Category Archives: Pasta

Thai Coconut Chicken saucy noodle soup

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This quick and easy Thai inspired soup is what you need in your life right now! Cozy and comforting, and so perfect for cold weather. This fragrant soup comes together in no time and  is probably one of my favourite meals to make. Everyone loves a good bowl of noodles. Add a nice steaming hot fragrant broth to the mix and everyone will be begging you for seconds.

The soup is super simple to make. Chicken is simmered in a well seasoned broth, then shredded. Some delicious veggies are added and coconut milk together with some aromatics. The whole process takes about 30 minutes, the result is absolute comfort in a bowl.

INGREDIENTS:

2 tbsp. coconut oil
3 shallots,  peeled and chopped fine
2.5 cm / 1 inch, grated fresh ginger
3 garlic cloves, peeled and grated
2 – 3 tablespoons green Thai curry paste*
3 Kafir lime leafs**
1 stalk lemon grass,  bashed with cleaver
2 chicken breast
2 cups vegetables of choice*** fresh or frozen
6 cups chicken broth
2 cups coconut milk
1 tbsp.  fish or to tast
2 tsp. Sugar
1/4 cup (small handful)Thai basil
1/4 cup (small handful) Cilantro
Lime wedges for serving
Peanuts for serving
Scallions, sliced thin for serving
200 gr/ 8 oz pack thin wheat or rice noodles, 

*Thai curry paste can be very hot, so try two tablespoons first and add more if you like it hot.
**If you can’t find kefir lime leafs, use a little extra lime
***The vegetables I used are a frozen mix of bean sprouts , mangetouts, carrots, leek, onion. But you can add any fresh or frozen vegetable you like.

METHOD:


Heat coconut oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add shallots,  ginger and garlic and cook for a few minutes.  Add curry paste a stir until fragrant.  Add the chicken broth, kafir lime leafs and lemon grass. Bring to a simmer.
Add the chicken breasts to the pot and simmer gently for 20 to 30 minutes or untill chicken is cooked thru (depending on thickness).

Remove the chicken from the broth to a plate and shred with two forks. Add the coconut milk to the pan, bring to a simmer and return de chicken to the pot, together with the vegetables. Stir in the fish sauce and sugar.
In the meantime cook the noodles in a separate pot or soak according to the package directions.
Add the thai basil and cilantro to the pot reserving some for garnish.
Serve the soup in deep bowls over the noodle. Garnish with cilantro,  basil, lime wedges,  peanuts and spring onions. Serve piping hot. Crispy chili oil is also delicious on top, enjoy!

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Fideuá – Spanish Seafood noodle dish similar to Paella

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Fideuá, is a Spanish dish very similar to Paella but uses “fideos” which is a tiny pasta (it looks like thin spaghetti cut into one inch pieces), instead of rice.

Fresh fish, squid, prawns, tomatoes, noodles all cooked together in a good home made fish stock.

Fideuá is similar to paella, mostly because it is cooked in a Paellera which is the large pan used for Paellas and Fideuás. You can buy them online, using a regular frying pan will only work if you are cooking for two people at the most, since the rice or the noodles need to be in a thin layer to get the perfect texture.

The best way to cook paella is outside on an open fire. But I make it on the stove all the time, when I’m using my 4 person paella pan. For larger amounts I cook it outside.

Serves : 4
INGREDIENTS:

  • 6 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil (for cooking)
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
  • 400 gr. Cleaned Squid, cut into pieces
  • 400 gr. Firm fish, Halibut, Monkfish , Seabass….
  • 4-8 large Shrimp (optional)
  • 400 gr. Fideos nr. 4, or thin spaghetti broken into one inch pieces
  • ¼ cup canned tomato sauce (tomate frito)
  • 2 tsp. smoked paprika (Pimentón de la vera)
  • A pinch of saffron
  • 4 cups (good quality) fish stock, preferable home made
  • Salt to taste
  • Aioli to serve
  • Lemon wedges to serve
  • Parsley to serve
  • Lot’s of Sangria to serve (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS:

First bring your stock to a simmer and have a ladle ready.
Have your onion chopped, garlic chopped, fish cut into large-ish pieces and squid cut into bite size pieces too.
Everything happens rather quickly so have everything portioned out, a little bowl with your paprika powder, the tomato sauce etc…
Heat the Paellera, (the paella pan) on medium high heat. Add the olive oil, and add the onion and stir for a few minutes until it starts to color slightly, add the garlic and stir for one more minute. Add the squid, and fry for a minute or two, add the fish and stir around carefully for another few minutes.
Now add the paprika powder, stirring all the time but and add the tomato sauce and Saffron.
Now add the the noodles , making sure to coat all of them in the oil and sauce, add about half of the hot stock, adding more as needed. If you need more liquid, add hot water.
Cook on high heat for about 10 minutes, lower the temperature and taste the liquid to see if you need to add more salt. Cook for another ten to fifteen minutes until the noodles are cooked. There should still be some liquid in the pan and the noodles will have stuck to the bottom of the pan in the middle and is considered the best part. Enjoy!
Serve straight away with Aioli and lemon.

