Pork Chops with gnocchi and creamy sauce

2 pork chops, bash with mallet in bag to make thin
Fry in oil - 5 mins each side
Cook gnocchi
Take chops out

Pour into pan hot pan glassful cider
1 Tb grain mustard
Slosh in some cream (around 1/2 cup)
Stir - ends up being thin white sauce. don't have to cook for long.
Spoon sauce over chops

put gnocchi in pan with remaining sauce, stir and serve with pork chops

Linguine with mushrooms, thyme, lemon

100g mushrooms sliced
pour into bowl with 2 Tb olive oil
crush 1 clove garlic
zest and juice of small lemon
salt and pepper
thyme a few sprigs stripped
mush around

take 1 cup water out of pasta and set aside

drain pasta
pour into bowl and toss
pour hot water over top, toss more
generous amount parmesan grated over top
rip parsley over top

Easy peasy spaghetti wtih lemon, chilli, garlic and rocket

Serves 4

750g fresh spaghetti, linguini or fettucini
3-4 Tb olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
4 Tb baby capers
1.5 tsp dried chilli flakes or 3 fresh red chillies, seeded and sliced (alter to taste)
2 tsp finely grated lemon rind
3 Tb lemon juice
3-4 cups roughly torn rocket leaves (or basil)
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
cracked black pepper

Cook spaghetti in a saucepan of rapidly boiling water until it is al dente.
While pasta is cooking, heat oil in a large pan over high heat. Add the garlic and capers and saute for 1 minute.
Add chillies, lemon rind and juice and cook for another minute.
Drain pasta and add it to the pan with rocket and parmesan. Toss to combine and serve with a generous sprinkling of black peppper and a glass of wine.

Grublovers comment
Danny and I make this all the time. Whenever we don’t know what to make and we don’t want to go shopping, this is the answer. You can tailor it to your ingredients on hand - substitute spinach for the rocket, add anchovies, capers, olives. You can also add some spicy sausage e.g. chorizo, if you feel like some meat. Use your imagination and come up with any fantastic dish. As long as you have that basic oil, chilli and garlic combination it will be a winner.
I like to use a full flavoured olive oil - like Jingili of Western Australia.

Spaghetti alla Puttanesca

Serves 4

400g Spaghetti
1 x 400g can whole tomatoes (With Juices, Roughly Chopped)
4 Fillets Anchovies (Roughly Chopped)
1 tablespoon Capers
12 Black Olives (Pitted)
2 Garlic Cloves (Crushed)
4 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil (60ml)
Fresh Flat Parsley Leaf (Finely Chopped)
Salt & Pepper (Fresh Or Dried To Season)

While your spaghetti cooks in salted boiling water, prepare your sauce.

Heat up some olive oil in a large saucepan.

Add garlic and chili peppers. When garlic is golden, add anchovies, olives and capers.

Let cook for a few seconds before pouring tomatoes into the pan. Cook for approximately five minutes.

About a minute and a half before the al dente stage, drain the spaghetti and add it to the saucepan, allowing it to finish cooking in the sauce.

Sprinkle freshly chopped parsley. Serve immediately.

Grublover comment
When trying to cut down your fat you don't have to cut pasta altogether - simply choose tomato rather than creamy based sauces. This is one of my favourites and is bursting with flavour. If you are dining out order an entree size instead of a main - it is usually almost as large as a main anyway, and will be more than enough.

Gnocchi

I have always been a big fan of gnocchi. That texture yum yum yum.

Check out this post at The Age

I’ll keep you posted when I try this out.

Hollis’ Spaghetti Carbonara

450g bacon
450g spaghetti
3/4 cup freshly grated parmesan
3 Tb butter
2 eggs, lightly beaten
freshly ground black pepper

Fry the bacon until it is just crisp, drain on a paper towel, and chop into bite sized pieces.
Cook the spaghetti in a very large pot of boiling salted water until al dente, about 8-10 minutes.
Meanwhile warm a serving bowl.
Drain the spaghetti well and toss in the bowl with the bacon, cheese, butter and lots of freshly ground black pepper for a few seconds, allowing it to cool slightly.
Add the eggs and stir vigorously to coat all the strands.
Serve immediately with some more cracked black pepper.

