Timing is everything

I follow a number of cooking blogs, the most prolific being Closet Cooking. Earlier last week there was a post about Zucchini Gnocchi, followed up with the related post for the sauce he matched with it, which both very much caught my attention.  Zucchini is one of the most underrated vegetables in my opinion.

My cooking with zucchini stretches back to 1991 and Year 12 Home Ec.  We had what Master Chef would now call an invention test, which was actually a whole term's assignment.  The task was to invent something new that you couldn't already buy at the supermarket, design the packaging and market it.  I was merrily going along with a cupcakes idea, as an extension to the packet cake mix.  At the time (remember we're talking 1991) you could only buy normal cake mix - butter cake, vanilla, chocolate and maybe carrot cake if you were lucky.  My brilliant idea was around cup cakes and marble cakes, and cakes with the icing or sprinkles in the pack, so you had it all in one box.  I had tested a number of flavours and combinations, and was going along fabulously, until I suddenly saw that exact thing in the supermarket.  Imagine my horror!  The Teacher said I could still go ahead with my idea, but you know me, there'd be no copying and I had to have something original.  So a new search began.

We'd always made scones as kids (and still do), and my next thought was, well you can have pumpkin scones so why not zucchini scones.  It was during the testing of these that I learnt, sometimes the hard way, just how much water is in zucchini.  Trust me, it's a lot.  And just when you think there's no more, you're wrong!  Anyway, many versions later I perfected my zucchini scones and their packaging.  I have no idea what I got for the assignment, but it doesn't matter.

And so to the Zucchini Gnocchi. I've made gnocchi twice before, using potato.  Each time they've been more labour intensive and tougher (to bite) than I'd anticipated.  This gnocchi has no potato.  instead it's a combination of zucchini, ricotta and basil.  Yes, there's flour added to bring it together, but a lot less than you would expect. You can keep it gluten free by using rice flour, instead of pasta or plain flour.  The key, as with all things zucchini, is to make sure it is really, really, really well-drained. Otherwise you'll end up adding so much flour that the gnocchi will be very tough. 

So with all of Saturday ahead of me, I planned to start making the gnocchi early in the day, to allow the zucchini long enough to drain and the pasta time to rest.  As usual though, the day passed me by and it got to 6pm before I started and almost changed my mind.  So glad I didn't!  Don't be put off by the gorgonzola in the sauce, if blue cheese is not your thing.  Go to a deli, where they will let you taste or where you trust them, and get a mild one.  Then as you crumble it into the sauce, leave out some of the mouldy bits so it's not as overpowering.  Or go for the meanest, stinkiest one you can find if you love it!

My recipe has a bit more lemon in it and is approximately half of the original recipe and still made over 50 little gnocchi.  I'm testing the freezing capabilities too and will let you know. Happy cooking!

Zucchini Gnocchi with Corn, Creamy Gorgonzola Sauce
2 cups finely grated zucchini
1/2 tablespoon salt
small handful of basil, finely chopped
1 teaspoon lemon zest (and some lemon juice)
200g fresh ricotta
1 egg yolk
small handful grated parmesan (equal amounts with the basil)
pepper
1/2 - 1 cup plain/pasta/rice flour
1 slice Prosciutto per person

Sauce 

The measurements are flexible. It is quite a thin sauce which the gnocchi soaks up.

1/4 - 1/2 cup fresh corn kernels

1 teaspoon butter

1 - 2 tablespoons milk (no more than 1/4 cup)

1 - 2 tablespoons of whatever cream you have (no more than 1/4 cup)

30 - 50 g gorgonzola dolce (mild blue cheese)

