Fridge Cleanout : Chicken and Mushroom Pasta with Arctic Thyme (Vegan option)

In winter, it feels like our tastebuds are a bit frozen and sluggish, so the 2 of us need more intense flavours than we need in summer. Not necessarily spicier, but just more robust.

The food we ordered in last week from Norma & Vilma Caterers was fantastic, but the flavours in the Aji De Galina - chicken casserole - were a bit too mild for us in this weather.

I had ordered 2 plates of this, so I had quite a large quantity. I knew the flavours and texture would go very well with pasta.

Since I did not want to “mask” / “override” the original flavours, I just sautéed 3 cloves of garlic, and a mix of fresh Shiitake and oyster mushrooms with a smidgen of coarsely ground pepper, a large pinch of Arctic Thyme and 2 tsps sunflower seeds for crunch.

Put in about 20-30gms of cheese bits and ends lying in the fridge that were drying out and a soup cube dissolved in 1 cup of hot water.

Now added the chicken casserole to the pan and warmed it up gently.

When hot, I added 250 gms of cooked whole wheat pasta and gave it a quick stir. Sprinkled some arctic thyme that I think Aunty Sujata gifted me from her Iceland trip and served hot. So delicious.

For a veggie/vegan version, consider using a creamy mushroom soup or a sweet corn soup instead of a chicken casserole.

Using a tinned soup and adding some herbs and fresh veggies is a quick fix to making a pasta sauce.

Kim's Tips on Leftovers :

Sometimes when we order in from a new restaurant or a new cuisine, we may find that their balance of flavours doesn’t suit us.

My nana taught me her hard learned lessons in frugality. Never throw away anything that is usable / consumable, instead adjust, tinker, add flavour etc to suit yourself.

*Too salty, add boiled potatoes.

*Too spicy, add yoghurt / coconut milk depending on the base.

*Too plain, add herbs.

*Meat is too tender, turn into kebabs/ cutlets/samosa stuffing.

It’s not too difficult to tweak a cooked dish to give a completely new flavour profile at the next meal and #LoveYourLeftovers

We often have  leftover bits of cheese in the fridge that get dried out, before they are consumed or bits and ends that don't look pretty or don't fit in a sandwich. Pop all those bits and bobs into a pasta sauce for a bit more creaminess.

Recipe : Chicken Lazone with Chestnut Mushrooms and Creamy Vermicelli

Chicken Lazone with Chestnut Mushrooms and Creamy Vermicelli is another recipe from Gousto Cooking, that we have loved so much, that I have made it on multiple occassions.

It looks and tastes quite decadent, but it easy to put together. Seasoned, pan-fried chicken and mushrooms served over creamy vermicelli noodles.

Ingredients:

4 chicken thighs (or 1/2 kg boneless chicken)
1-3 garlic cloves - peel and finely chop (or grate)
1/2 - 2 tsp spicy cayenne pepper
1 tbsp Italian dried oregano
1 chicken stock cube
150g chestnut mushrooms finely sliced
120g rice vermicelli or rice noodles
1 pot (227ml) of organic double cream
Butter
Pepper
Salt
Vegetable oil

Kettle on the boil

Method:

Marinate the chicken with garlic, cayenne, oregano, 1 tbsp vegetable oil and crumbled chicken stock cube
Season with a big pinch of pepper
Mix thoroughly
Set  aside for 15 minutes or marinate in the fridge overnight if you want to prep ahead, but bring back to room temperature before cooking.

Heat a wide-based pan (preferably non-stick) with a matching lid over a high heat with 1 tbsp vegetable oil

Once hot, add the chicken spreading each piece flat

Cook, covered, for 5 min

Remove the lid from the pan and flip each piece of chicken

Add the sliced mushrooms around the chicken

Cook, covered, for a further 5 min or until the chicken is cooked through

Stir the mushrooms occasionally

Meanwhile, place the vermicelli / noodles in a dish and cover completely with boiling water

Set aside for 3 min, then drain

Add a big knob of butter to the chicken pan

Once cooked, transfer the chicken with half the mushrooms to a plate and set aside to rest until serving

Return the pan to a low heat

Add the drained noodles and cream to the pan and cook for 1 min or until warmed through, then remove from the heat

Taste for seasoning, adding salt and pepper if needed,

Divide the noodles between serving plates and top with the chicken and mushrooms


Kim's Tip: cut the noodles up while in the pan for easy eating!

