat 2 tbsp olive oil, add the sliced garlic and chilies, cook them for 15 seconds. Add the tomato paste and the prawns. Bring the sauce to the boil and cook for 1 minute. As soon as the prawns turn pink , pour the sauce over the spaghetti and toss with a fork.
If you have some, you can sprinkle some chopped parsley over the spaghetti.
Serve with extra chili oil for those who, like myself, need to add extra heat to every dish.