1. Mix salt with grated zucchini, and place in a colander.  Let drain for 20 - 30 mins.  Squeeze out as much remaining liquid, as possible.  The drier the better.
2. Add basil, lemon zest, ricotta, egg yolk, parmesan and a squeeze of lemon juice (not too much).  Mix and season with pepper.
3. Add as much flour as you need to make a workable, not too sticky dough - add the flour bit by bit, not all at once!
4. Divide dough and roll into 2 - 3 cm thick rolls.  Slice each roll into 2 - 3 cm pieces.  Dust with flour and roll on a gnocchi board or with a fork (to give the indentations).  Set aside till ready to cook.
5. For the sauce, place corn, butter, milk, cream and crumbled gorgonzola in a small saucepan.  Stir over low-medium heat till cheese has melted and the sauce is smooth.  Season with salt and pepper.
6. Meanwhile, boil a large pot of salted water and cook gnocchi in batches.  Remove and keep warm once they float on the top.
7. Grill the prosciutto.
8. Toss the gnocchi with the sauce, and serve with crumbled prosciutto and basil.

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My best attempt yet

Everyone loves a good curry and my favourite would have to be butter chicken, with it's spicy tandoori chicken and rich buttery tomato sauce.  One surprising thing is actually the small amount of butter actually in butter chicken.  I've attempted to make butter chicken from scratch a number of times. The key for me is getting the flavour combination right in the tandoori mix for the chicken and letting that marinate overnight.  Then all you have to worry about the next day is the buttery tomato sauce for the curry.

There may be a few ingredients you make have to track down for this, eg dried fenugreek leaves and cashew or almond butter.  The nut butter should be available in your supermarket in the health/alternative food section, and you'll probably have to visit your trusty local Asian supermarket for the fenugreek leaves. Remember, start this a day or two before, so the chicken can marinate.  Here's the recipe, in two parts:

Tandoori Chicken (serves 4)
4 - 6 chicken thighs
200mL (small tub) plain yoghurt
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/2 small onion, finely diced or grated
1 tablespoon grated ginger
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon garam masala
1 tablespoon hot smoked paprika
1 teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted and ground
1 teaspoon coriander seeds, toasted and ground
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (1/2 teaspoon chilli flakes), to taste

1. Roughly chop the chicken thighs into small chunky pieces.  Place in a snaplock bag.
2. Mix yoghurt, lemon juice, onion, ginger, garlic and spices, until well combined.
3. Add marinade to chicken, and rub to coat.  Seal bag and leave to marinate over night (or at least several hours).
4. The next day.... cook chicken pieces ready for another curry, or thread onto skewers and grill and serve with rice and other accompaniments. 

Butter Chicken
2 tablespoons butter
1 cinnamon stick
2 cloves
1 teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted and ground
1 teaspoon coriander seeds, toasted and ground
2 cups fresh tomato, pureed (1 tin of crushed tomatoes)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (1/2 teaspoon chilli flakes), to taste
1 batch tandoori chicken
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon dried fenugreek leaves
2 tablespoons cashew or almond butter
1/4 cup cream
1 teaspoon garam masala
fresh coriander, to garnish

1. Toast cumin and coriander seeds, until fragrant, then pound in mortar and pestle.
2. Melt butter in pan, over medium heat.  Add ground cumin and coriander, cinnamon stick, clove.  Cook until fragrant - about a minute.
3. Add tomatoes, tomato paste and cayenne/dried chilli.  Reduce heat to medium low. Simmer until sauce starts to thicken, about 10 - 15 minutes.
4. Add honey, fenugreek, cashew.almond butter and cream.  Stir to combine well.  Add chicken and simmer for another 10 - 15 minutes.
5. Add garam masala and remove from heat.
6. Serve with rice, naan and coriander to garnish.

Variations and other ideas:
Nut free - leave out the cashew/almond butter, and add a little extra cream instead

After marinating the chicken, cook and freeze in batches

One a penny, two a penny

Today is Good Friday - a day of fasting and remembrance.  It's the most solemn day on the Christian calendar.  And it's the day that we love to eat Hot Cross Buns.  As you know, they've pretty much been in the shops now since Christmas, which is very strange indeed.  And oh my, the array of flavours they come in: no fruit, no peel, chocolate, sticky date and caramel (thanks Woolies)!

