Fusilli with smoked salmon

Smoked salmon is good enough on its own. But in a creamy, white wine & parmesan sauce... heaven.

A comforting dish for a special night or a weekend treat.

Serves 2
- 200g fusilli
- 25g butter
- 1 clove of garlic, crushed
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 4 tbsp white wine
- 150ml double cream
- squirt of lemon juice
- salt & pepper
- 50g parmesan, grated
- 120g smoked salmon
- garlic bread, to serve

1. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil, and cook the fusilli according to packet instructions, around 15 minutes.

2. Melt the butter in a pan and fry the garlic and onion for a few minutes. Add the wine and bring to the boil, cooking for a further few minutes.

3. Pour in the cream, lemon juice, seasoning, and just over half of the parmesan, stirring over a low heat.

4. When the pasta is cooked, drain and add to the pan with the sauce. Stir until the pasta is coated, then add the smoked salmon and mix well.

5. Heat through for a minute, then serve with some garlic bread, and sprinkle the remaining parmesan on top of the pasta.

Enjoy :)

You might also like to try my tuna spaghetti recipe!

Spaghetti with tuna & parsley

 This is the perfect pasta dish to make mid-week when you fancy something a bit comforting, a bit special, but quick and easy. It uses ingredients you will most likely already have which is a bonus (who doesn't always have a tin of tuna in the cupboard?)

 It would also make a super quick Valentine's meal, if you don't want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen but want to make something special for a fellow pasta lover.

(I made this just for myself but will double the quantities below to serve two)

Serves 2 

- 200g spaghetti

- 25g butter

- 2 garlic cloves, crushed

- 1 large onion, finely chopped

- 1 tin of tuna, in oil

- 50-100ml creme fraiche

- handful of fresh parsley, chopped

- parmesan, to grate on top

1. Cook the spaghetti according to packet instructions in salted, boiling water (around 10 minutes).

2. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a saucepan and fry the garlic for a couple of minutes.

3. Then add the onion and cook until softened. 

4. Drain some of the oil away from the tin of tuna and pour the rest of the tuna oil into the pan with the onion and garlic. Tip the tuna into a separate bowl and mash with a fork, then add to the pan and stir.

5. Mix the crème fraiche and parsley into the tuna mixture and heat through.

4. Drain the pasta and add to the pan with the tuna mixture, stirring until combined.

5. Serve and top with a generous grating of parmesan!

 Enjoy :)

Chicken, bacon and pesto pasta bake

Beat the January blues with this deliciously, comforting pasta bake - a great weekend treat as part of your nutritious, healthy start to 2014.

I love the combination of peas and pesto, it works really well and is a perfect way to incorporate vegetables for those who don't like to eat them on their own, and to make a naughty pasta bake a bit more healthy! You can use chicken breasts for this but I prefer chicken thighs as they are so moist and tender.

Serves 2

- 200-250g pasta (I used bows and penne)

- 2 chicken thighs, chopped

- 4 rashers of bacon, chopped

- 1 large red onion, chopped

- 160g frozen peas

- 1/2 jar of basil pesto

- 150ml double cream

- parmesan

- cheddar

1. Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees.

2. Bring a large pan of water to the boil and cook the pasta according to packet instructions.

3. Meanwhile, in some olive oil, fry the chicken thighs until browned, then add the bacon and cook for a few minute before you add the onion. Cook until the onions are softened.

4. When the pasta is five minutes from being done, add the peas to the same pan of boiling water and cook with the pasta. When ready, drain and set aside.

5. Add the pesto and cream to the chicken and bacon mixture and stir until combined. Then add the pasta and peas, a grating of parmesan, and mix together well.

6. Transfer to an oven proof dish then grate some cheddar and a generous amount of parmesan on top.

7. Cover with foil and bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes, removing the foil if you prefer it crispy on top.

