Spinach Taglierini with Eggplants and Tomatoes

A delightful combination of eggplants, canned tomatoes and spinach taglierini make this pasta dish a delicious and satisfying main course meal, and you won't even miss the meat.

• 250 g Spinach taglierini or linguini
  
• 2 Large aubergine
  
• 8 tbsp Olive oil
  
• 2 clove Garlic, crushed
  
• 2/3 can Crushed canned tomatoes
  
• 1/4 tsp Crushed dried chillies
  
• 1/4 tsp Dried oregano
  
• 1 handful Chopped spring onions (or basil leaves)
  
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  

1. Cut off the tops and bases of each eggplant and cut across into two. Cut each piece lengthways into thick sticks. Place into a colander and sprinkle them with one teaspoon of salt. Place the colander over a bowl and leave the eggplants for 40 minutes to disgorge some of their juices. Pat the eggplants dry with kitchen paper to remove the salt and excess juices.
   
2. Heat 6 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large frying pan. Add in the aubergine pieces and fry, turning occasionally, until golden-brown all over. Remove with a slotted spoon and place onto a plate lined with kitchen paper to drain.
   
3. Fill a large pot with enough water and bring to the boil. Add the salt, then the spinach taglierini and cook according to packet instructions, or until al dente. Shortly before the pasta is ready, add the remaining olive oil and the garlic to the frying pan and return it to the heat.
   
4. As soon as the garlic begins to sizzle, add the crushed chillies, dried oregano and the tomatoes and cook over a high heat for 2-3 minutes. Add the eggplants and season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add in chopped spring onions or basil leaves and mix well.
   
5. Drain the cooked spinach taglierini and divide into 2-3 bowls. Spoon the eggplant mixture over. Serve right away with some shaved Parmesan cheese if desired.

Ramsons Pesto with Wholewheat Spaghetti

Ramsons is also known as "wild garlic" due to its pungent garlic odour, or "bear's garlic" as the brown bears after hibernation, seek it out to cleanse their system. Ramsons has similar medicinal properties to those of the garlic. It is therefore especially valuable for a spring cleaning and waste removal course of treatment. They can be used as salad, as a vegetable, in soup, or as an ingredient for pesto in lieu of basil.

	Ramsons Pesto
250 g Wholewheat spaghetti 10 Cherry tomatoes, halved 10 Bocconcini, optional A handful of baby greens Freshly ground black pepper	80 g Ramsons leaves, chopped 60 g Almond, chopped 80 g Parmesan-Reggiano, grated 130 ml Olive oil Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. Add only enough chopped almonds to the skillet so they lie in a single layer. Turn heat on to medium and toast, stirring occasionally until the nuts are fragrant. Remove from heat and cool.
   
2. Rinse, dry and chop the ramsons. In a food processor, pulse toasted almonds and ramsons a few times. Slowly add the olive oil in a constant stream while the food processor is on, stopping to scrape down sides of container. Add the grated cheese and pulse again until blended. Add a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. If you have a mortar and pestle, do use them to pound the ingredients.
   
3. To store the pesto, simply place them in a jar and allow the oil to rise to the top. If it doesn't add a little oil to seal the top. It will keep fresh in the refrigerator for about a week.
   
4. Cook pasta to al dente according to package directions. Drain in colander and transfer to a mixing bowl. Add in pesto (about 1/2 cup) and gently toss to coat thoroughly. If pesto is too thick, you can add a tablespoon of the pasta water to thin it a little.
   
5. When pesto is mixed in, add cherry tomatoes, bocconcini if used, baby greens and season with freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Curry Rice Salad with Fish and Papaya

Rice salads are easy, delectable and infinitely versatile. This curry rice salad is prepared mainly with Basmati rice, peas, pan-seared walleye fillet tossed with curry powder and olive oil, and finished off with papaya. It's perfect for a lunchbox, a picnic, and even great as a side to a summer BBQ party.