C'mon now, the hot cross bun is meant to be a sweet spicy fruit bun with sultanas or currants, with a cross on the top, traditionally eaten on Good Friday.  In my opinion there should be no chocolate or other flavours, and nobody should waste their time on those - remember, Good Friday is a day of fasting!  Hot cross buns should be eaten hot, smothered in butter and possibly some red jam (strawberry, raspberry, whatever you've got) and that is it.  The over-commercialisation of our world is astounding.  If you want to mess with them, then don't put a cross on top and just call them whatever flavour they are.  Ok, that feels better, end of rant!

Last year I made my own hot cross buns for the first time.  They were not as soft as I'd hoped, so I've given them another go, with a different recipe this time.  When I make them again next year I will reuse this recipe, as they were lovely and soft this time. I have increased the amounts fruit and mixed spice from the original.  Feel free to adjust those as you see fit, and I won't even mind if you don't put the orange peel in.  Many recipes for hot cross buns have you mixing the yeast with the warm milk and butter initially, then letting that foam, then add that to the dry ingredients.  This one is a bit more of a 'throw it all in' recipe.  Enjoy!

Hot Cross Buns (makes 12 large buns)
4 cups plain flour, sifted (yes, even I sifted it)
2 x 7g yeast sachets
1/4 cup sugar
2 - 3 generous tablespoons mixed spice (or use a combination of cinnamon, nutmeg etc)
pinch of salt
2 - 3 cups sultanas, currants, mixed peel (or use a box of mixed fruit - cherries optional!)
40g butter, melted
300mL milk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
Flour paste: 1/2 cup plain flour, 5 - 6  tablespoons water

Dough proving

Glaze: 1/3 cup water, 2 tablespoons caster sugar

1. Mix all dry ingredients together - flour, yeast, sugar, mixed spice, salt, fruit.
2. Melt butter, add milk and warm for about a minute, until it is lukewarm (should feel neither cold nor hot when you put your finger in it).
3. Add lightly beaten eggs, and milk mixture to dry ingredients.  Combine well in bowl.
4. Tip out onto a floured bench and knead for 10 minutes or until the dough is smooth.
5. Place ball of dough in a lightly oiled bowl.  Cover and allow to stand in a warm place, until it is doubled in size (about an hour depending on the temperature of the day).
6. Line a large baking tray with baking paper.
7. Punch back dough to original size.  Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead to smooth.  Divide into 12 even pieces (about 100g each), shape into balls and place on lined tray about 1cm apart.  Cover and allow to stand for about 30 minutes, or until balls are doubled in size.
8. Meanwhile preheat oven to 190C.  Make flour paste by combining ingredients.  Put this in a snaplock bag and snip the corner.  Pipe crosses across the buns.
9. Bake for 20 - 25 mins, until cooked and golden.



Buns proving

10. Whilst they are cooking, make the glaze: In a small saucepan, mix the water and sugar, until sugar is dissolved.  Bring to boil and allow to boil about 5 minutes.  Brush over warm hot cross buns.

Variations:
Glaze - warm some jam or golden syrup and brush over the top
Substitute brown sugar for caster sugar, for a richer bun
Add dried yeast to melted butter and warm milk and allow to froth/foam - may reduce proving time.
Make twice as many, by making them smaller - about 50g each

That's what was in the...

Often mid-week dinners can be a chore, even for me and I don't have kids running around me or me running after them.  You know that feeling... what can I do with what I've got, that doesn't just turn into pasta alla something, or sausages and mash, or steak and salad (or 3 veg, if it's not so hot where you are).  And what can I do to make it interesting, even if just for me?  It was this kind of thinking that led me to the following two recipes.

The crumbed chicken breast looks like it has a lot of ingredients, but you can really add whatever you've got.  It doesn't matter what herbs, or what cheese, or what your breadcrumbs look like.  In my crumb tonight the breadcrumbs were half and half panko and normal, because that's what was in the cupboard.  I used thyme and parsley - that's what was in the garden.  I would have liked to use taleggio cheese, but I used bocconcini - that's what was in the fridge.  You get the picture!

And as for the tart, well that is all pantry staples too - flour, icing sugar, almond meal, butter, eggs.  I made this as the pears are in season right now.  They are so juicy and delicious and I'm eating them any which way I can.  So without any further ado...