Enjoy :)

Spaghetti Carbonara

I was craving creamy pasta so bad the other week that I had to whip up a classic carbonara. It was so delicious it didn't stay on my plate for very long. This dish is right at the top of my favourite comfort foods, and is great for a special occasion if you don't have much time but want something that will impress. Perfect served with some oozing garlic bread.

Serves 2
- 100g pancetta, cubed
- 150g mushrooms, sliced
- 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
- 200g spaghetti
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 150ml double cream
- pepper
- fresh parmesan, grated

1. Fry the pancetta in olive oil or butter until it starts to crisp, then add the mushrooms and garlic and cook until softened.
2. Meanwhile, in salted boiling water, cook the spaghetti according to packet instructions (about 10 mins).
3. Mix together the beaten egg and cream in a jug and add as much black pepper as you like. Stir in a generous amount of grated parmesan.
4. When the spaghetti is cooked, drain and add to the pan with the pancetta and mushrooms.
5. Pour in the egg and cream to the pasta and stir until combined over a low heat for a few minutes.
6. Serve immediately and grate a generous amount of parmesan on top and some more pepper, et voila!

Be sure to follow me on instagram if you like to look at pictures of food and see what I've been eating! 'lottierainbow'

Enjoy :)

Pasta bows

This is my absolute favourite meal, and for the first time ever I actually cooked it myself. This is one of those special meals that my mum always cooks and it is just absolutely delcious (even better when she makes it) - I guarantee this will be up there with your favourite pasta dishes. I had no clue what to call this since in our family we just call it 'pasta bows' and the original recipe is called 'McEvitt's bows with meat sauce' as it's named after someone that made it. I wanted to give more of an indication of what it actually is in the title but 'pasta in mince, cream, parsley, white wine and parmesan sauce' didn't really sound all that special... I love how this is a creamy dish but is perfectly balanced with the mince and parsley and therefore isn't rich and sickly like other creamy pastas can be. The flavours in this are just amazing together - what is better than cooking with wine and fresh parmesan and herbs!? My mum changed the chilli powder to cayenne pepper and I would use all olive oil and not butter for frying but other than that this is the original recipe from an old cookbook. Definitely stick to pasta bows, it would not be the same with any other pasta!

Serves 2

- 2 tbsp olive oil

- 1 onion, finally chopped

- 250g minced beef

- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

- salt and pepper

- 100ml white wine

- 150ml double cream

- generous amount of fresh parsley, finely chopped

- 50g parmesan, grated

- 250-300g pasta bows

1. Heat the oil in a large, deep frying pan and add the onions, cooking for about 5 minutes until softened.

2.  Stir in the mince, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, and cook until browned. Add the pepper and seasoning.

3. Pour in the white wine and bring to the boil for a couple of minutes to reduce.

4. Reduce the head and add the cream and parsley - cook for a further ten minutes.

5. Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to packet instructions.

6. Add the parmesan to the sauce, leaving some for sprinkling on top.

7. Drain the pasta and stir into the sauce to heat through, then serve with the remaining parmesan and a sprig of parsley

Enjoy :)

Pasta, pasta, pasta

Just a quick post on three pasta dishes I have made over the last couple months. Two I have posted about before so I will link them below, and one which is pretty simple but delicious.

Carbonara

This is the best carbonara recipe I've ever come across and it turned out even better the second time - just make sure you let the sauce reduce enough! You can find the recipe here

Pesto pasta with salmon and green beans

If you've read my other posts you will know I love pesto pasta - and this is exactly that, with green beans, spinach and salmon which I brushed with olive oil and fresh garlic before baking in the oven (wrapped in foil, 180 degrees) for 20 minutes. Finish it off with lots of fresh parmesan mm mm.

Macaroni cheese

This is the amazing Lisa Faulkner recipe that I've posted about before here. This time I left out the leeks and added a lot more bacon (I made it for my sister and she's very fussy!) This is perfect comfort food for this cold month.

