Slow-Roasted Tomatoes in Fresh Basil and Oregano

This sauce is so delicious and full of flavour. My friend Chris makes me prepare it every time we see each other :) 

12 tomatoes

4 onions

5 large cloves of garlic

1 tablespoon of dried basil

1 tablespoon of dried oregano

A heaping handful of fresh basil

2 stems of fresh oregano

1 tablespoon of sugar

1/2 a cup of coarsely chopped sun-dried tomatoes

Salt and [epper to taste

 olive oil

1. Wash the tomatoes and cut them into quarters, lay them in a baking pan face up
2. Remove the peel on the garlic cloves and disperse them throughout the pan
3. Pour the olive oil over the tomatoes
4. Sprinkle the sugar over the tomatoes so they don't get bitter and add the dry oregano and basil
5. Add the salt and pepper
6. Finely chop the basil and oregano and lay half of it over your dish
7. Mix everything in the baking pan well so the flavours begin to blend
8. Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes at 170 degrees Celsius
9. While the tomatoes are baking, chop the onions in chunks and fry them in a pan with some olive oil until they are cooked. Once they are golden, toss in the coarsely chopped sun-dried tomatoes.
10. Make sure you stir the contents of the baking pan every 10 or so minutes
11. Once everything is cooked, add the onions to the baking pan and serve with pasta or as a dip for bread.

Might you have leftovers? 

Gouda Cream Sauce

3 cups of pasta shells

2 tablespoons of butter

2 tablespoons of flour

3/4 of a cup of milk

1 cup of grated gouda

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 a teaspoon of ground nutmeg

Fresh parsley for garnish

1. While the pasta cooks, melt the butter and add the nutmeg. 
2. Pour in the milk and whisk combined with the flour. 
3. Once mixed add in the gouda and stir. If the sauce gets too thick, add some milk, if it is too watery, at a bit more flour. 
4. Sprinkle it with salt and pepper before pouring it over the pasta and garnishing with parsley.

Summer Rucola & Sundried Tomato Pasta with Crumbled Feta

Pasta

3/4 of a cup of coarsely chopped sundried tomatoes 

2-3 tablespoons of olive oil

2 Garlic cloves

A handful of crumbled feta (you can do without it if you are vegan!)

Rucola (arugula/rocket) - a large handful

I cup of halved cherry tomatoes

Oregano to taste

A handful of fresh basil

Salt & pepper to taste

Red onion - one large

1. Finely chop the onions and saute them in some olive oil. As they become golden, add some minced garlic. 
2. As the pasta cooks, toss the sundried tomatoes in the pan along with the dried oregano. 
3. Just before draining the pasta, toss in the cherry tomatoes, salt & pepper. 
4. Mix the pasta in the pan with the sauce and turn the heat off. Toss the pasta in the fresh basil, rucola and crumbled feta. 
5. Serve!

Cheddar Fettuccine Alfredo

fettuccine

1 shallot

1/2 a cup of cream

fresh parsley for garnish

3 tablespoons of butter

1 clove of garlic

1/2 a cup of cheddar cheese

salt & pepper to taste

1. boil the water for the pasta while you melt the butter on a medium heat
2. as you cook the pasta, toss in minced garlic and shallots and let them cook
3. add the cream and let the sauce boil for a moment before taking it off the heat
4. add the cheese, salt and pepper
5. mix the pasta in the sauce, garnish with parsley and serve! Don't let it get cold!

Sundried Tomato Pesto

Very simple!

Start with the ricotta pesto and add about 1 whole cup of sundried tomatoes.

Instead of using regular olive oil, I also substituted the olive oil from my original recipe with the oil from the bottle of sundried tomatoes.

Put them in the blender/food processor with your other ingredients and enjoy :)

Calabrese and Fresh Basil

• One red and one yellow capsicum
• Two onions
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1 large can of good quality tomatoes
• A handfull of fresh basil
• One tablespoon of olive oil
• 1/2 a cup of cream
• 1/2 a cup of sundried tomatoes
• Some sugar, salt and pepper to taste  

1. Finely chop the onion and garlic and saute them in the olive oil
2. Chop the capsicum and add it to the pan
3. Pour in the tomatoes and lower the heat, cover the pan and let the mixture simmer
4. Season it with salt, pepper and sugar and continue tasting it as it cooks
5. Once finished, blend the sauce with cream and sundried tomatoes and mix in the finely chopped basil

Vegetarian Fried Noodles

You will need: 

Noodles (the thinner the better)

Tofu

4 eggs

2 onions

4 cloves of garlic

Brocoli

Carrots

Red capsicum (pepper)

