Showing posts from July, 2011

Feta and Summer Vegetable Orzo Salad

I had a lovely delivery of Garofalo pasta a few days ago including this Orzo - a type I find impossible to buy here in North Cornwall. I decided to use it in a summer pasta salad including feta, roasted red peppers, courgettes and red onion, but you could quite easily substitute for other vegetables - tomatoes, cucumber etc. It takes all of 10 minutes to put together (and that includes pasta cooking time) so perfect for a hastily arranged summer BBQ! FETA AND SUMMER VEGETABLE ORZO SALAD | Serves: 2  | Prep Time: 15 Minutes | Cook Time: 15 Minutes | Total Time: 30 Minutes | Ingredients: 1 Red Onion, sliced 2 TBSP Red Wine Vinegar 3 TBSP Olive Oil 250g Orzo 1 Courgette, halved and sliced 2 roasted Red Peppers from a jar, chopped 150g Feta, crumbled Small handful of Mint and Parsley, chopped Extra Virgin Olive Oil Squeeze of Lemon Juice (optional) Instructions: Step 1: Put the sliced onion in a bowl with the red wine vinegar and oil and marinate whi


Sticky Maple Pecan Bars

Only one word for these...WOW! They were gobbled down at a charity bake sale (hence why no pictures of the cut bars) in aid of the ACF Action Against Hunger East Africa Appeal. In fact they were that WOW that 3 people have already asked me for the recipe.  Unfortunately I can't claim the recipe as my own though. It actually came from an amazing book I was sent to review last week (very timely!) by Octopus Publishing called Cox Cookies and Cake. If you are not a London dweller you may not be aware of Patrick Cox and Eric Lanlard (although Eric in particular has been on many a TV show). They own a shop of the same name in Soho where they sell gorgeous cupcakes, cookies and bars (such as this) to celebrities such as Elton John and David Furnish (who provide the foreword to the book) and stars such a Liz Hurley who has hailed their creations 'the coolest cakes on earth'. They also sell to ordinary folk like you and I so don't let their famous clients worry


Ginger Pig Meatballs with Garofalo Spaghetti

A few months ago I received a couple of new cookbooks to review from Octopus Publishing (my bookshelf is now severely groaning under the strain of them all). One of the books was Annabel Langbeins Free Range Cook - which I love, the other was The Ginger Pig Meat Book ' a meat manual for the inquisitive domestic cook '. This is where I found the recipe for these delicious meatballs. The Ginger Pig, if you didn't know are butchers and farmers of rare breeds reared on the North York moors and have shops throughout London including Borough Market. In the book Tim Wilson, farmer and proprietor of The Ginger Pig has teamed up with Fran Wardle, respected cook and bestselling author, to recommend the best breeds to look for, the right cuts to choose for every style of cooking and to tell you what to ask your butcher in order to buy the very best quality meat. The book is full of inspiring and delicious recipes too, such as Smoked Pork Hock and Parsley Pasta, Asian Beef Cu


Courgette and Goats Cheese Quiche

Its been wet and windy here in Cornwall over the weekend but despite the unseasonal weather my Mother in Law's allotment (just a few yards down the road from us...handily) is still producing lots of lovely veggies. This week courgettes have been in abundance. I hadn't made a quiche in quite a while so I thought I would pair the courgettes with some soft goats cheese that had been sitting in my fridge for far too long, as well as some spring onions and rosemary (also from the allotment) and the usual eggs and cream in a shortcrust pastry case. It turned out really tasty! If you have some cherry tomatoes feel free to add them (halved) on top of the quiche before baking. COURGETTE AND GOATS CHEESE QUICHE Lunch Yield: 4 Author: Beth Sachs Print Recipe Pin it With Image Without Image Courgette and Goats Cheese Quiche A courgette and goats cheese quiche prep time: 15 mins cook time: 55 mins total time: 70 mins ingredients: For the pastry case: 225g Plain Flour 100g Butter


Prawn and Cashew Nut Noodles

An easy and tasty recipe for prawn and cashew nut noodles. A quick dinner idea.


Saucy Sausage Pasta

A yummy and hearty sausage pasta dish with a creamy tomato sauce. This is a quick and easy weeknight dinner that the kids will LOVE. My lot like even more grated cheddar on top! The recipe can easily be doubled making it perfect for a larger gathering (i.e school friends round for tea). I've used penne pasta here but any shape would work, you could even turn it into a pasta base by popping it in the oven to brown with some breadcrumbs and parmesan on top. TOP TIPS FOR MAKING THE SAUCY SAUSAGE PASTA Add some veggies - courgettes and peppers would work well. Just fry them at the same time as the onions. Double the recipe and freeze half of the sauce for another day. If you like it hot, add a chopped fresh red chilli when you fry the onion in addition to the dried chilli powder. OTHER PASTA RECIPES YOU MIGHT LIKE Brie Linguine with Sun Dried Tomatoes from Jam and Clotted Cream Creamy Sausage Pasta from Jam and Clotted Cream Creamy Spinach and Basil Pe