Pasta with Anchovy Sauce

This recipe is from Nigella Lawson's 'How to Eat', but the original called for marsala and parsley, which I didn't have, so this is my simplified version.

Ingredients (serves 1)
1/2 medium onion, finely diced
1 tsp sunflower oil
6 anchovy fillets
50 ml semi-skimmed milk
85g pasta (I used tagliatelle)

* Drain the anchovy fillets of oil and pat dry on some kitchen towel. Place in a small bowl and cover with milk
* heat the oil in a pan and add the onion. Cook gently on a low heat for at least 25 minutes until softened and golden.
* heat up a pan of water and put the pasta on to cook
* remove the anchovies from the milk and finely chop.
* add the anchovy to the onions and stir well, then stir in the milk and remove from the heat
* Drain the cooked pasta, return to the pan and stir in the sauce

Obviously if you don't like anchovies - steer clear!

Seafood Spaghetti

I picked up a pack of cooked seafood from the reduced section in the supermarket today so this is what I came up with for it.

Ingredients (serves 1)
100g cooked seafood
1/2 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 tbsp single cream
85g spaghetti

* put the spaghetti on to cook
* meanwhile heat 1/2 tsp sunflower oil in a small pan and fry the onion and garlic until softened
* add the seafood and heat through
* stir in the cream and season with salt sand pepper
* Drain the pasta and pour over the sauce

Nutritional info:
Calories: 452, Carbs: 70g, Fat: 7g, Protein: 23g

Tarting up the basics 2

Another cheap and cheerful dinner option

Ingredients
1 tin meatballs in tomato sauce
2 mushrooms
1/2 onion
Clove of garlic, crushed
Tomato ketchup
Dried Herbs, eg basil, thyme

* heat a little oil and fry the chopped mushroom and onion for a minute or so
* add the garlic then the tin of meatballs
* Add a good squirt of ketchup and whatever herbs you fancy
* heat through for a few minutes then serve

Bolognese

Ingredients (serves 4)
400g mince (beef/lamb/pork/quorn depending on your preference)
1 tin tomatoes
1 onion
1 clove garlic
Mushrooms
Basil/oregano/thyme as much as you like
Worcester sauce 1/4 tsp
Big squirt of ketchup
Stock cube to complement mince

* heat a large pan and dry fry the mince, pouring off any fat.
* Add chopped onion, garlic and mushroom and cook for a minute or so
* Add the tomatoes, herbs and other seasonings
* Cook on a low heat for at least half an hour
* serve with pasta

Carbonara

This has been a favourite 'home alone' lunch for years. I think I first got the recipe from one of my student cookbooks.

Ingredients (serves 1)
75g tagliatelle or spaghetti
1 egg, beaten and seasoned
1 rasher bacon, sliced
3 mushrooms, sliced
1 spring onion, sliced
Cheese, grated (as much as you want)
Sweetcorn (optional)

* Cook pasta to packet instructions, adding sweetcorn if wanted
* Meanwhile, fry bacon, onion and mushroom together
* Drain the pasta, return to the pan then add the bacon etc, beaten egg and cheese
* Stir well. The heat of the pasta will cook the egg. Finish with a generous amount of black pepper. 

Don't be tempted to put the pan back on the heat or you might end up with scrambled egg!

Tarting up the basics

I'm a big fan of supermarket value ranges. Being on a fairly tight budget, they are an absolute life saver and 'basic' doesn't have to mean boring.

A fave easy dinner involves livening up a tin of value chicken in white sauce.

Ingredients (serves 2 or 3)
1 can value chicken in white sauce
1 small onion
1 clove garlic
5 mushrooms
1/2 tbsp wholegrain mustard
Slosh of white wine (optional)
Salt and pepper
Oil

* heat a little oil in a pan, and lightly fry the chopped onion and garlic for a couple of minutes
* Add the mushrooms, then slosh in some white wine, if using.
* Add the tin of chicken and heat through
* Add the mustard and season to taste.

We had it on tagliatelle. Really quick and easy, and much nicer than just heating up the tin on its own.

Creamy tomato pasta bake

Had some veggies in the fridge that needed using up, so this was an obvious dinner choice.

Ingredients (serves 2)
1 small onion
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 courgette
1 yellow pepper
8 mushrooms
150g penne pasta
Tin chopped tomatoes
Herbs - thyme, oregano, basil, black pepper
1 tbsp ketchup
Slosh of worcester sauce
50ml natural yogurt
Olive oil
Cheddar cheese

* heat oven to 200C
* cut the veggies into chunks, drizzle with oil in a roasting tin, and bake for 20 - 30 minutes
* Cook the pasta according to pack instructions
* tip the tomatoes into a pan, add ketchup, Worcester sauce and herbs to taste. Simmer for 10 minutes then stir in the yogurt
* mix the drained pasta, tomato sauce and veg in an ovenproof dish and top with as much cheese as you fancy
* bake for 20 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbly, then serve

If I had a bottle of red wine open, I would add a splash to the tomato sauce. Works well with tuna or bacon added.

Smoked Salmon Pasta

A quick dinner idea.

Ingredients (serves 2)
150g tagliatelle
1 pack smoked Salmon trimmings
1/2 pack soft cheese with garlic and herbs
Splash of milk

* Cook pasta according to instructions
* Meanwhile, heat soft cheese in a small pan, adding as much milk as necessary to achieve a sauce-like consistency
* Add the salmon trimmings to the sauce and heat through
* Drain the pasta and mix with the sauce

Creamy Avocado Pasta

Use a really ripe, squishy avocado for a creamy sauce.

Ingredients (serves 2)
10 or 12 cherry tomatoes, halved
2 tbsp olive oil
150g tagliatelle or spaghetti
1 ripe avocado
1 clove garlic
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp lemon juice
Handful of pine nuts, toasted
Parmesan to serve

* Preheat oven to 150C
* Put the tomatoes on a baking tray, drizzle with 1 tbsp oil and bake for 30 minutes
* Just before the tomatoes are done, begin cooking the pasta as per packet instructions
* While the pasta cooks, put 1 tbsp olive oil, avocado flesh, chopped garlic, salt and lemon juice in a bowl and mash with a fork until smooth and well combined. Alternatively whizz it up in a food processor.
* Drain the pasta and combine with the sauce.
* Top with the roasted tomatoes, pine nuts and parmesan.

For a meaty addition, a couple of slices of smoked grilled bacon cut into strips works very well.