Bocconcini and thyme stuffed chicken breast (Serves 2)
1/2 bunch flat leaf parsley, leaves picked and chopped
6 - 8 stalks fresh thyme, leaves picked
1 - 2 cloves garlic, crushed or finely diced
50 - 100 g taleggio cheese, chopped (or bocconcini)
2 chicken breast
1/2 cup breadcrumbs (fresh, packet, whatever!!)
50g parmesan cheese, finely grated
1 lemon, zested
1 egg
8 - 10 cherry tomatoes

1. Preheat oven to 180C.
2. Mix half the chopped parsley, all of the thyme, garlic and taleggio/bocconcini together.  Season with salt and pepper.
3. Cut a pocket into each chicken breast, and stuff with cheese and herb mix.  Secure with toothpicks.
4. Combine breadcrumbs, remaining parsley, parmesan and lemon zest.
5. Lightly whisk an egg and place in a shallow bowl.
6. Dip the chicken in the egg.  Then place into the breadcrumb mix and fully coat.
7. Place into a baking tray.  Scatter cherry tomatoes around and drizzle with oil.
8. Bake at 180C for 25 minutes, or until chicken is cooked and cherry tomatoes are tender.
9. Serve with wedges of lemon (the one/s that you zested) and potato salad.

No-pastry Pear Tarts (Makes 6)
180g unsalted butter
50g plain flour
180g icing sugar
100g almond meal
2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest (1 - 2 lemons, depending on size)
5 eggwhites
2 poached pears sliced (or 2 fresh pears, thinly sliced, leave the skin on)
2 tablespoons flaked almonds

1. Preheat oven to 200C.
2. Lightly grease 6 x 7cm loose-bottomed tart pans.  Line the base with paper too, if you like.
3. Melt butter over medium heat for 1 - 2 minutes, until golden brown - don't let it burn.  Allow to cool.
4. Meanwhile, sift flour and icing sugar into a bowl, and stir in almond meal, lemon zest and melted butter.
5. Lightly froth the eggwhites with a fork in a separate bowl.  Fold into other mixture.
6. Divide among tart pans and place pear slices on top.  Scatter with flaked almonds.
7. Bake for 10 minutes at 200C.  Then reduce heat to 170C and bake a further 6 - 8 minutes or until golden.
8. Dust with icing sugar and serve warm with cream, ice-cream or custard.

For our gluten-free friends - substitute gluten-free flour and you're in heaven!
Other variations - add a little squeeze of lemon juice to the batter, or a pinch of cinnamon or mixed spice.

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Chooka's for the New Year.

Happy New Year everyone (I know we are now in Feb, but this is my first post for 2013). Work has started back and even after 2 days we have both been a bit stuffed. Since it has been a whacky and hot Summer I thought to start the new year with a light and refreshing meal of Black pepper marinated chicken skewers with a celery and parmesan salad and Eaton Mess.

Black pepper marinated chicken skewers

2 tbs ground black pepper
1/4 cup Olive oil
2 x 200g chicken breast fillets cut into 2 cm cubes
Juice of 2 lemons

Soak wooden skewers in water in cold water for 20 minutes.
Place black pepper and half the lemon juice and 1 tbs of oil in a bowl, mix, then add chicken tossing to coat. Set aside for 20 minutes.

Celery and parmesan salad

4 celery sticks
2 preserved lemon quarters (white pith removed and flesh removed, zest thinly sliced)
1 cup of parmesan cheese
2 tbs of chopped flat leaf parsely, plus extra to serve.

Whisk remaining lemon juice and 2 tbs of olive oil together in a bowl and season.
Place celery, preserved lemon zest, parmesan and parsely in a bowl, then tossgently with the dressing. Set aside.
Preheat barbecue or chargrill pan on medium heat. Season the chicken with salt. Grill the chicken 6-8 minutes turning for 6-8 minutes. Sprinkle CHicken with extra chopped parsely and serve with salad.

Andy's Mess

This is actually Matt Preston's Mess from his book which is actually an Eaton's Mess.

