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!

Chicken casserole

Once again, sorry for the un-appetising photos but there's no pleasant way to photograph any sauce that has leeks and mushrooms in ha... This was something I threw together at the last minute and it turned out really well in the end. I called it a casserole but it doesn't even go in the oven so it's really simple and quick to make but tastes delicious. It's made with chicken thighs which I love as they're so tender. Best served with rice!

Serves 2

- olive oil

- 3 skinless and boneless chicken thighs, cut in half

- plain flour

- 1 leek, sliced

- 3 rashers of bacon, chopped

- 100g mushrooms, quartered

- 100ml white wine

- 250ml chicken stock

- 1 tsp dried parsley or mixed herbs

1. Heat some olive oil in a pan and coat the chicken thighs in some flour - cook the chicken thighs in the oil until golden brown. Set aside.

2. Next, fry the bacon, leek and mushrooms in the pan until softened. Pour in the wine and chicken stock and simmer for about 10 minutes. (Meanwhile, cook the rice in a separate pan)

3. Return the chicken to the pan and add the herbs and seasoning. Cook for a further 5 minutes then serve with the rice.

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 :)