Onions

Garlic

For the sauce (add ingredients to how you like the taste):

Black bean garlic sauce

Sesame oil (best to use Korean sesame oil)

Low sodium soy sauce 

Magi

Sugar (to taste)

Water

Corn starch (or flour if you don't have corn starch)

1. Cook the noodles until they are about 70% cooked, then run them under cold water and drizzle them with olive oil so they don't stick before setting them aside
2. Beat the eggs in a bowl and place them in a small pan, mix them slightly to keep them fluffy but let them cook as though you are cooking a pancake. Once cooked, take the egg "pancake" out and slice it into strips
3. Slice the tofu into strips and place it in a pan with some olive oil on a high heat and let the strips get crispy on each side
4. In a pan, combine the ingredients of the sauce (aside from the corn starch) and cook the garlic and onions in the mixture, add the vegetables and a small amount of the egg and tofu, to thicken the sauce stir the corn starch in a bowl of water and add it to the pan (try to keep the vegetables crunchy)
5. Once the sauce is to your liking,, toss the noodles in and fry them in the sauce and vegetables on a high heat. Then garnish them wit the tofu and egg strips.

Roasted Capsicum, Olive & Feta Pasta

• 5 red capsicum (bell peppers)
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 2 onions
• Olive oil
• 1 small tin of good quality canned tomatoes drained
• 6 Kalamata olives
• A handful of crumbled feta cheese
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Sugar to taste
• Pasta (if you dont want gluten, opt for a gluten free pasta)

1. Halve the capsicum and bake them in the oven marinated in olive oil, garlic and salt and pepper
2. Finely chop the onions and fry them in olive oil until they are cooked, combine then with the drained tinned tomatoes
3. When the capsicum are cooked, finely shop them and add them to the onions and tomatoes, add salt, pepper and sugar as you taste to see what the sauce is lacking
4. Blend the sauce 
5. Garnish with feta, chives and olives

Creamy Salmon Pasta

You will need:

• All the ingredients to make a cream sauce
• A fillet of fresh salmon
• Chives

1. Marinate the salmon in olive oil, white wine, salt, pepper, chives and garlic and leave in the fridge to marinate for at least an hour
2. Once the sauce is nearly ready, cook the fish in a separate frying pan and cook the pasta. Continue stirring the sauce frequently with a whisk. 
3. When the salmon is done, break it into chunks gently, pour the white wine, garlic and olive oil remaining in the pan where the salmon was cooked into the sauce and mix int he chunks of salmon
4. Combine with pasta and garnish with chives

Pad Thai

Nom :)

Recipe inspired from Rachel Cooks Thai

You will need:

• For the sauce:
• 1 tablespoon of tamarind paste
• 1 tablespoon of fish sauce (optional)
• 1 tablespoon of palm sugar
• 1 tablespoon of white sugar
• 1 tablespoon of peanut sauce
• For the noodles:
• 2 cloves of finely chopped garlic
• A tablespoon of shallots
• 1 teaspoon of salted cabbage
• 1/4 cup of tofu
• 4 tablespoons of Thai wok sauce
• 2 eggs
• 2 ounces of thick rice noodles
• 1/4 of a cup of bean sprouts
• 1/4 of a cup of Chinese chives
• 2 teaspoons of roasted peanuts
• Lime or lemon slices for garnish

1. Dissolve the sugar into the tamarind paste and mix the sauce ingredients in a saucepan
2. Chop the shallots, chives, garlic and cabbage
3. Roast and finely chop the peanuts
4. Slice the tofu into strips and fry it until it is crispy on the outside
5. Scramble and cook the eggs
6. In a pan with some oil, sauté the shallots, garlic and cabbage
7. Cook the noodles and add them to the pan with the cooked garlic, add the eggs, tofu and Thai wok sauce along with the tamarind sauce
8. Fry the noodles and add the bean sprouts, chives and peanuts (they don't need to cook, just mix them in and take them out)
9. Garnish with lemon or lime :)

Spinach & Ricotta Cannelloni

A word of warning, this does take a lot of prep time but it is well worth it! I must admit, this recipe was largely, if not completely, inspired by Jamie Oliver... who is obviously my close friend who shared it with me personally.

Aside from the filling of the cannelloni shells, you will need to make two additional sauces: one tomato-based sauce: you can either use my basic tomato sauce or my vegetable tomato sauce and a cream based sauce.