Recipe : Jazzed up Tagliatelle Aglio Olio (Vegan Option possible)

We had a lovely trip to Italy in September and the food there was outstanding. While most people visiting Italy shop for shoes and bags and clothes, I was in the market for cold meat, pastas and cheese. Peck in Milan is heaven on earth for someone who loves to cook. Their produce is so good and of such high quality and they do an amazing job of packing cheese in a way that it doesn't spoil when you carry it on a regular flight back to your home country.

This was a dish that I rustled up on a lazy Sunday, when I really didn't want to cook too much and it can be easily made using ingredients available in your own kitchen. I just added the meat, veggies and cheese into the same dish to make it a well balanced one pot meal.

By skipping the meat in my recipe, you can adapt this for vegetarians and to turn it vegan, just avoid the cheese (but remember to use vegan pasta) and try to cut all the ingredients to the same size for uniformity.

Ingredients :
500 gms pasta (I used tagliatelle, you can use any flat pasta, or even a fusili)
2 - 3 tsps olive oil
10 - 12 cloves garlic chopped (depending on your taste)
2 tsps chilli flakes
200 gms cold meat chopped in cubes (I used mortadella, but you can use any available cold meat that you have
200 gms mushrooms cubed
2 red peppers cubed
salt to taste (remember to adjust for the salt in the cold meat and cheese)
cheese to garnish (I used a lovely wine infused pecorino, but regular parmeggiano reggiano will do)

Method :
Boil the pasta in a pot to your required level of doneness.
In a wide pan, fry up your cold meat till done, remove and keep aside.
Fry the mushrooms until cooked and keep aside.

Take 2 tsp olive oil in the hot pan and brown the garlic in it, then add the chilli flakes.
Lightly saute the red peppers in this and then add the meat and mushrooms.
Stir well, adjust salt to taste and add the cooked pasta to the pot and mix well.
Serve hot, garnished with grated cheese.

Tip:
If you want to add any additional herbs, add them in just before the chilli flakes.

Recipe: Pasta with a tomato basil sauce and bocconcini

Given the weird weather we have been having these days, I really don't feel like cooking elaborate or heavy meals. Light pastas with some stir fried vegetables are about all I can think of eating by the end of the day.

I had some bocconcini that I had picked up from ABC farms in Pune and it wasn't as flavourful as I would have liked it to be, so I could just make an insalata caprese or any other salad with it.

A recent episode of Masterchef Australi showed Mindy making a  pasta with tomatoes, basil, some chilli and some cheese, so I used that as inspiration and this is the result.

This recipe is also being entered in the Del Monte Blogger recipe carnival

Ingredients:
100 gms Del Monte pasta (since this was a loose tomato based sauce, I used the tri colour spiralli, it will work well with penne or any other pasta that can hold the sauce in ridges)
2 tbsps Del Monte tomato sauce (this is for colour and a hint of sweetness - optional)
1/2 kilo fresh ripe tomatoes pureed
2 tbsps finely chopped garlic
2 tbsp oregano (you can use leftover pizza seasoning)
1 tbsp chilli flakes or to taste (you can use leftover pizza seasoning)
a few basil leaves cleaned and roughly chopped
olive oil
salt to taste
100 gms bocconcini - optional
parmeggiano reggiano for garnish

Method:
In a tsp of olive fry up the garlic till cooked and then add the tomato puree.
Add the oregano and chilli flakes to taste and cook well till the tomato mixture is completely cooked. You don't want a very thick sauce, nor do you want a very thin sauce, so keep adjusting water (or any mild stock) as required.
Sometimes the tomatoes in season may result in a pinkish rather than reddish sauce, so this is when I add the tomato sauce for colour and a hint of sweetness.
Adjust salt, sweetness and sourness to taste (this is important because the flavours of tomatoes change across seasons and regions, so adjust the balance to something that you and your family like)
Give it a boil, toss in the basil (reserve a little for garnish), give it a stir and turn off the heat.

Cook the pasta in boiling water with a bit of oil and salt to taste.
When it reaches your required level of doneness, drain and run a little cold water over it.
Mix the pasta and bocconcini (if using) into the hot sauce.
Serve garnished with the reserved basil and shavings of parmeggiano reggiano

The sides I have served it with as seen in this picture are:
1. mushrooms, baby corn and yellow peppers flash fried with butter, salt and freshly crushed black pepper.
2. chicken cubes marinated in pesto sauce and grilled with toasted pine nuts added at the end.


Options:
1. I had a little pancetta, so I fried that up first and used the fat from that to make the rest of the sauce and tossed the meat back in at the end, but you can just use olive oil.
2. The cheese can be left out if you watn to keep this recipe vegan, the sauce is still very tasty. You can serve the cheese on the side if you have a mix of vegan and non vegan diners at the meal.

