Pasta alla Siciliana

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Roasted eggplant, cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, ricotta, basil and olives all come together to make a seriously delicious and healthy pasta Sicilian style!

What you will need:

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• 3 baby eggplants
• 1 punnet of cherry tomatoes
• 4 mushrooms
• bunch of basil
• 300g ricotta cheese
• 1 small container of kalamata olives
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2 cans of diced tomatoes
• pasta of choice (I like rigatoni or penne for this dish)

Heat the oven to 200ºC and boil water for the pasta. Halve the eggplants lengthways, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and then roast with the unpeeled garlic cloves for 20 minutes or until soft.

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Heat a dash of olive oil in a deep pan, cut the mushrooms into chunks and then add to the pan along with the cherry tomatoes. Cook on medium heat until they brown, add the diced tomatoes and bring the sauce up to a simmer. Cook the pasta. Chop the roasted eggplant, scoop out the garlic and combine with the sauce.

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©NotAnotherFoodie

©NotAnotherFoodie

Add the olives and chopped or torn basil (leave enough to garnish).

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Drain the pasta and serve. Top with a generous dollop of ricotta and a sprinkle of basil.

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Mushroom Pasta

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Mushrooms are one of those foods that divide people - you either love them or hate them. I'm definitely on team fungi and this mushroom pasta sauce is always on my winter rotation.

What you will need:

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• 6 large cup/button mushrooms (or 12-16 small ones depending on size)
• 1/2 can mushroom soup concentrate ( I use Campbell's)
• 1/2 cup beef stock
• 1/4 cup red wine (optional)
• 2 garlic cloves
• parsley
• grated parmesan
• pasta of choice

Put the water on for the pasta and heat some olive oil in a large pan. Slice the mushrooms reasonably finely but don't fuss too much. Cook the mushrooms on low-med until soft and dark.

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©NotAnotherFoodie

Crush the garlic and add, stirring for 30 seconds. Cook the pasta. Add the red wine and beef stock, turn up the heat and let it simmer for 5-10 minutes. Then gradually add the 1/2 can of mushroom soup concentrate, stirring as you go (this will thicken the sauce).

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©NotAnotherFoodie

Drain the pasta, serve and garnish with parmesan and parsley.

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Fresh Pesto Pasta with Caprese Salad

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For me, a mortar and pestle is not so much a functioning piece of kitchenware as it is a decorative object. After almost a year of admiring its beautifully rounded form, I decided it was time to put it to use. With friends coming around for dinner and the promise of something homemade, I decided that it was as good a time as any to attempt making pesto from scratch.
If you don't have a mortar and pestle, a blender/food processor will work just fine.

What you will need:

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• 2 bunches of basil
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1/2 cup pine nuts
• grated parmesan
• olive oil
• balsamic vinegar
• bocconcini
• tomatoes
• pasta of your choice
• pepper + salt

The caprese is pretty darn easy so that can be left until the end. The first thing you should do is put the water on for the pasta and roast the pine nuts (I did mine on 200°C for about 5 min). Peel the garlic and crush it in the mortar and pestle. Chop one and half bunches of the basil (about 3 cups) and then grind it to a paste in the M and P. The more finely chopped the basil, the easier it is to grind!

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Cook the pasta. Add the roasted pine nuts to the basil mix bit by bit until you are happy with the flavour. Do the same with the parmesan. The quantities are totally up to you but be sure to keep tasting so you get it the way you want!

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©NotAnotherFoodie

Gradually add some oil mixing through with a whisk (or if you're like me and don't own a whisk, a fork). Again, quantities are flexible but I ended up doing about a quarter of a cup. It's important the pesto is well binded but it doesn't need to be dripping with oil. Season to taste.  
Something I didn't do but will try next time is adding some lemon rind and juice to the pesto. The citric acid would help cut through the oil giving it a fresher flavour.

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Drain the pasta and mix through as much or as little pesto as you like. Slice the tomatoes, place on plate, add the bocconcini and some basil, drizzle with olive oil + balsamic and season to taste. Serve the pesto pasta and top with leftover pine nuts, basil and parmesan. You are done!

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©NotAnotherFoodie

©NotAnotherFoodie

©NotAnotherFoodie

Spaghetti Carbonara

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I'm a huge fan of pasta and this one is always on my winter rotation because it's so easy and virtually foolproof!

What you will need:

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• 2 eggs
• 1 pack of spaghetti
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 6-8 slices of prosciutto/parma ham
• 2 cloves of garlic
• bunch of parsley
• olive oil
• salt & pepper to season

Boil water for the pasta and heat a drizzle of olive oil in a small pan. Roll the prosciutto into a log and then slice it in 1cm strips. Peel the garlic cloves. Once the pan is warm add the prosciutto and cook on high for a couple of minutes. Crush the garlic into the pan and then stir for 30sec. Turn off the heat.

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 Add the pasta to the water and stir well. Mix the eggs and parmesan in a bowl and season with pepper. Chop the parsley including the stalks.

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©NotAnotherFoodie

Once the pasta is cooked drain, keeping aside about half a cup of the pasta water. Return the spaghetti to the pot and immediately stir through the egg and cheese mix. Add the prosciutto and parsley, combine well. Season to taste and serve!

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©NotAnotherFoodie

Creamy Tomato Pasta

This recipe is perfect for when the tomatoes in your fridge start to get a bit mushy.

What you need:

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• 2 onions
• 1kg bag of tomatoes
• light pouring cream
• 2 cloves of garlic
• green basil (they were out of green at the supermarket so I ended up with purple)
• parmesan
• linguine (or pasta of choice)
• rocket for side salad

Heat some olive oil in a pan, dice the onions and then cook on medium heat until golden brown. Boil the water for the pasta.

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Chop the tomatoes and peel the garlic. Crush the garlic into the pan with onions and stir for 30 seconds before adding the tomatoes (garlic goes bitter if it's cooked for too long). Now is a good time to start cooking the pasta.

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Let the tomato mix simmer while you chop the basil. Once you get the sauce at a good consistency you are happy with, add the basil and stir through. Season with salt and pepper.

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Remove the sauce from the heat. At this point I usually test a bit of sauce and cream in a bowl separately to make sure it doesn't curdle - this will only happen if the sauce is too hot. If it doesn't curdle you are right to add the cream to your sauce. If not, wait a little longer. You can add as much or as little cream as you like but I suggest doing it in stages so you don't end up with too much!

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Hopefully the pasta is ready by now so strain the pasta and serve. Top with some basil and parmesan - hopefully you managed to get green basil because it looks a lot nicer! Don't forget the side salad (I did).

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