You will need:

• Cannelloni shells (or you can easily make your own pasta like I did)
• 3 bags of baby spinach
• 2 cups of ricotta
• 1 cup of parmesan
• a knob of butter
• 2 small cloves of garlic
• 1 & 1/2 teaspoons of fresh nutmeg
• Good cheese for melting (mozza, cheddar... etc)

1. Wash and then spin-dry the spinach
2. Mince the garlic and cook it in a saucepan with butter at a medium-high heat
3. Once the garlic is cooked, add the nutmeg and the spinach and stir until the leaves are wilted
4. Put the spinach aside and let it cool before chopping it
5. Add the ricotta and parmesan to the spinach and mix well. 

Some cannelloni shells require you to cook them first but others, you can but straight into the oven. So follow the instructions depending. If you make your own pasta, cook the sheets for about 2 minutes and place them in a bowl of cool water with olive oil.

When filling the shells and preparing the pan:

1. If you don't have a piping tube, use a ziplock bag and cut a small hole in the bottom corner. Fill the bag with your ricotta spinach mixture and pipe it into the tubes. If you are using your own made pasta, simply lay down the filling and roll up your pasta sheet. 
2. In a lasagna pan, lay the tomato sauce on the bottom
3. Arrange the filled cannelloni tubes on top of your bed of sauce
4. Cover the tubes with the cream sauce and top it with cheese. If you have left over filling, garnish the top with it. 

Bake depending on the directions on your cannelloni shell box and then let sit for 10 minutes before serving. With your own pasta, cook for about 8 minutes on a high heat.

Homemade Pasta

Yes, homemade pasta can be time consuming, but it is worth it! AND you really don't need a pasta maker or even a rolling pin ;)

You will need:

2 and a half cups of flour
4 eggs
A pinch of salt

(cannelloni or lasagne sheets)

1. In a bowl, place the flour and salt combined
2. Make an indent in the centre for the eggs and slowly mix them into the flour
3. Knead the dough well for about 10 minutes, you will begin to see the colour changing
4. If you are using a pasta maker: separate the dough into fist sized portions. Start the knob at the widest setting and continually put the dough through, folding it each time until your dough is extremely smooth. Then slowly decrease the width until you are happy with the thickness of your sheet. 
5. If you do not have a pasta maker, use a rolling pin, long glass or even a paper towel roll (getting creative here) with flour dusted on it. Continually roll the fist sized sections of dough until it is as thin as you want it. 
6. In a pasta maker, add the utensil for whatever shape pasta you want. To avoid the pieces sticking, sprinkle them with flour. 
7. Without a pasta maker, slice the dough in equal lengths and voila, fettuccine or tagliatelle. 
8. Cook for about 4 minutes

Chilled Pomegranate Rice Noodles

You will need:

• Rice noodles (I used brown)
• Pomegranate
• Baby spinach
• 1 carrot
• Cucumber
• Radish
• Spring onion
• Fresh coriander 

For the sauce: 

Shallots

Olive oil

Chinese chives

Balsamic vinegar

Magi 

Aromat

Garlic

Any dried herbs you like

Lemon

Dijon Mustard

1. Ideally, prepare the sauce and leave it overnight in the fridge
2. Cook the noodles, leaving them still al dente
3. Run them under cold water and leave them in ice water to chill
4. Wash the cucumber, spinach, radish, onion and coriander
5. Peel the carrot and slice it into thin strips along with the cucumber 
6. Slice the spinach, radish and onion
7. Toss the cold noodles in the sauce and mix them with the vegetables, pomegranate and coriander 

Annie's Crispy Noodles

When my boyfriend's parents came to visit from Shanghai, his mother showed me how to make the most delicious crispy noodles. 

You will need: 

Noodles (the thinner the better)

Tofu

4 eggs

2 onions

4 cloves of garlic

Any vegetables you want (we used carrots, capsicum, mushrooms and brocoli) 

Bean sprouts

Coriander (fresh leaves)

For the sauce (add ingredients to how you like the taste):

Black bean garlic sauce

Sesame oil (best to use Korean sesame oil)

Low sodium soy sauce 

Magi

Sugar (to taste)

Water

Corn starch (or flour if you don't have corn starch)

1. Cook the noodles until they are about 70% cooked, then run them under cold water and drizzle them with olive oil so they don't stick before setting them aside
2. Beat the eggs in a bowl and place them in a small pan, mix them slightly to keep them fluffy but let them cook as though you are cooking a pancake. Once cooked, take the egg "pancake" out and slice it into strips
3. Slice the tofu into strips and place it in a pan with some olive oil on a high heat and let the strips get crispy on each side

4. In a pan, combine the ingredients of the sauce (aside from the corn starch) and cook the garlic and onions in the mixture, add the vegetables and a small amount of the egg and tofu, to thicken the sauce stir the corn starch in a bowl of water and add it to the pan (try to keep the vegetables crunchy)