This rescipe has also been submitted for the Del Monte Blogger Recipe Carnival at http://www.facebook.com/worldfoody

Recipe: Pasta with Chargrilled Pepper Sauce

On 6 Nov 2012 - This Recipe took First Runner Up Place at the Delmonte Blogger Recipe Carnival

The other day, I wanted to cook a vegetarian pasta in a sauce, but I didn't want to cook the regular white sauce or tomato sauce, so I decided to try out a chargrilled pepper sauce for a change.

I'd initially thought that scorching and peeling the peppers would be tough, but it was actually quite easy and doesn't take too much time. If you have a grill or BBQ, then charring the peppers will be faster and easier, I just did it on the regular gas flame.

Ingredients:
200gms Del Monte pasta (I've now switched to using whole wheat pasta only)
4 large red peppers (laal shimla mirch)
1 handful nuts (traditionally pine nuts, but cashewnuts can work as a substitute)
1-2 tsp olive oil
2 tsp butter
2 tbsp flour
6-8 cloves garlic - minced fine
2 tsps of mixed Italian dry herbs (oregano, rosemary, thyme, chives - whatever combination you like)
500 ml milk
15-20 leaves of fresh basil
cheese to taste
parmegianno regianno to garnish - optional


Method:
Rub a little oil on the peppers and roast or grill them until they are charred all over.
You need to sweat the charred peppers for a few minutes, so you can peel off the skin. You can sweat it out in a sealed ziploc bag or a pan with a tight shutting lid.
Peel the skin off the peppers. Keep your hands as clean as possible, because you don't want to wash the peppers and lose the concentrated sweet roasted flavour.
Deseed the peppers and puree the flesh.

Dry roast the nuts and then powder them. (If you do this before pureeing the peppers, you can use the same bowl for pureeing and powdering and save washing a dish)

In a pan, heat the olive oil and butter together.
Fry the garlic until brown & then and the dried herbs and flour.
Take it off the heat when the flour begins to brown and slowly add the milk, so that there are no lumps.
Put it back on the heat.
Then add the red pepper puree and mix gently but thoroughly.
You can add some melting cheese if you like to the sauce, but you can keep it light by not adding any cheese either.
Cook the sauce until it is sufficiently thickened and then add the basil leaves after turning off the heat.

Cook the Del Monte pasta in boiling salted water until it reaches your preferred level of doneness.
Drain and rinse in cold water.

Add the hot sauce to the Del Monte pasta, garnish with parmegiano reggiano and serve with your choice of sides.

This rescipe has also been submitted for the Del Monte Blogger Recipe Carnival at http://www.facebook.com/worldfoody

Recipe: Crunchy Veggie Pasta

The pastas I make at home are much lighter in the summer months. Its just too hot to relish white sauce or even a bolgnese or any other heavy tomato based sauce, especially at dinner time.

The pastas I make during summer are light enough to be served as a salad too. This is one of the recipes that I use.

Ingredients:

1 cup uncooked pasta (for this and other non sauce recipes, I prefer short or minute pastas or spaghetti)
2 cups vegetables - mushrooms and baby corn - chopped in half
1 lemon - juice extracted
your favorite fresh herbs (I used parsley today)
2-3 cloves garlic
salt to taste
fresh cracked black pepper or red chilli flakes to taste
a tsp of olive oil

Method:

In a pan, bring water to boil.
Add a little salt (to flavor) and oil (to prevent sticking)
When the water bubbles add te pasta and cook till done. (al dente or soft).
Drain the pasta and immediately run some cold water through it to prevent sticking.

Choose a pan large enough to hold the vegetables and the cooked pasta.

In a hot pan, add the olive oil.
When hot, add finely chopped garlic.
Add the halved mushrooms when the garlic begins to brown.
When the mushrooms start letting out their water, add the baby corn.
Cover and give it a quick steam (1 minute)
Add the salt, black pepper/chilli flakes and chopped herbs.
Toss quickly so the flavors are distributed evenly.

Add the drained pasta + lemon juice and toss again.
Cover and leave on flame for a minute or 2.
Serve Hot.

If you want to serve it as a salad, it can be served cold too.
The lemon juice is essential because I hardly use any olive oil in this recipe, so this adds moisture to the dish.
If you would like to turn this into a Non-Vegetarian dish, you can add boiled chicken strips or cold meat strips (total quantity of meat + vegetables should be 2 cups)

The picture above has Crunchy Veggie Pasta and Pan Fried Herbed Chicken.