Well its been a while since I last posted. Now that its the Summer holidays again, hopefully I will get off my bum and start posting to the blog again.
For now, please enjoy some photographs, taken today in the garden.
I forgot to take meat out of the freezer today so had to do something new for tea with chorizo out of the fridge and prawns. After scouting around online for inspiration, I came up with this..
Serves 2 and a small boy 
Ingredients
1 chorizo (the long ones in a sealed packet) – thinly sliced
4 tbsp olive oil
knob of butter
1 tsp paprika
3 garlic cloves – crushed
1 red onion – sliced thinly
250g bag of frozen prawns – defrosted
2 green (or red) chillies – deseeded and chopped OR half teaspoon of dried chilli flakes
Handful of baby spinach
300g spaghetti
Method
Put a large pan of water on to boil (for the spaghetti)
Put a second pan on a high heat and when hot turn down to a medium heat and add the chorizo, fry until the oils from the chorizo start to run.
Remove the chorizo from the pan with a slotted spoon and put to one side for now.
Turn down the heat and add the oil and butter. Once the butter has melted (keep on a low-med heat), add the red onion, garlic and chilli and cook for 2-3 minutes or until the onion is soft.
Add the chorizo back in to the pan and cook over a low heat for 5 minutes minutes.
Your water should be boiling now so add the spaghetti to the boiling water and cook for 10 mins (longer for softer spaghetti).
Add the prawns to the pan with the chorizo and stir so that the prawns are coated in the oil and leave for a minute or so before stirring in the spinach. Put a lid on the pan and turn off the heat. Leave until the spaghetti is cooked.
Once the spaghetti is cooked, rinse and pour in a little olive oil, stir then put spaghetti into the pan with the chorizo and prawns.
Shake the spaghetti into the chorizo and prawns and serve.
Ive entered this pasta dish too!
I remember having rabbit as a child and it was always yummy, I may have gone off it a little once I realised it was actually a rabbit (don’t all kids?) but in the past couple of years my love for rabbit as a food has been reignited.
Serves 3-4 people
Ingredients
1 tbsp oil
100g streaky bacon, smoked
1 rabbit (I used rabbit portions on the bone)
1 tbsp flour
1 large onion, chopped
2 celery sticks, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
400ml fresh chicken or vegetable stock
1 tsp honey
salt & pepper
Method
Preheat the oven to GM2
Heat the oil in a pan and cook the bacon over a moderate heat until it starts to brown then add the rabbit portions and brown, sprinkle over the flour and mix with the rabbit & bacon. Remove bacon and rabbit from the pan.
Soften the onions, carrots & celery in the pan (use the same pan that you used for the meat) but do not let them brown. Add the garlic and cook for a further minute.
Transfer everything to a casserole dish and then add the bay leaf, thyme & honey. Pour over the stock until the rabbit is just covered, season and stir.
Put the lid on the dish and cook in the oven for 2 hours.
We had ours with mashed potatoes, dumplings and broccoli from the garden.
What can I say, I love this dish. Its soooo easy to make, quick and delicious! Sorry but the ingredients list isn’t precise, I don’t measure anymore but go by my own tastes.
Serves 3-4 people
Ingredients
Leftover roast chicken or 1 chicken breast (oven cooked or pan fried)
300g pasta (any sort)
Couple of handfuls of baby spinach
200g packet of Pine Nuts
For the pesto
1 packet or large handful of fresh basil leaves
1 fat garlic clove
Approx 25g of the pine nuts (I like the large ones)
5 or 6 thick shavings of Grand Padano/Parmesan cheese
A few glugs of olive oil
Handful of spinach leaves – I prefer baby spinach
Method
Roast the chicken in the oven if using a fresh breast. I use on the bone breasts from the butchers and cook at GM6 for about 40 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the pesto -
Put the pine nuts in a frying pan and dry fry on a medium heat (no oil needed) until they are nice and golden and the oils have come out.
Place all of the pesto ingredients, except for the oil in a blender and blitz, now slowly drizzle in the olive oil until it reaches the desired texture. I blitz mine for a minute or so, this is usually enough time for it to be very smooth. Keep tasting and add more cheese/basil if desired. Set to one side.
About 15 minutes before the end of the chicken cooking time, put a pan of water on to boil and cook the pasta as per the packet instructions.
A few minutes before the pasta is cooked, put the remaining pine nuts in the frying pan and dry fry on a medium heat until golden brown.
Drain the pasta once cooked and stir in the spinach to wilt slightly, now stir in the pesto (adding as much or as little as you want), add the pine nuts and then finally the chicken.
Serve and enjoy.
I’ve entered this dish in the 5 Star Makeover at Fivestarfoodie.com, where this month’s contest is pasta.