Grublover comment
Hollis says: This recipe doesn’t have cream - so the result is a less wet carbonara. It is really easy

Pasta Maker!

My pasta maker is my latest and greatest new toy.
I bought it yesterday from the Re Store for $74.95 and made the most sensational pasta last night.
It is so easy to make, and definitely worth the effort.
Good for cooks like me who like getting their hands dirty because you have to do lots of kneading, and feeding the pasta through the machine.

Dough recipe: 100g flour to 1 egg
It is recommended that you use 1 egg for every person, but I used about 5 eggs between 3 and that was enough for a nice large bowl of pasta each.
I used regular flour but today I bought some durum semolina which is a beautiful saffron coloured really fine semolina flour which I’m hoping will make a really special pasta. I’ll keep you posted.

I refridgerated my dough for about 30 minutes before I put it through the machine - this made it a nice consistency to work with.

I made a delicious red capsicum and chorizo sauce to toss the fresh pasta through. Simple and delicious.

Red capsicum and chorizo pasta

1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 large serving spoons marinated red capsicums (antipasto)
1 chorizo, sliced
ricotta
olive oil



Fry the onion and garlic in a pan until it starts to colour.
Add the chorizo and cook until it is starting to brown.
Add the capsicum and a good lug of olive oil.
When the pasta is cooked, drain and pour into the pan. Fry for a couple of minutes, pouring through a little of the cooking water, and some extra olive oil. Toss it around so all the flavours are mixed through.
Serve with some crumbled ricotta over the top and a good crack of salt and pepper.

Grublover comment
I made this delicious simple sauce yesterday when I bought my pasta maker. It is so simple and the flavours are so nice and it compliments the fresh pasta so well. An absolute winner. Check out the link for making fresh pasta.

Linguine alla carbonara di salsiccia

Serves 4







4 good quality organic italian sausages
4 slices of thickly cut pancetta, chopped
1 lb. dried linguine
4 large egg yolks
1/2 cup heavy cream
3 and 1/2 oz freshly grated parmesan cheese
zest of 1 lemon
a sprig of flat leaf parsley, chopped
evoo
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

With a sharp knife, slit the sausage skins lengthwise and squeeze all the meat out. Using wet hands, roll little balls of sausage meat about the size of large marbles and place them to one side.

Heat a large frying pan and add a good splash of olive oil. Gently fry the sausage meatballs until golden brown all over, then add the pancetta and continue cooking for a couple of minutes, until it’s golden.

While this is cooking, bring a pot of salted water to the boil, add the linguine and cook.

In a large bowl whip up the egg yolks, cream, half the parmesan, lemon zest and parsley. When the pasta is cooked, drain it in a colander, reserving a little of the cooking water.

Immediately toss it quickly with the egg mixture back in the pasta pot.
Add the hot sausage meatballs and toss everything together.
The egg will cook delicately from the heat of hte linguine, just enough for it to thicken and not scramble.

The sauce should be smooth and silky.

If the pasta becomes a little sticky add a few spoonfuls of the reserved cooking water to loosen it slightly.
Sprinkle over the rest of the parmesan, season if necessary, drizzle with evoo and serve.
Eat immediately!

Grublover comment
This pasta is really rich and delicious. I is from jamie’s latest book ‘Jamie’s Italy. It’s really quick and easy to make and looks impressive.

Danny's Sunday Night Tuna Pasta

Serves 4 (or 2 with some leftover for monday’s lunch)








1/2 large onion
2 cloves garlic
1/2 small chilli (adjust to taste)
1 large tin sirena tuna (best flavour: chilli in oil)
1/2 jar passata or 1 tin tomatoes
olive oil
salt and pepper

Put the pasta on to boil.
Fry the onion, garlic and chilli in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. Don’t let the onions brown - cook them just before they are brown, that way you get a great tang.
Add the tuna and cook for 1 minute.
Pour the passata in and season to taste. Add about 1 Tbsp dried oregano.
Turn heat down and simmer until pasta is ready.
Serve garnished with freshly chopped parsley (or some other herbs e.g. oregano) and some shaved parmesan.