Whole Spelt Pizza with Chorizo, caramelized Onions and Basil

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Homemade Pizza is one of my favorite foods to cook at home , especially on my Pizza stone. If you bake a lot of Pizza’s at home it is worth buying a Pizza stone and a Pizza peel, it makes life so much easier. An other great method, which is what I used to do before I had all the Pizza baking equipement was, turning the baking tray in your oven upside down, it works great too, I do recommend placing the Pizza on a piece of baking parchment before popping it into the oven with this method so it doesn’t stick. When using a Pizza stone I find that the best non-stick method is to use semolina or polenta for underneath the Pizza when placing on the stone.

The spelt Pizza dough is really delicious and it has this nutty flavour that we love. The combination of the spicy Chorizo with the sweetness of the caramelized onions is pure heaven.

Makes : 3 large Pizzas or 4 smaller ones.

Ingredients:

400 gr / 2.5 cups whole grain spelt
100 gr / 3/4 cups white spelt
1 tsp instant yeast
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp olive oil
350 -375 ml / 1.5 – 1 3/4 cups warm water

1 onion, peeled and sliced
2 tsp olive oil
2 tsp honey
Salt and pepper

2 cups shredded Mozzarella

1 – 1 1/2 cup Marinara sauce
30-40 slices chorizo approx* SEE NOTE
Fresh basil

Instructions

If you are using a pizza stone, place it in the oven an hour before baking to heat up.

In the bowl of your stand mixer, combine flour, yeast and salt.
Turn on the mixer to slow and add warm water and olive oil. Add a little more water if it seems too dry or add a little more flour if it seems to wet.
Knead for 5 minutes.
Place in an oiled bowl and cover with cling film.
Let rise until double in bulk,  punch down and shape into ball again, place back in oiled bowl and cover.
Now place dough in fridge until ready to use.

To make the caramelized onions;
Heat a frying pan and add the olive oil,  add the sliced onions and cook for 5 minutes,  add the honey and cook until golden brown,  about 3 to 5 more minutes.  Remove from heat and set aside.


Remove the dough from refrigerator at least one hour before using.
Roll out the dough on a floured surface, I prefer to use semolina since this doesn’t stick to the baking stone.
Spread the Pizza base with marinara sauce, cover with a thin layer of the Mozzarella cheese then caramelized onions,  and then add some more cheese and divide the chorizo over the pizza. Lightly dust your pizza peel with semolina , gently lift the side of the Pizza and slide it under in one secure movement, transfer to oven. Alternatively, roll out on parchment paper and transfer to oven tray.
Bake at 230 for 10 to 12 minutes, turning the pizza half way. We like our Pizzas dark and crunchy but that is up to you.

*I always buy a whole Chorizo sausage and slice it myself, but do what works for you and depending on the size, you can use either more or less, these slices were small so we used 9 to ten slices on each Pizza.

Enjoy!

Parpadelle Puttanesca with Lemon Pangrattato and fried Halloumi

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Parpadelle Puttanesca with Lemon Pangrattato and fried Halloumi

This is one of our favourite Summer dishes. It’s easy, quick to make and FULL of flavour. Thick noodles covered in Puttanesca sauce,topped with fried Halloumi and sprinkled with a generous amount of lemony Pangrattato. Most of the ingredients are pantry staples.

Serves 4

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cooking time total: 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS

Pangrattato

  • 1/4 cup  extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 cup  fresh breadcrumbs made from stale bread if you have it, otherwise fresh is fine
  • 2 tbsp. thyme leaves
  • 2 tbsp. chopped parsley
  • Finely grated zest of 1 lemon

Pasta Puttanesca

  • 16 oz. 400g Parpadelle or Fettucine
  • 1/4 c. extra-virgin olive oil
  • 3 cloves garlic, smashed
  • 4 anchovy fillets, chopped
  • 1  (28-oz.) can diced tomatoes
  • 1/2 c. green olives, pitted and sliced
  • 1/4 c. capers
  • 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
  • Kosher salt
  • Chopped parsley, for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS:

To make the pangrattato;
Heat  1/4 cup  oil in a pan to medium heat and cook the breadcrumbs until crisp and golden, about 4 minutes . Remove from pan and stir through the lemon zest, thyme and parsley. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
Start boiling water in a large pot (don’t forget to add a generous amount of salt once boiling) while you make the Puttanesca sauce. Also slice Halloumi and drain on kitchen paper.
Heat a large frying pan and add the 1/4 cup of extra-virgin olive oil, the 3 cloves of smashed garlic, the 4 anchovy fillets, stir for a minute or two until fragrant. Then add the remaining ingredients and simmer for about 5 – 10 minutes until tomatoes are soft.
Heat a non stick frying pan to medium high heat and fry the Halloumi, cooking it on both sides until very golden brown.
Cook the pasta according to package directions.
Drain the pasta, reserving a little of the water, and return the pasta to the pan. Add the Puttanesca tomato sauce, parsley and enough reserved water to loosen and toss to combine.
Place Pasta in a large serving dish, top with Halloumi and sprinkle with  the Pangrattato. Serve straight away.
Enjoy!
Need more pasta inspiration?