4 Egg whites
a pinch of salt
1 cup of caster sugar
500g of strawberries
1 ripe peach sliced
juice of 1 lemon
300ml of cream

Preheat oven to 120 deg C
Using a beater on high speed, whisk egg whites and salt to soft peaks. Reduce the speed to medium and slowly add the caster sugar into meringues.
WHen you've added caster sugar continue beating for a few minutes until meringues look thick and glossy.
Lightly grease a tray, line with baking paper. Dollop the meringue onto tray in generous dessertspoonfuls leaving space for spreading.
Pop in the oven for 20 minutes or until turn golden and crisp on the outside. Once ready turn oven off and leave in the oven to dry out.
Hull the strwberries and blitz them with the sliced peach and half the lemon juice. Pour puree into a plastic container and place in the freezer for a couple of hours.

To serve push a bit of strawberry slush in bottom of serving bowl add a bit of meringue and a bit of cream and repeat sequence. sprinkle o few nuts on top if desired and serve.

With a twist of lemon

A friend of mine, had an audition to be on MasterChef at the end of last year.  Whilst she didn't make it through, she came back with a whole lot of stories and insights into the production and timing that goes into each show.  We now know one of the main reasons why risotto is the death dish - it has to sit for hours, getting gluggier and gluggier, before anyone tastes it, and then when they taste it it's cold!  Which leads me to the recipe below - Chicken and Mushroom Risotto.

There are two main points of contention, I think, in making risotto.  Firstly, do you add 1 - 2 ladles of warm/hot stock in and wait for it to be absorbed before adding the next, or do you add all the warm/hot stock at the beginning and let it do it's thing, or does the stock even need to be warm/hot?  Secondly, when adding vegetables to the risotto do you cook or part-cook them first then add, or do you add them raw?

On the first point, I think definitely warm stock, it helps to keep the risotto at an even temperature.  And as for when you add the stock, that depends on how many other things you have on the go at the time.  If you've got no distractions, then add it bit by bit, then you can control the 'glugginess' more easily.  If you have distractions, then add most of it and hold some back, so you can add it towards the end if the rice isn't 'al dente' yet, or the risotto is a little dry.  I've done it both ways, and ended up with the same result.

On the second point, again I've done it both ways.  It depends on what you're adding and how you want the final product to end up.  If I'm making a pumpkin risotto, I'll cut the pumpkin into 1cm cubes and add them when I add the stock.  This way as they cook they break down and become a part of the risotto.  However, with mushrooms I cook them separately and add them at the end.  Otherwise you end up with a grey risotto, which is not visually appealing to anyone, unless you're in a black and white movie.

Mushroom Risotto is a stand-by favourite of mine.  The version below also adds some chicken and the juice of a lemon, at the end, for a bit of freshness.  You'll notice this recipe doesn't have the usual 1/2 cup wine to be added to the rice and cooked off, before adding the stock.  It's not there this month, as I am participating in FebFast (no alcohol for a month).  Feel free to add it in if you prefer.

Chicken and Mushroom Risotto (Serves 4)

2 cups vegetable stock
1 small onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
4 - 5 stalks fresh thyme, picked
Olive oil
1 cup arborio rice

2 - 3 chicken thighs, roughly chopped
100 - 200g mushrooms, sliced
1 - 2 tablespoons butter (20-40g?)
1 handful of finely grated parmesan (50-100g, depending on your hand, and to your taste)
1 lemon