Enjoy :)

Creamy mustard pappardelle with leek and green beans

This is a bit of a cheat, because I didn't actually make this - my mum did - but we put together our ideas to whip this up as a quick but delicious dinner. As I've mentioned before, I love adding green vegetables like green beans to pasta because it's a yummy way to incorporate the nutrients. Having said that, this meal is not particularly healthy since it has double cream in it... I like how the creamy mustard sauce just coats the pasta rather than being an actual sauce, which shows how not much cream is actually used - it would be too rich with lots of sauce. This is a really delicious meal, and will impress even though it only takes about 15 minutes to make!

Serves 2
- 200g pappardelle pasta
- knob of butter/margarine
- 1/2 leek, chopped
- handful of fine green beans, cut in half
- 100ml double cream
- 2-3 tsp wholegrain mustard
- handful of parmesan, finely grated

1. Cook the pasta in boiling, salted water according to packet instructions (about 10-15 minutes)
2. Melt the butter in a pan, and cook the leeks.
3. Add the green beans to the pan with the pasta in when there is about 5 minutes of cooking time left.
4. Drain the pasta and green beans and add to the pan with the leeks, stirring.
5. Pour in the double cream and the mustard and mix together until combined and the pasta is coated in a sauce.
6. Serve with fresh parmesan on top!

Enjoy :)

Stuffed mushrooms

I cooked these the other night and had them with stuffed pepper as well as a main course, but these would make perfect starters. These were so flavoursome from the onion, cheese and salty bacon, and the soft mushroom texture went perfectly with the crunch of breadcrumbs sprinkled on top! Some chopped fresh parsley would have finished this off but I didn't have any in the house - would also improve presentation if sprinkled on top to add extra colour.

Serves 2

- 2 large flat mushrooms

- 4 rashers of bacon, chopped

- 1 red onion, chopped

- olive oil, for cooking

- parmesan, grated

- 1 slice of bread, torn to make breadcrumbs

1. Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 4 / 180 degrees.

2. Cut the stalks off the mushrooms, and chop into small pieces.

3. Fry the bacon in some olive oil, then add the onion and mushrooms. Cook for around 5 minutes, or until the onion is softened. Set aside.

4. Brush the flat mushrooms with olive oil and fry for a few minutes to begin softening.

5. Place on a baking tray and top with the bacon and onion mixture. Grate some parmesan on top and place in the oven for 15-20 minutes. (Lots of water will probably seep out of the mushroom during cooking, so don't be surprised if the tray is wet)

6. To finish off, top the mushrooms with breadcrumbs, and cook under the grill for a coule of minutes, or until the breadcrumbs are toasted.

Enjoy :)

Creamy bacon and leek risotto

I have a really similar post here so I wasn't sure whether to bother putting this up, but this recipe doesn't have chicken in it and is more creamy because of the crème fraiche so it is kind of different! This is really simple, and really delicious so give it a try...

Serves 2
- knob of butter
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 4 rasher of bacon, cut into chunks
- 1 leek, sliced
- 175g rice
- 300ml water with 1 chicken stock cube
- 2 heaped tsp of crème fraiche
- parmesan, grated
- parsley, for garnish


1. Melt the butter in a large pan and fry the garlic for a couple of minutes. Add the bacon and continue to fry for a few minutes.
2. Add all the leeks and cook until separated and softened. Next, stir in the rice until coated.
3. Meanwhile, make up the stock and add to the pan - bring to the boil, then simmer for around 15 minutes - or until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is soft.
4. Stir in the crème fraiche and serve with grated parmesan and a sprig of parsley!

Enjoy :)

Crispy chicken thighs with red pesto spaghetti

Sun-dried tomato pesto, cream, mushrooms, onions, fresh basil, cherry tomatoes, parmesan - coating spaghetti on a bed of spinach leaves, with parmesan crusted chicken. Mmmmm. Chicken thighs can be quite difficult to eat since these ones had the bones still in, but I actually prefer having a chunk of meat with pasta, rather than it being chopped up inside (unless it's a pasta bake). I used chicken thighs because they still have the skin on and I love the crispy texture with the moist chicken. This is one of my perfect meals since I'm obsessed with pesto and pasta!

