Spaghetti with Spinach, Zucchini and Tomatoes

By far this is one of the best pasta dishes I have made. Spinach and crushed garlic are the key here and the universal zucchini complements all ingredients by adding texture, absorbing flavour and subtly enhancing taste.    

Spaghetti with Spinach, Zucchini and Tomatoes

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1 - 2 tablespoons olive oil

half a red onion, chopped

1 package of frozen spinach, defrosted and drained

1 zucchini, sliced into rounds then cut in half 

3 - 4 cloves of garlic, crushed

salt and pepper, to taste

2 fresh tomatoes, diced

1 small can low salt diced tomatoes

1 teaspoon oregano

a splash of balsamic vinegar

In a large sauce pan, add the olive oil and heat over medium high heat, add the chopped red onions, stir. Allow the onions to sauté a little, add a pinch of salt and stir occasionally. Once the onions are slightly softened add the crushed garlic, give a stir and after a few minutes add the spinach and zucchini, give a stir and add another pinch of salt and some pepper. Stir and allow to sauté together for a few minutes. 

Add the fresh diced tomatoes and the contents of canned diced tomatoes, including juices, oregano and the balsamic vinegar. Cover and allow to simmer over medium heat for 10 to 20 minutes. 

Cook pasta, of choice, according to package directions. Drain. Place the cooked pasta in a large serving bowl. Pour sauce over top of the pasta. Toss to coat. Serve. 

 

Hope everyone had a nice long weekend. We did. - JD 

Corn Pasta

I found corn pasta at none other than Dollarama. Where most things are a dollar however on occasion you can find things for more than a dollar and in this case this package of corn pasta was 2 dollars. As I waited in line a customer noted the pasta in my hand and stated "It doesn't cook nice. It clumps." I appreciated the culinary heads up however went ahead and bought it anyway. 

This corn pasta is made from non-GE corn, lactose free, egg free and is gluten free. A surprising find at the Dollar store. When cooking, I followed the directions on the package which are straight forward and the same as cooking any pasta. How did it cook? Fairly well. It wasn't clumpy... in fact it only slightly clumped after draining when placing the pasta on plates, which can happen with any pasta. Although as soon as I put my homemade meat sauce over top of it, it became loose again. No clumps. It was perfectly fine. So in regards to the customer warning and trying to steer me clear of this product there was really nothing that I found to be bothered about. In fact, I would buy this again.

It is a very bracing snowy day today so I will let my current painting and Christmas baking guide me. Stay warm! - JW    

My Week In Food

This week was a particular busy one and I ended the weekend off or started the week, depends on how you look at it, with a roast beef dinner. Baby potatoes, carrots and mushy peas with lashings of gravy. 

Herb encrusted and done to perfection. Oven roasted at 325ºF for... depends on the size of the roast. The roast I had was just about 4 pounds in weight therefore it cooked for about 3 and 1/2 hours. 

Christmas baking got off to an earlier start. These chai shortbread were aromatically sound and delicious. Even more delicious with a cup of tea or coffee. 

Oh Christmas trees, Oh Christmas trees... my daughter had fun decorating these. 

Snack time! Found some exotic snacks at No Frill's. Masala Chana (Crispy Spicy Chickpea), Chatpata Dal (Hot and Sour treat of Gram) and Spicy Peanuts. Very spicy however very tasty and full of flavour.   

A comforting substantial dinner and a favourite of mine, pasta to keep one going during such a busy week. I made quite a bit so there are leftovers for tonights dinner. 

And at the end of it all... Camp coffee with Chestnut flavouring, steamed milk and a dash of cinnamon sugar. My cup does warmth over. 

Being pulled in many directions can be enlightening! Hope everyone has had a good week. - JW 

Spaghettini with Cheesy Chicken Meatballs

Usually when a particular week is busy that might mean dinner has to be simple and quick. And what better meal than a Spaghetti Bolognese. However as the snow fell my mind drifted and I changed the dinner plans to meatballs instead. The last time I made meatballs I did them stove top and the aspect of frying them consumed much time. These are a breeze to make and taste delicious. 20 minutes in the oven. Easy!  

To make these delicious or as my daughter said... scrumptious, baked meatballs you will need the following: 

1 package of ground chicken 

1 egg

1/2 cup breadcrumbs or your favourite butter crackers smashed into tiny bits

1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese 

2 teaspoons of basil

1 teaspoon of oregano

1 teaspoon of garlic and herb Mrs. Dash

1 teaspoon parsley 

a pinch of salt

a dash of pepper

1/4 cup cornmeal (or bread crumbs) to roll the meatballs in. 

First preheat the oven to 400ºF and grab a baking sheet and line it with parchment paper.

Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl. Using your hands form into rounds no bigger than a walnut.

Take the cornmeal and place on a plate. Roll each meatball in the cornmeal and place on the prepared baking sheet. 

Bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until cooked all the way through. 

Notes: This is a recipe that has some give and take. You can always change up the herbs and spices for different ones. Try using different ground meat. Parmesan cheese or mozzarella cheese are great alternatives to old cheddar. However I think a lovely blue cheese would do just nicely too.  