1. In a saucepan, heat vegetable stock.  Leave it on a medium-low heat.
2. In a large saucepan, over medium heat, add a splash of olive oil, onion, garlic and most of the thyme (save some to garnish).  Cook this gently for a few minutes until the onion begins to soften.  It doesn't have to be fully cooked.
3. Add the rice.  Stir with a wooden spoon to coat the rice with the oil, onion etc.  Keep stirring, so it doesn't stick and allow to cook for 2 - 3 minutes.  (After this, if you're adding 1/2 cup dry white wine, pour it in, stir, and wait till the wine is absorbed before going on to step 3.)
4. Add 1 - 2 ladles of warm stock to rice.  Stir and allow to cook.  Keep adding another 1 - 2 ladles of stock to the rice as it cooks.  It will take 15 - 20 minutes to cook, depending on the rice and the temperature of the stock.  You'll know it's done when the rice is al dente. (Remember, you can add all the stock at once if you like.  Keep a little back, in case you need to adjust at the end.  And keep having a stir every few minutes or so.
5. Whilst this is happening, in a frypan, add some olive oil and brown the chicken.  Once the chicken is almost cooked, add in the sliced mushrooms and allow them to soften.  If the pan is looking a little dry, add a bit of the stock to it.
6. When the rice is almost cooked, add the chicken and mushroom mix to it.  Stir to combine. 
7. Remove rice from heat, and add butter and grated parmesan.  Stir until butter is melted.  Taste and season with salt (if necessary) and pepper.
8. Add juice of half a lemon, stir to combine.  Taste.  Add other half if necessary, or cut remaining half of lemon into wedges and add to bowls to serve.
9. Serve risotto in warm bowls, with shaved parmesan and fresh thyme.

Keep cool

A quick post for a quick recipe guaranteed to keep you cool during our long hot summer - frozen yoghurt!  Two or three ingredients and a blender, that's it. And yes, before you ask, I borrowed this from Jamie Oliver.

Berry Frozen Yoghurt
1 packet (350 - 500g) of frozen mixed berries (straight from the freezer)
1 tub (500mL) Greek/Plain/Vanilla Yoghurt
1 - 2 tablespoons Honey (optional)

1. Place the frozen berries in the blender.  Add all the yoghurt.  Blend till combined.
2. Taste and add a bit of honey if it's too tart.  This will depend on the mix of berries you choose and the sweetness of the yoghurt.
3. Pour immediately into a container with a lid and put straight in the freezer.  

You can eat this straight away or later after it's really frozen. However, due to the high water content of the berries, it does freeze really hard if left over night before using, so will need to be left to soften a little before serving.

Other ideas
Try Mango and lime instead of berries.
Add a leaf or two (no more) of mint to the berries when you are blending it up.
Serve with mini pavlovas or fruit salad.
Pour into some ice cube trays, ice block or small jelly moulds, to add to drinks, smoothies etc.
Eat straight from the blender???


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How do you like your chilli?

Labels lie!  In spring last year, I bought two small chilli plants.  The labels said medium hot.  I beg to differ.  Each chilli I have pulled off both bushes are powerpacked little firecrackers, whether red or green.  They make my lips tingle, eyes water and mouth be on fire for a good ten minutes, and that's just from one tiny piece, no membrane or seeds!  Don't get me wrong, I like chilli's to a medium-hot point, but these are turning out to be so far off my scale it's ridiculous.  I'm now scared of my own chillis!

My evil chillis!

I've done a bit of research into why some chillis are hotter than others.  The three key factors are soil, temperature and moisture.  And mine seem to tick all the heat boxes - well-draining soil (mine is sandy - I live near the beach!), in direct sunlight, and it's been dry.  So despite my daily watering, I haven't been able to tone them down.  I have to admit that I just can't eat them.  So, anyone who loves hot hot hot chillis let me know and I'll dig up the plants and give them to you.  I'm serious!

Which leads me to the recipe below.  I set out to make a Matriciana sauce for pasta.  This is generally prosciutto/speck/bacon, tomato and chilli.  Luckily for me, from experience, I've learnt to taste a small bit of every chilli I cook with, to gauge the heat factor.  After one tiny piece of a chilli from my garden, I knew that would be all I could put in the sauce, if I actually wanted to be able to eat it.  So I adapted your traditional Matriciana sauce, to include Sopressa (salami with peppercorns in it).  Using the Sopressa added the necessary pepperiness to the sauce, without the overwhelming nature of my home grown chillis.  To be quite honest, I was quite happy with the result!

