Pasta, Spinach and Three-Cheese Frittata

What do you do when you've got loads of food in your fridge but you really can't decide what to do with it? I had that dilemma this weekend - I had the ingredients for loads of recipes I'd planned earlier in the week but didn't fancy any of them; I was in the mood for pasta or eggs. I decided to compromise and put together a truly amazing pasta frittata with spinach and ricotta. Result? It's now officially a 'favourite'. Unfortunately it's not exactly the most health-tastic, so it'll probably be a short while before I do it again...

Oh, I also want to say that I've found the most AMAZING GF pasta! Rizopia make theirs from brown rice and unlike most other GF pasta I've tried, this has the right 'mouthfeel', tastes great and doesn't disintegrate into a sloppy mess in the pan when you cook it. Really, really good!


Pasta, Spinach and Three-Cheese Frittata

150g Pasta
200g Frozen Spinach
1 medium Onion (chopped finely)
4 large Eggs (lightly beaten together)
2 heaped tbsps Ricotta
1 tbsp grated Parmesan
Mozzarella (sliced)
1 handful Fresh Basil (chopped very finely)
1 tsp Olive Oil
1 tsp Butter
1 clove Garlic (minced)
1 pinch Nutmeg
Salt & Pepper

Does 4 servings

1) Start cooking your pasta in slightly salted water.

2) Fry the garlic and onion until just going golden. Add the spinach and nutmeg and continue to cook until softened. Stir through the basil, ricotta and parmesan and season to taste.

3) Drain the cooked pasta and add the spinach mixtures - stir well.

4) In a clean frying pan, melt the butter until it just starts to froth. Tip in the pasta and arrange so it is reasonably level but not over-flattened.

5) Carefully pour in the egg mixture so it is evenly distributed through the pasta. Arrange slices of mozzarella on the top and finish with salt, pepper and a little grated parmesan.

6) Allow to cook slowly on the hob for approximately 5 minutes before finishing under the grill to cook and brown the top.

I had mine with a garlic seafood medley and salad.

I'm Loving... Risotto

I admit it. I've been on somewhat of a risotto binge recently...
Until recently, I'd never really cooked the stuff but when shopping last month, I picked up a box of Arborio rice and figured I'd give it a go. And then another go. And then another because the first ideas were just so nice.

The wonderful thing about risottos is that you can put near enough anything you like into them and they're really very simple to make. Depending on your ingredients, they can be light or rich and work as either side dishes or as main courses in their own right. While my main picture is of a chicken variation, I've also had huge success with other ones as well. Below is my recipe for a basic Risotto 'Blanco' - do try making variations such as Mushroom risotto, Pea and Smoked Mackerel risotto or my Personal Trainer, Emma's favourite, Asparagus, Pea and Mint risotto - absolutely perfect for this time of year!


Risotto Blanco

1 cup Arborio Rice
1 Onion (chopped finely)
1 clove Garlic (minced)
2 cups Chicken (or Vegetable) Stock
1 heaped tbsp Parmesan
1 tbsp Butter
Salt & Pepper

1) In a saucepan, melt the butter and slowly saute the garlic and onion together until soft (but not brown). [If using meat or mushrooms, I add them now]. Add the rice and continue to fry gently for a couple of minutes.

2) Add the stock and bring to a gentle simmer. Cover the pan and stir every few minutes until the rice absorbs the liquid and it 'just' tender - it should still have a little 'bite' to it. (You may need to add more stock during cooking). [If using vegetables, I tend to add them towards the end of cooking so they aren't overdone].

3) Stir through the parmesan, salt and pepper to taste. The finished consistency should be tender grains that are almost creamy.

Feta, Potato and Onion Bread

I hadn't planned on posting this recipe, let alone making it, but when I was stuck yesterday on what to have for lunch, I came up with these absolutely delicious bread rolls and knew I'd have to share them. The recipe is largely based on Delia Smith's Goat's Cheese, Potato and Rosemary bread, but has been 'gluten-free-ised'. The bread has a much more Mediterranean feel in the feta and herbs; I also added a good spoonful of tomato puree to the dough. The best bit? I've got 2 more left over for lunch today and I might even make some French Onion Soup to go with them!




Feta, Potato and Onion Bread

175g Gluten Free Flour (rather than muck around with multiple flours, I'm more than happy with Doves Farm GF plain flour)
1 tsp Xanthan Gum
2 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
1 Medium Potato (approx 175g)
1/4 Small Onion (chopped finely)
About 10 basil leaves (chopped finely)
1/2 tsp Thyme
1 tsp Wholegrain Mustard
80g Feta Cheese (cut into 1cm cubes)
1 Large Egg
3 tbsp Milk
1 tbsp Tomato Puree

Preheat oven to 190 Celcius

1) Sift the flour, xanthan gum, baking powder and salt into a mixing bowl.