Serves 2
- 4 chicken thighs
- olive oil
- salt & pepper
- dried italian herbs
- parmesan, grated
- 180g spaghetti
- 1 red onion, chopped
- handful of mushrooms, sliced
- handful of cherry tomatoes, quartered and some left whole
- 1/2 jar of red pesto (sun-dried tomato)
- dash of cream
- fresh basil, torn
- handful of spinach leaves


1. Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 7. Cut slits in the layer of fat on the chicken thighs - this will help it crisp up.

2. Brush with olive oil, season, sprinkle with herbs and grated parmesan.

3. Bake in the oven for 35 - 45 minutes - cover with foil for the first half of the cooking time!

4. Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti according to packet instructions, and in a separate pan, fry the onions in some olive oil.

5. When softened, add the mushrooms and cherry tomatoes, and continue to fry.

6. Place some tomatoes in with the chicken for the remaining 5 minutes of the cooking time.

7. Once the pasta is cooked, drain and return to the pan. Stir in the onions and mushrooms, and add the pesto and cream, stirring and tossing until coated. Add some fresh basil.

8. Place the spinach leaves in two bowls/plates and serve the spaghetti on top. Top with the chicken thighs and tomatoes. Garnish with some fresh basil and parmesan.

Enjoy :)

Prosciutto, parsley and mushroom pizza

The ingredients and method for the pizza base and tomato topping you can find in my previous post, here! I forgot to mention just how delicious these pizzas were, especially this one - it has so much flavour from the salty prosciutto and the parsley goes so well with the mushrooms. This is the pizza I will make time and time again, so definitely try it out. (Sorry again for the photo quality) I served these pizzas with a salad of lettuce, spinach leaves, cherry tomatoes, red onion, mushrooms, and fresh parsley and basil.

Pizza base and tomato sauce ingredients and instructions are here!

Toppings:
- 1 ball buffalo mozzarella, sliced
- large handfuls of fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 1 pack of prosciutto
- button mushrooms, sliced
- handful of parmesan, grated
- olive oil


1. Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 6 / 200 degrees. Once the tomato sauce is spread on the pizza dough, sprinkle with half the parsley and place the mozzarella on top.
2. Cover with the prosciutto and mushrooms, and drizzle with a little olive oil.
3. Sprinkle the remaining parsley on top, and all of the parmesan.

4. Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes.

Enjoy :)

Mozzarella, chicken, tomato and basil pizza

I love making pizza, it tastes so much better (in a healthier sort of way!) I have posted the recipe I use before  here but wanted to do two new posts on the specific toppings I used because they both worked so well. Sorry for the bad quality of the photos, the lighting is impossible with my camera sometimes, so this is the best I could do - plus I just wanted to eat it asap so was rushing a bit... This recipe is easy to follow and is so worth it for a delicious treat!

*the ingredients list for the bases and tomato sauce are for 2 large pizzas - the toppings are just for one of these pizzas, since I'm doing another post with the other toppings I used*

Makes 2 large pizza bases:
- 400g plain white strong flour
- 1 tbsp / 15g dried yeast 
- 50ml boiling water, 100ml cold water
- 1 tsp sugar- 2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for brushing over base
- 1/2 tsp salt
- tepid water, to add to the dough
- extra flour for dusting surface

For the tomato sauce:
- 1 large jar of passata (crushed tomatoes)
- 2 cloves garlic
- pinch of salt
- handful of fresh basil, roughly torn
- 1 tsp dried mixed Italian herbs
- 1 tbsp green pesto


For the topping:
- drizzle of olive oil
- 2 small chicken breasts, cut into chunks
- 1 tsp dried mixed Italian herbs
- 1 ball of buffalo mozzarella, sliced
- few handfuls of cherry tomatoes, halved
- fresh basil, torn
- handful of parmesan, grated

1. To make the pizza bases, sift the flour into a large bowl and make a well in the middle

2. In a jug, mix the yeast with the boiling water, cold water and sugar. Stir constantly until dissolved and leave in a warm place until it becomes foamy - around 20 minutes

3. Pour the yeast mixture into the hollow in the flour, along with the salt and the oil, and knead everything together for about 10 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic. You can do this on a floured work surface

4. Return to the bowl and cover with cling film, leaving a small gap. Put in a warm place and leave to rise for about an hour and a half, or until doubled in size.