Rose's Matriciana (Serves 2)
1 rasher bacon
4 - 6 slices shaved/thinly cut Sopressa (or other salami)
1 golden shallot (or small onion), roughly diced
1 - 2 cloves garlic, crushed
100mL (approx) red wine (whatever is hanging around, as long as it's not sweet!)
3 - 4 fresh tomatoes, deseeded, roughly chopped (or tin of chopped tomatoes, drained, reserve the juice)
Spaghetti/Fettucine etc
Fresh Basil and Parmesan, to garnish

1. Put a pot of water on to boil.  Add a pinch of salt.  Once boiling, add pasta and allow to cook to al dente.
2. Remove the rind from the bacon and place in frypan on medium heat (the rind that is).
3. Roughly chop the bacon and salami and add to frypan, once the fat is rendering.  Cook slowly till bacon starts to colour.  Remove from pan and set aside.
4. Add diced shallot and garlic to pan, over low heat. Allow to cook slowly, till onion is almost translucent.  Then, splash in the red wine and allow to reduce by at least half (just let it bubble away).
5. Add the tomatoes and stir to combine.  Once these are mixed in, throw the bacon and salami back in.
6. Drain pasta (reserve about 1/2 cup of the water).  Add pasta to sauce (in the pan) and toss (use tongs) to combine. If the sauce looks a little dry or thick add some of the pasta water (or reserved tomato juice if using tinned tomatoes).  Stir to combine.
7. Garnish with freshly chopped basil and grated parmesan cheese.

Other Ideas
If you have reliably medium heat chillis (or other chillis to your taste) then finely chop one of those and add instead of the salami.  If you do this, then use two rashers of bacon instead.
Use dried chilli or chilli flakes, omit salami and use double bacon (as above).
Add a few tablespoons of cream to the sauce at the end.
A few olives never go astray either!

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Summer Salad

Here's a quick and tasty summer salad.  I have deliberately not given quantities, as it's more of a throw together to your taste kind of a salad - aren't they all?  It'd be great to hear your summer salads - please leave a comment below. 

Chorizo and Avocado Salad
Crusty bread
Chorizo
Cherry Tomatoes
Avocado
Lettuce

Aioli or Creamy Garlic Salad Dressing

1. Tear or cut up the bread into smaller crouton sized pieces.  Drizzle some oil in a non-stick pan and cook the croutons till they are showing a little colour.  Remove croutons and set aside.
2. Slice the chorizo on the diagonal.  Peel it if necessary too.  Cook the chorizo in the same pan as the croutons.  Don't add anymore oil, there'll be enough in the chorizo.
3. Whilst the chorizo is cooking - slice the cherry tomatoes in half.  Halve the avocado and remove it from the skin in one piece.  This works best by sliding a dessert spoon carefully between the skin and the flesh.  Be gentle!  Once it's out slice it diagonally too. 
4. You can use whatever lettuce you like.  I would suggest a crunchy cos or iceberg, as you want that firmer texture.  So peel your lettuce apart, rinse and pat dry.  Tear into more manageable pieces, if it is large leaves.
5. Once the chorizo is almost finished cooking, throw in the cherry tomatoes.  Allow these to cook till the skins start to blister (a little) and the flesh starts to break down a little.  See the picture to know what I mean.
6. Add a little bit of warm water to the Aioli, to loosen it a bit, so you can drizzle it at the end rather than dolloping it.
7. Time to assemble - place the lettuce, avocado and croutons in a large bowl.  Top with chorizo and tomato, and pan juices (most important!).  Finally drizzle the Aiolo (or Creamy Garlic Salad Dressing) over the top.

Other ideas
Instead of Aioli, use a balsamic reduction (pour half a bottle of balsamic vinegar into a wide pan and let it bubble away till reduced by half, store in a jar till you need it).
Shave same parmesan cheese over the top.
Depending on how spicy your chorizo is - add some dried chilli or chilli flakes.

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Welcome back!

It's now been over 12 months since we started this blog - yay!  It's quite a satisfying feeling to make the 12 month mark.  Even though we had some very quiet patches blogwise, it just meant we were having the opposite in our real lives, as we all do.  So stay tuned over the next few days for a number of posts as we catch up on our Summer holiday eating!  Looking forward to where 2013 leads us.  Hope you are too!

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