5. Meanwhile, place the noodles in a pan on a high heat and add olive oil, leave them to get crispy and carefully flip them so either side is crispy and the inside is still moderately soft

6. Once the noodles are crispy enough and the sauce is to your liking, either lay the vegetables and sauce alongside or on top of the noodles and garnish them with the remaining tofu and egg strips and then add the fresh coriander leaves and bean sprouts

Butternut Macaroni and Cheese

Butternut squash adds a delicious flavour to a traditional macaroni and cheese :)

You will need:

• 1 cup of butternut squash pureed 
• 1/2 a cup of aged gouda
• 1/2 a cup of fresh parmesan
• 1/3 of a cup of milk
• 1 tablespoon of butter
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• Some flour as needed for thickening
• 2 small onions
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 teaspoon of thyme
• A pinch of paprika
• A pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
• Salt and pepper to taste
• The pasta of your choice

1. Cook and puree the squash until it is smooth, to smoothen it faster add a tablespoon of milk to it
2. Finely chop the onions and crush the garlic and lightly cook it in a saucepan with olive oil and butter
3. Add the herbs - thyme, grated nutmeg, paprika and pepper while the onions and garlic slowly cook
4. Meanwhile, let the pasta cook
5. Combine the cooked onions and garlic to the pureed squash and add milk and salt, blend the mixture until it is smooth
6. Add the milk to make it creamier. This will make the sauce quite liquidy so add small amounts of flour slowly, mixing well, until it is the thickness you want
7. In a pot on a medium heat, mix the sauce in with the pasta, add the cheese and season with salt, pepper and any more paprika you may want

A song from Oliver :)

Fresh Tagliatelle in an Aubergine Tomato Sauce

Clearly, I am enjoying my new pasta maker. A tutorial on fresh pasta to come soon :)

• 1 large eggplant (aubergine)
• A handful of fresh basil
• 2 large cloves of garlic
• One onion
• 1/4 cup of tomato paste
• 1 large tin of good quality tomatoes
• A tablespoon of olive oil
• 2 teaspoons of dried oregano
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 teaspoon of sugar
• A pinch of paprika
• Fresh parmesan

Tip: If you have a barbecue, nothing compares to this sauce with a slightly smokey taste. If you can, marinate the eggplant in salt, pepper, garlic and olive oil and barbecue it then add it to the tomato based sauce.

1. Mince the garlic and onions very finely
2. Toss them in a warm saucepan on a medium-high heat with some olive oil 
3. After about 4 minutes, add the tinned tomatoes and tomato paste and season with salt, pepper, paprika, sugar and oregano
4. Add the eggplant in thin but long slices and let cook until the eggplant is soft
5. Before serving, finely chop the fresh basil and mix it into the sauce
6. Garnish with fresh parmesan and basil leaves 

Healthier alternatives: avoid the parmesan and use less olive oil. If you don't mind the sauce being slightly more bitter, leave out the sugar or use a tiny amount of stevia (a wonderful natural sweetener, but be warned, it is VERY sweet). If you are aiming to reduce your carb intake, you could always opt for a quinoa based pasta which is something I do pretty often.

Mixed Vegetable Tomato Sauce

This is a great recipe because it is filled with loads of veggies! I like making this sauce in big quantities because it's great to keep and have as a leftover.

• 2 bell peppers
• 1 large egg plant (aubergine) or 2 small ones
• 2 Zucchinis (courgette) 
• 2 cans of good quality tomatoes
• 2/3 of a cup of tomato paste
• 2/3 of a cup of sundried tomatoes
• 3 large onions
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 1 handful of fresh oregano
• 1 handful of fresh basil
• 3 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 large carrot
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 teaspoons of sugar

1. Coarsely chop your onions and garlic and cook on medium heat in a large pot with olive oil and sugar
2. Remove the seeds from your bell peppers, chop them and add them to the pot
3. Let them cook until they are slightly soft while you chop the zucchini and eggplant, then put them in the pot
4. Add the canned tomatoes and stir frequently
5. Peel the carrot and grate it into the pot
6. Depending on how watery the contents of the pot are, you may want to add more or less tomato paste. The more you add, the thicker the sauce will be (if the sauce is too thick, add some water)
7. Add salt and pepper
8. Cook on medium heat with a lid until all the vegetables are soft
9. Chop the sundried tomatoes, basil and oregano and add them once everything is cooked
10. Optional: the sauce blended is also really delicious but if you prefer it chunky, serve as is!