2) Peel the potato and grate into the flour using a rough grater. Add the cheese, onion and herbs and stir to combine everything.

3) Mix together the egg, milk, tomato puree and mustard and pour into the flour mixture. Combine to form a rough, soft dough.

4) EITHER
- split into quarters, shape each quarter into slightly flattened balls, dust with flour and bake for approximately 20 minutes until golden.

OR
- Flatten the dough into a 6" round, dust with a little extra flour and bake for approximately 40 minutes until golden.


Serve warm - also good reheated in the oven the next day or frozen to keep for a later date!

Pasta Primavera

With recent high pressure systems over the UK bringing unseasonably warm weather, Spring has most definitely sprung. The trees are very nearly green, the flush of cherry blossom is blowing away, and spring flowers are blooming everywhere. With the British asparagus season just starting, I'm in nearly the perfect location to take advantage of some of the best spears in the country - I'm just down the road from Evesham.
Now the weekend before last I tried my hand at making fresh pasta - it worked well, but I didn't roll it out thinly enough and it *really* didn't look pretty enough to share pics. Fortunately I froze some of the dough, which meant tonight I had fun rolling it out really thinly. Result? pretty damn good pasta, even if I do say so myself - will share the recipe another time.

The sauce recipe is loosely based on one I saw on the BBC's Saturday Kitchen show, but makes more use of the seasonal, spring vegetables I have to hand. Oh yeah, and guess who's still trying to finish up the purple sprouting broccoli? ;-)

Enough fresh spaghetti for one person
6 Asparagus Spears (chopped into 1" lengths)
4 Purple Sprouting Broccoli Spears (chopped into 1" lengths)
1 large handful Frozen Peas (fresh would have been better, but I didn't have any)
3 slices Prosciutto Ham (cut into small pieces)
2 tbsp Grated Parmesan (plus a little more to serve)
50g Butter
1/2 clove Garlic (crushed)
2 tsp mint (I used the freeze-dried stuff because I didn't have any fresh)
Salt and Pepper


1) Melt the butter in a small pan and fry the garlic for a few seconds.

2) Add the asparagus, broccoli and peas and stir in a little water. Continue to cook for a couple of minutes, stirring regularly.

3) Stir through the mint, parmesan, salt, pepper and ham and remove from the heat.

4) Cook your pasta in salted, boiling water; drain and toss with the sauce until well-covered.

Serve immediately with a little more parmesan and black pepper on top.

Chicken and Pesto Lasagne

Another recipe inspired by delicious Magazine's Italian special!
Any GF'er knows that shop-bought, gluten free pasta is a really hit-or-miss affair - I've been cooking and eating gluten free since January now and in that time have come across some real winners and losers insofar as pasta is concerned. Delicious Magazine had a recipe for making your own fresh egg pasta and I had intended to make my own lasagne sheets for this recipe that I dreamt up. Unfortunately we had scrambled eggs for breakfast and guess who forgot to buy more... As a result I was forced to use 'quick' pasta sheets which resulted in a rather chewy lasagne because there's not a lot of liquid in it. Note to self - remember to buy lots of eggs next time! Other than that, this recipe tasted *really* good - again, shop-bought green pesto can either be really good or really bad. Fortunately it's really easy to make although my basil plant's looking a little sorry for itself now :-)

Serve the lasagne with fresh salad leaves - I dress mine with my favourite Honey and Balsamic Vinegar Dressing

30g Fresh Basil Leaves
100g Pine Nuts
2 Cloves Garlic
100ml Olive Oil

2 Chicken Breasts (chopped into small chunks)
1/2 Smoked Sausage (Matthesons (Kielbasa-style), chopped into half-rounds)
1 Small Onion (chopped finely)

1/2 Pint Milk
200g Cheddar (grated)
100g Mozzarella (sliced)
20g Parmesan
1 Bay Leaf
1/2 tsp Ground Nutmeg
2 tbsp Cornflour

12 - 15 Fresh Lasagne Sheets
Salt & Pepper

Preheat oven to 180 Celcius

1) Make the pesto first; blend all ingredients together in a food processor or with a hand blender, to a creamy consistency.

2) Fry the onion in a little oil until golden. Add the chicken and sausage and fry until cooked through and slightly crispy. Set aside.

3) Make the cheese sauce; mix the cornflour in a little of the milk until smooth, before adding the rest of the milk. Heat gently in a saucepan and stir in the nutmeg, bay leaf, parmesan and half of the Cheddar. Stir until thickened and set aside, removing the bay leaf just before use.