• 125 g Basmati rice
  
• 75 g Frozen peas
  
• 2 tsp Curry powder
  
• 1 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
  
• 2 tsp Lime juice
  
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  
• 180 g Walleye fillet, pan-seared
  
• 1 tsp Butter
  
• 50 g Carrot, diced
  
• 1/3 Red onion, chopped
  
• 1 Papaya
  

1. Cook rice following packet directions. Add the peas 2 minutes before the end of cooking. Drain. Rinse under cold water. Drain well. Place in a large serving bowl. Add the curry powder, olive oil, lime juice, salt and freshly ground black pepper. Gently stir to combine.
   
2. Season the fish with salt and pepper. Melt the butter in a non-stick pan over medium heat. Cook the walleye fillet until golden brown. Remove fish and cut into half-inch pieces. Dice the carrot and red onion.
   
3. Add the fish, carrot, and red onion to the rice. Halve the papaya lengthwise and remove the seeds. Scoop out some flesh and add into the rice salad. Fill the papaya shells with rice salad or just serve them in a bowl.

Beetroot Risotto

Risotto is really delicious at any time of the day and the addition of beetroot makes this pretty much a super-food, as beetroot are a rich source of potent antioxidants and nutrients. Next time I am going to scatter some

• 200 g Cooked beetroot
  
• 1 tbsp Olive oil
  
• 1 Shallot, finely chopped
  
• 1 clove Garlic, minced
  
• 130 g Risotto rice
  
• 80 ml White wine
  
• 400 ml Hot vegetable stock
  
• 2 tbsp Parmesan, finely grated
  
• Handful of arugula

1. Puree half of the cooked beetroot and cut another half into small pieces. Ser aside. Heat the olive oil in a pan. Tip in shallot and garlic, then stir until translucent. Stir in rice until well-coated with oil. Pour in the white wine and beetroot puree. Simmer until all is absorbed.
   
2. Pour in a third of the hot vegetable stock and set the timer to 18 mins. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the stock has been absorbed, then add half the rest of the stock and continue cooking and stirring until that has been absorbed.
   
3. Add in the rest of the stock, stir, then simmer until cooked. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in most of the Parmesan, arugula and the diced beetroot through the risotto. Serve with Parmesan and arugula scattered on top.

Dill Risotto with Salmon

This is rather a simple, modest, yet very flavourful, filling and soul-satisfying risotto dish that's quick and easy to make. From vegetables, fruit to meat, poultry, and seafood, the variations are endless, just like pasta. Get yourself a glass of Valpolicella Classico Superiore or Pinot Grigio if you prefer white, and enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Essen und Trinken

• 1 Onion, finely diced
  
• 3 tbsp Olive oil
  
• 150 g Risotto rice
  
• 1 clove Garlic, minced
  
• 50 ml White wine
  
• Salt and black pepper
  
• 200 g Salmon steak
  
• 500 ml Vegetable stock, hot
  
• 2 tbsp Chopped dill
  
• 2 tbsp Green peas
  
• 2 tbsp Creme fraiche

1. Heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet on medium heat. Add in the diced onion and stir until tender. Add in risotto rice and minced garlic. Stir until rice becomes translucent. Pour in the white wine. Simmer until the wine is absorbed.
   
2. Cut the salmon into inch-sized dices. Season with salt and pepper. Heat one tablespoon of oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add in diced salmon and cook until lightly golden.
   
3. Season the risotto with salt and pepper. When the wine is all absorbed, add half of the hot stock and keep stirring, until that has been absorbed. Pour in the rest of stock, stirring frequently until the rice is cooked al dente. This will take 20 minutes or more.
   
4. Add in chopped dill, green peas and creme fraiche. When the rice is cooked, gently stir the pan-fried diced salmon into the risotto, and cook for a further 1-2 minutes to heat through. Season, to taste, with salt and black pepper and serve.