Grublover comment
This is a delicious pasta and I am not even a huge tuna fan. Danny always makes it for me when I am tired and grumpy on a Sunday night after a big weekend and it always always hits the spot. It’s great becuase it’s quick and easy and you can have all the supplies on hand. Make sure you use a really good quality tuna - dan won’t use anything but sirena - otherwise the flavour is not right.
Bon appetit!

Spaghetti alla Norma

Serves 4

2 large firm aubergines
extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon dried oregano
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely sliced
a large bunch of fresh basil, stalks finely chopped, leaves reserved
1 teaspoon good herb or white wine vinegar
2 x 400g tins of good-quality chopped plum tomatoes, or 565ml/1 pint passata
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
500g dried spaghetti
150g salted ricotta, pecorino or Parmesan cheese, grated

• optional: 1 dried red chilli, crumbled

First of all, get your nice firm aubergines and cut them into quarters lengthways. If they’ve got seedy fluffy centres, remove them and chuck them away. Then cut the aubergines across the length, into finger-sized pieces. Get a large non-stick pan nice and hot and add a little oil. Fry the aubergines in two batches, adding a little extra oil if you need to (but you don’t want to make it too greasy). Give the aubergines a toss so the oil coats every single piece and then sprinkle with some of the dried oregano – this will make them taste fantastic. Using a pair of tongs, turn the pieces of aubergine until golden on all sides. Don’t undercook them because this is where all the flavour comes from - they should be coloured all over. Once you’ve done the first batch, remove to a plate and do the same with the second batch.

When the aubergines are all cooked, add the first batch back to the pan – at this point I sometimes add a sneaky dried red chilli, but that’s my addiction coming through so feel free to ignore this! Turn the heat down to medium and add a little oil, the garlic and the basil stalks. Stir so everything gets evenly cooked, then add a swig of herb vinegar and the tins of tomatoes, which you can chop or whiz up so they’re not too chunky. Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, then taste and correct the seasoning with salt and pepper. Tear up half the basil leaves, add to the sauce and toss around.

Cook your spaghetti, Get your spaghetti into a pan of salted boiling water and cook according to the packet instructions. When it’s al dente, drain it in a colander, reserving a little of the cooking water, and put it back into the pan. Add the Norma sauce and a little of the reserved cooking water and toss together back on the heat. Taste the pasta and adjust the seasoning, then divide between your plates by twizzling the pasta into a ladle for each portion. Any sauce left in the pan can be spooned over the top. Sprinkle with the remaining basil leaves and crumble the ricotta over the top and drizzle with olive oil.

Grublover comment
At least one person ordered this everytime we dined in Sicily - it is their specialty or national dish and is absolutely delicious.
This recipe is another Jamie classic - you can see I am a big fan of his - his recipes are just always winners! This is from his book ‘Jamie’s Italy’.
For two of us I used 1.5 eggplants (I like extra because that is where all the flavour comes from), 1 jar of passata and 2 cloves garlic. I served it with Rigatoni which was delicious because it is such a robust pasta, perfect for this kind of chunky sauce.

Spaghetti alla Vongole

Serves 4










200g Spaghetti (I like to use a linguine or a spaghetti - don’t use a larger one as they are delicate flavours)
500g vongole (clams) washed and cleaned
2 Garlic Cloves, finely chopped
3 large red chilies, seeded and finely chopped
1 hot birds eye chilly (optional) crumbled
1 tbsp parsley, finely chopped
Bottle of white wine 100 mls for the pot the rest for the chef
100 mls extra virgin olive oil

Bring a pot of water to the boil.
Place spaghetti in to cook (only as long as the directions 7 minute spaghetti is a good option)
In a hot pan add half the oil followed by the chilies and garlic cook till garlic is opaque (not brown) Add the clams and 100 mls of white wine. Once the clams are opened toss in parsley.
Drain the cooked spaghetti and add to the clams toss with the remaining oil add a pinch of salt and serve.
Serve with the remaining wine.

Grublover comment
This is a quick and delicious dish and just happens to be my all time favourite. So simple yet so scrumptuous, I cannot avoid ordering it if I see it on a menu.

Jamie’s Penne with tomatoes, basil, olives and pecorino

750g pomodorino tomatoes
olive oil
sea salt and freshly . ground black pepper
good-quality balsamic vinegar
500g penne
200g black olives, stoned and halved
a small bunch of fresh basil, leaves picked
a chunk of pecorino cheese, to serve

Preheat oven to 200°C/400°F/gas 6.