5. Once risen, knead briefly and gently, then split into two pieces and roll out on a floured surface. Place on a baking sheet on a baking tray - it is ready to put toppings on!

6. For the tomato sauce, in a bowl mix all the ingredients together and season to taste. Spread generously on the pizza bases (should cover 2 or 3 so you might have some leftover)

7. Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 6 / 200 degrees. Heat the oil in a frying pan and cook the chicken with the dried herbs. Set aside to cool.

8. Place slices of mozzarella on top of the base, followed by the chicken, tomatoes and basil. Sprinkle generously with parmesan and bake in the oven for around 15 minutes.

Enjoy :)

Cheese, tomato and herb quiche

I absolutely love quiche but have never attempted to make one before because whenever I look at recipes they always seem to use so many eggs and so much cream! I also love making (and eating..) shortcrust pastry but was always afraid that turning it into a quiche would leave it with a soggy bottom. Well, today I proved my assumptions to be very wrong! I looked over a few recipes and decided to use all milk instead of cream, with a bit of light soft cheese, and only one egg. I used fresh tomatoes, lots of herbs and some cheddar and parmesan, and the flavours were amazing. The texture was absolutely perfect as well - no soggy bottom, but crisp pastry instead, hoorah! I made this for Father's day as we decided to have a buffet. This quiche is perfect party food for buffets, makes a great lunch, or even dinner - serve with a side salad and some new potatoes in parsley butter for a delicious, summer meal (suitable for vegetarians!) I can't wait to create more quiche recipes, maybe bacon and leek, and next time I make this tomato one, I want to try putting broccoli in it too (I've had one like this from Sainsbury's and it is scrummy). If you are to try out one recipe this summer, I think it should be this one! Pastry isn't as tricky as you might think to get right, just follow the steps below.

Makes 1 large quiche (4-8 people)

For the pastry:

- 175g plain flour

- pinch of salt

- 40g lard

- 40g margarine

- 1 tsp thyme, chopped (I used dried)

- 2-3 tbsp water

For the filling:

- small knob of butter

- 1 small onion, chopped

- 350g tomatoes, sliced

- pinch of salt and pepper

- handful of parsley, chopped (I used fresh)

- 1 tsp thyme (dried)

- 1 tsp basil (dried)

- 2 tbsp boiling water

- 250ml milk

- 1 egg

- 1 tbsp light soft cheese

- handful of parmesan, grated

- handful of cheddar, grated

1. Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 4 / 180 degrees. For the filling, gently fry the onion in the butter for a few minutes until softened. Add the tomatoes, herbs and salt and pepper and stir.

2. Add the boiling water and simmer for 5-10 minutes, or until the tomatoes are softened. Leave to cool.

3. Whilst this is cooling, start on the pastry. Sieve the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl and add the margarine and lard.

4. Rub the fat into the flour with your fingertips 'from a height' (oo jamie oliver style...) until it resembles breadcrumbs. You can add in the thyme at this stage or the previous stage.

5. Add the water and knead gently into a soft dough. On a floured work-surface, roll out the dough until large enough to fit into a flan dish or metal case. Push down into the case, pressing into the sides.

6. To finish the filling, whisk together the milk, egg, soft cheese, parmesan and chessar until combined. Stir into the tomato and onion mixture and gently pour into the pastry case until filled to the top. Grate some more cheddar on top. I found that I had too much filling for the case, maybe because my case was too small. I put the remaining filling into little ramekin dishes and baked in the oven with the quiche so that it could be eaten anyway and not wasted.

7. Bake in the oven for 30-45 minutes, or until the filling has set and is golden brown. 

Enjoy :)