TIP: Sometimes, the canned tomatoes may leave your sauce with a slightly bitter taste. I find this can be fixed at least slightly be adding the grated carrots for a sweeter taste. If your sauce is still too bitter, I suggest adding a bit more sugar. But ALWAYS taste as you go to see what is missing or what tastes you would like to amplify.

Lasagna with a Layer of Ricotta and Spinach

I love to add a layer of spinach and ricotta in my lasagna, but it's optional.

I use my mixed vegetable tomato sauce in this dish but I rather it chunky than blended. So, aside from the ingredients for the sauce, you'll need:

• Lasagna sheets
• Mozzarella
• Parmesan
• Ricotta
• 2 bags of fresh baby spinach
• A knob of butter
• 2 teaspoons of garlic powder
• 1 & 1/2 teaspoons of freshly grated nutmeg

For the ricotta layer:

1. Wash the spinach and spin dry it
2. Cook it in a saucepan with the butter, nutmeg and garlic powder
3. Once the leaves are wilted, take them out of the pan and let them cool before chopping the spinach coarsely
4. Mix the spinach with the ricotta in a bowl and put aside

 Layering the lasagna:

1. Depending on the instructions for the lasagna sheets you have, you will either have to cook them first or if you have the ones that cook themselves in the oven, you will start differently. Assuming you are ready to start layering the lasagna, you will start by putting an extremely thin base of the tomato sauce on the bottom of a lasagna sheet
2. Lay down sheets of lasagna to fully cover the base of the pan
3. Add a generous amount of sauce
4. Top it with lots of mozzarella and parmesan (and, if you have it, cheddar)
5. Lay down another set of lasagna sheets
6. Put down your layer of ricotta and spinach
7. Cover it with more lasagna sheets 
8. Keep layering in this order: lasagna sheets, sauce, cheese 
9. Layer until you reach the top and lay down lots of cheese to fully cover the top

Bake depending on the directions of the lasagna noodles you buy.

Tip: Once it's ready, take it out of the oven and let it set for 10-15 minutes

Pesto - Classic and Ricotta

Classic:

• 1/3 a cup of olive oil
• As much fresh basil as you can get your hands on - at least 4 full handfulls
• 3 cloves of garlic
•  1/2 a cup of roasted pine nuts (fry them in a saucepan or bake them in the oven first)
• 2 onions
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 a cup of fresh parmesan cheese

1.  Chop the onions and cook them in a saucepan with some olive oil
2. Toss all of your ingredients in the blender or food processor and there you go! Fresh pesto!

With Ricotta:

Well now, this is like... a really complicated and difficult addition. Only for very, very experienced chefs. Juust kidding, all you need to do is add a full tub (by a full tub, I mean about 3/4 of a cup to a cup) of ricotta to your mix and voila!

And on a different note, this song seems to be drilled in my head... and I love it

Shrimp and Rucola Linguine

• Fresh or dry linguine (or any pasta you like)
• 2 small onions
• Cherry tomatoes
• 4 stems of fresh basil
• 2 handfuls of rucola (arugula)
• Red and yellow bell peppers
• 2 teaspoons of paprika (I prefer mild)
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons of dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons of sugar
• 1 tablespoon of tomato paste
• Plenty of sundried tomatoes (less than the amount of cherry tomatoes... that isn't vague at all)
•  3 cloves of garlic
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• A handful of fresh shrimp
• Fresh parmesan

For the shrimp:

1. Wash and de-shell the shrimp well and place them in a ziplock bag
2. Finely chop a clove of garlic and add it to the bag
3. Add salt and pepper, the tablespoon of olive oil and 1/2 a tablespoon of oregano
4. Put aside to let marinate

For the sauce:

1.  Finely chop the onions, remaining garlic and 1 & 1/2 bell peppers.
2. Using the about 2 table spoons of the oil in the bottle of sundried tomatoes, heat up a frying pan and drop in your chopped ingredients
3. Sprinkle the sugar, oregano, paprika and salt and pepper over the pan and add the tomato paste
4. While the ingredients cook, halve the cherry tomatoes and put them aside
5. Wash the rucola, spin-dry and put it aside with the tomatoes
6. Wash and coarsely chop the basil leaves, put aside
7. Coarsely shop the sundried tomatoes and aaaalso put them aside (lots of side putting, yay!)

To finish off:

1. Boil and cook the pasta
2. Add the shrimp to the pan and cook until pink
3. Once the pasta is cooked, strain it, toss it into the pan and mix, throw in all the ingredients you have put aside, mix quickly and serve immediately so the rucola doesn't wilt.
4. Garnish with freshly grated parmesan