Throw the tomatoes into a large roasting tin, drizzle them with olive oil, season with some salt and pepper and pop them in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Once they’re roasted, squash the tomatoes with a fork to get the juices going and drizzle over some balsamic vinegar.

Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta according to the pack instructions until al dente. Drain the pasta and add the roasted tomato sauce and the olives. Tear over most of the basil leaves and toss everything together. Season and serve with the reserved basil leaves scattered over and some freshly grated pecorino.

Grublover comment
This is another Jamie Oliver classic. All of his recipes are so simple and so delicious and rely on having the freshest ingredients. Again, this dish can be modified to suit your tastes and stock on hand - swap the pecorino for another strong cheese like Parmesan; add some capers.

Jamie’s Oven-baked Rigatoni with Wild Boar Salami

a good glug of extra virgin olive oil
½ a wild boar salami, sliced (or use Napoli salami)
1 red onion, peeled and sliced
1 clove garlic, peeled and sliced
4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
400g tin chopped tomatoes
3 tablespoons crème fraîche
a large bunch of fresh basil, leaves picked and chopped
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
300g rigatoni
a ball of buffalo mozzarella, sliced

Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/gas 5.

Heat the olive oil in a frying pan, and fry half the salami until quite crisp. Add the onion and garlic and cook slowly until the onion is soft. Add the balsamic vinegar, chopped tomatoes, crème fraîche and basil. Mix together, season to taste, and simmer for a few minutes.

Cook the rigatoni according to the packet instructions until ‘al dente’. Drain, and drizzle over a little olive oil and seasoning. Tip into a baking dish and pour over the sauce.

Lay the mozzarella over the top with the rest of the salami. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes until golden. Delicious.

Grublover comment
This is a great dish for when you’ve got mates coming round as it’s easy to make and looks fantastic. The wild boar salami tastes great, and as well as cooking with it you can use it in sandwiches.

Pesto

Serves 4

1/2 a clove of garlic, chopped
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 good handfuls of fresh basil, stalks and all
a handful of pine nuts, lightly toasted
a good handful of freshly grated parmesan cheese
evoo
optional: small squeeze of lemon juice

Pulse the garlic, basil, and a pinch of salt in a food processor.
Add a bit more garlic if you like, but I usually stick to 1/2 a clove.
Add the pine nuts and pulse again.
Turn out into a bowl and add half the Parmesan. Stir gently and add olive oil - you need just enough to bind the sauce and get it to an oozy consistency.

Season to taste, then add most of the remaining cheese. Pour in some oil and taste again. Keep adding a bit more cheese or oil until you are happy with the taste and consistency. You may like to add a squeeze of lemon juice at the end to give it a twang, but it’s not essential.

Grublover comment
Pesto is so useful. You can rub it on roast chicken, spread it on toast, add it to mussels, or fish, or just toss it through some freshly cooked pasta.

Easy peasy spaghetti wtih lemon, chilli, garlic and rocket

Serves 4

750g fresh spaghetti, linguini or fettucini
3-4 Tb olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
4 Tb baby capers
1.5 tsp dried chilli flakes or 3 fresh red chillies, seeded and sliced (alter to taste)
2 tsp finely grated lemon rind
3 Tb lemon juice
3-4 cups roughly torn rocket leaves (or basil)
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
cracked black pepper

Cook spaghetti in a saucepan of rapidly boiling water until it is al dente.
While pasta is cooking, heat oil in a large pan over high heat. Add the garlic and capers and saute for 1 minute.
Add chillies, lemon rind and juice and cook for another minute.
Drain pasta and add it to the pan with rocket and parmesan. Toss to combine and serve with a generous sprinkling of black peppper and a glass of wine.

Grublovers comment
Danny and I make this all the time. Whenever we don’t know what to make and we don’t want to go shopping, this is the answer. You can tailor it to your ingredients on hand - substitute spinach for the rocket, add anchovies, capers, olives. You can also add some spicy sausage e.g. chorizo, if you feel like some meat. Use your imagination and come up with any fantastic dish. As long as you have that basic oil, chilli and garlic combination it will be a winner.
I like to use a full flavoured olive oil - like Jingili of Western Australia.