Something else that is simple to make... basic tomato sauce. Empty a 720ml jar of organic strained tomatoes (passata sauce) into a saucepan. Add some basil, oregano, rosemary or herbs de provence. Add a dash of salt, a bit of pepper, crushed garlic, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and some HP sauce otherwise known as brown sauce. Stir it all together and let simmer for about a half hour. What better way to pass the time while the meatballs are baking and the is pasta cooking. 

My Week In Food

Spaghetti Bolognese is quick and simple. Even better when spices inspire you all thanks to the Incredible Spice Men Cookbook. Cumin and other different spices added depth to the minced chicken. Reintroducing flavour that was welcoming change. 

Being at the Farmer's Market in the French Quarter was a nice way to spend the afternoon. Picking up some fresh local veggies and cheese is the absolute best day to me. Also indulging in a chocolate croissant and a latté from Café Bicyclette was the ultimate that rounded this weekend outing perfectly.   

New Baby Potatoes, Fresh Green Beans and Chicken Drumsticks in a homemade Barbeque Sauce became the dinner of choice. Pretty standard weekend dinner feast. My barbeque sauce had all the right elements, sweet, smoky and tangy.  

This was how I plated it. A pat of butter over the potatoes and then I grated lemon over the potatoes and the green beans. Freshness with a zing! 

You can tell the colder weather is coming because everyone felt the need for some Chili Con Carne. Again I played around with the spices. Adding lots of cumin with the chili powder. Not too hot (spicy) that filled the void. Fall is on it's way. 

Enjoy your weekend everyone! -JW 

Pasta! Pasta!

A couple of weeks ago the University was having a book sale. I went to browse and see if anything caught my eye. Many of the boxes clearly were full of academic books. Still I browsed some more and found two cookery books and a few poetry books. Aside from the popular pasta dishes this cookbook caught my eye purely on the illustrations. 

Pasta! Pasta! is only 64 pages however to me pasta is one of the quintessential comfort foods. With an Introduction and How to Please Your Pasta (a basic guide to the do's and don'ts of pasta cooking). You will be singing That's Amore in no time. The section on the Cooking of Pasta should be most helpful. Nobody likes over cooked mushy pasta! Cheeses for Pasta... well there are only three mozzarella, parmesan and ricotta. 

Some of the most popular pasta recipes are featured in this book. You have Fettucce Alfredo, Ravioli, Linguine alla Marinara, Manicotti, Vermicelli e Pollo, Penne alla Carbonara and let's not forget Spaghetti Bolognese. The last page features six classic sauces. I will share the most simplest of them all Marinara Sauce. It can virtually be served over any pasta you wish and can also be used as a pizza sauce.

Marinara Sauce - 3 tablespoons oil, 1 large onion chopped, 1 small carrot chopped, 1-2 cloves garlic crushed, one 2 - pound can of tomatoes or 2 pounds fresh tomatoes, peeled and chopped, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1/2 teaspoon dried basil and salt and pepper to taste.

   

Sauté in oil the onion, carrot and garlic for about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, breaking them up with a wooden spoon. Add the oregano and basil and simmer, partially covered for about 30 minutes. Strain the sauce through a fine sieve, pushing down hard on the vegetables. Reheat if necessary. If the sauce is too thin, boil it down, uncovered over medium heat until it has reduced to the desired consistency. Season with a salt and pepper to taste. 

   

Here is a photo of the illustrations that accompany the recipes through this cookbook. They just scream 1970's! Not to confuse you the steps are numbered and the illustrations are there as a quick visual reference. Buon Appetito! - JW   

Garlic Spaghetti

For the past two nights we have had garlic pasta as a side dish. As usual I cooked too much pasta, however this time it was a good thing.. This dish is simple and brimming with loads of flavour. To make this dish you will need olive oil, garlic, parsley and pasta.

In a fry pan heat 1/2 cup of olive oil with 3 cloves of crushed or chopped garlic. I finely chopped mine. Stir constantly until golden brown. Making sure not to burn the garlic because it will upset the taste. When the garlic is golden brown remove the pan from the heat and set a side. Now you can go ahead a cook your pasta, about 450g. I used spaghettini or angel hair pasta. I didn't really measure out my pasta... I just estimated, as I always do and also seeing how there was a half cup of olive oil I knew I wanted the pasta coated well in the garlic oil but not swimming in the oil. Once the pasta is cooked. Drain and transfer to an appropriate sized serving dish. Pour the garlic olive oil over top. Toss to coat. Then add some chopped parsley... about 3 tablespoons. However I added more. It's parsley it's not going to harm you. You may also add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately. I served this dish with shaved parmesan over top. Classic.   

Despite everyone having seconds. There was plenty left over. The next night we heated the left over spaghettini in a pan. Cooked and seasoned chicken breasts and voila seasoned chicken with garlic pasta! You can do endless things with this simple recipe and have a variety of meals all stemming from this dish. You can have it as a base for a pasta salad with chopped veggies. You could also add chopped Italian sausages, sun-dried tomatoes and rosemary... oh and thyme. My son didn't want me to forget about that herb. Enjoy your weekend! - JW