4) Assemble the lasagne; place the chicken and sausage mixture evenly over the bottom of a 9" square oven dish. Place alternate layers of lasagne sheets and pesto, finishing with a layer of pasta. Top with the cheese sauce followed byt he mozzarella slices and the remainder of the Cheddar.

5) Bake for approximately 30 minutes until the pasta is tender and the cheese is browned on top.

Gnocchi With Sausage and Sweet Chilli Tomato Sauce

I remember eating gnocchi in a restaurant years ago and being completely put off by the plate of dense, slimy blobs. Now, many years later I felt that I ought to give the humble potato pasta another try. Inspired by Delicious Magazine's Italian month, the gnocchi here were adapted from one of their recipes to be gluten free. I also made a different sauce using my favourite Matthesons sausages (the British version of kielbasa (I think), which I recently discovered were gluten free), in a tomato and sweet chilli sauce.

The results?
Beautiful, light and fluffy diamonds, half eaten straight away and the other half stored in the freezer for another day. Brilliant!

Gnocchi
These take a little planning in advance as the potatoes need cooking and then ricing / mashing.
I baked my potatoes as it helps dry them out a little.

500g Baking Potatoes
150g GF Flour (or '00' pasta flour for non GF people)
2 Medium Eggs (lightly beaten)
1/2 tsp Salt

1) Prick the potato skins and bake until cooked - time depends on the size of the potatoes.

2) Using a spoon, scoop out the insides and pass through a potato ricer (or do as I do, and press through a sieve).

3) Add the eggs, flour and salf and combine into a pliable dough. Divide into quarters, rolling each quarter into a 1" 'tube'. Flatten slightly and cut into even diamond-shaped pieces.

4) To cook, cook in salted, boiling water for 2 - 3 minutes. Drain and melt a little butter into the gnocchi before serving.


Sausage and Sweet Chilli Tomato Sauce

1 Small Tin Chopped Tomatoes
1 tbsp Tomato Puree
1 Small Onion (chopped finely)
1 tsp Chilli Flakes
2 tsp Sugar
1/2 Smoked Sausage / Kielbasa (chopped into 1/4" rounds)
1 Handful Basil Leaves (rouchly chopped)
Oil
Salt & Pepper


1) Lightly fry the Onions in a little oil until golden. Add the sausage and heat through until the sausage has nice crispy edges.

2) Lower the heat and stir through the tinned tomatoes, puree, chilli flakes and sugar. Simmer until the liquid content has reduced by about half.

3) Stir in the basil and seasoning to taste.


Serve the sauce over the gnocchi and finish with fresh parmesan and basil leaves.

Savoury Mixed Rice

This recipe works really well with 'alternative' rices such as brown, wild and red camargue, but should still be pretty good with your regular rice. The flaked almonds help give this dish a really good texture and I've served it with chicken or venison casserole.

1 Cup Rice (rinsed)
1 Small Leek (finely sliced)
1 Small Onion (finely chopped)
1 Clove Garlic (minced)
1 Small Piece Fresh Ginger (finely chopped)
500 ml Chicken Stock (or vegetable stock if making as a vegetarian dish)
200 ml White Wine
A Handful of Flaked Almonds
Groundnut or Olive Oil

1) In a saucepan, fry the leeks, onions, garlic and ginger in a little oil until soft and slightly golden.

2) Add the rice, almonds, wine, chicken stock, seasoning and enough water to make sure the rice is covered by about 1 cm.

3) Simmer gently until the rice is cooked, stirring occasionally and adding more water if it is required - I find it takes about 30 minutes using Waitrose Wholesome Rice.

I'm Loving... Waitrose 'Wholesome' Brown Basmati, Red Carmague and Wild Rice

We're always being told about the benefits of brown rice but until recently, I've really not been able to convince myself that I like it... until now. Wandering around Waitrose the other day, I came across a display of their new 'Wholesome' range, which includes dried fruits, nuts, seeds, pulses and healthy pasta and rice. Intrigued, I had a good look around and found a bag of Brown Basmati, Red Camargue and Wild Rice that I thought looked kind of interesting.

A few days later, I was experimenting with recipes for acorn squash (I got one in my organic veggie box) and found one where the squash was stuffed with a savoury rice. An absolutely perfect opportunity to try out the new stuff, and with a bit of adaptation I had a very passable result!

To cut a long story short, I overcooked the squash so it was really a bit too 'squishy', but the rice inside it was amazing. The Red Camargue and Wild Rice give the brown rice a bit more 'bite' and a slightly nutty flavour which was lovely. Having frozen the leftovers, I had the savoury rice again for dinner this evening with a Creamy Chicken Casserole that I put in the oven before going to the gym - result?

A Perfect Match!