Pinotage Spaghetti with Arugula

The red wine gives the pasta an unique deep purple colour and a sublime, earthy flavour complemented by a handful of rich, peppery arugula and sharp, nutty Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Adapted from Food Network

• 200 g Spaghetti
  
• 350 ml South African Pinotage
  
• 1 tsp Sugar
  
• 2 tbsp Olive oil
  
• 2 clove Garlic, sliced
  
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  
• 2 tbsp Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated
  
• 50 g Arugula
  

1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the spaghetti, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. The pasta will finish cooking in the red wine. Drain the pasta and set aside.
   
2. Add the pinotage and sugar to the pasta pot. Bring it to a boil over high heat and cook until reduced by half, about 5-8 minutes. Add in spaghetti and cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the red wine is absorbed and the spaghetti is al dente, about 3 minutes.
   
3. Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add in olive oil, reduce the heat to medium-low and stir in garlic until golden. Turn the heat off. Add in pasta, arugula, salt and pepper, toss gently and transfer to serving plates. Sprinkle with the cheese and serve.

Thank you, Elisabeth at Food and Thrift Finds, and Joudie at Moodfood Blog, for sharing this one lovely blog award with me. And I also want to express my sincere appreciation to Gina at What's for Dinner across State Lines, and Alisha at The Ardent Epicure for thinking of me in the "Tag Game".

Low-fat Spaghetti alla Carbonara

Carbonara, an Italian favourite, is a classic pasta sauce usually made with cream, bacon (Guanciale or jowl bacon)and Parmesan (Pecorino will work too) and is absolutely nutritious and delicious. Instead of heavy cream, I used milk for a healthy treat. Well, you wouldn't notice that it's low-fat because it's just as yummy even without using cream.

• 180 g Tomato spaghetti
  
  
• 100 g 3% Rindless bacon, sliced
  
  
• 1 tbsp Olive oil
  
  
• 2 Shallots, diced
  
  
• 1 clove Garlic, minced
  
  
• 2 Eggs
  
  
• 140 ml Wholemilk
  
  
• 20 g Parmesan cheese, finely grated
  
  
• 1/2 tsp Freshly ground black pepper
  
  
• 1/2 tbsp Parsley, chopped

1. Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, following packet directions, until just tender. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Cook diced shallots, minced garlic and bacon for 5 minutes until golden.
   
   
2. Beat together eggs, wholemilk, half of grated Parmesan and black pepper. Drain the spaghetti and return to the pot, off the heat. Add in parsley, the bacon and egg mixtures, and toss together until the spaghetti is evenly coated. Divide pasta between two bowls and then serve with the rest of Parmesan cheese.

Peppery Peanut Coloured Conchiglie

I simply love this colourful conchiglie-sea shells pasta dish. The creamy black peppery peanut sauce naturally fills the shells while you are tossing them all together and coarsely cracked black peppers gives off a warm and spicy flavor and adds a depth to any dish. To give the whole pasta dish a little extra kick of fresh flavour, you might also sprinkle some fresh chopped basil leaves on the pasta.

• 80 g Black peppered peanuts
  
  ©angiesrecipes
  
  
• 1 Ripe tomato, chopped
  
  
• 1 tbsp Tomato paste
  
  
• 80 ml Water
  
  
• 150 g Coloured conchiglie
  
  
• 1 tbsp Olive oil
  
  
• 1 clove Garlic, minced
  
  
• 1/2 tsp Salt
  
  
• 1 tsp Black peppercorns, coarsly cracked
  
  
• Some basil leaves, chopped

1. Place peppery peanuts, tomato, tomato paste and water In the container of your blender. Process until it becomes smooth.
   
   
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil and cook the conchiglie according to the packet. When pasta is cooked, drain.
   
   
3. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil and stir-fry the minced garlic until aromatic. Pour the peanut puree into the pan and bring it to a boil. Season with salt and coarsely cracked black pepper. Add in the drained conchiglie and chopped basil leaves. Toss together.

Truffle Linguine with Tomatoes and Pancetta

A simple pasta dish with tomatoes, pancetta and the basil leaves. The recipe calls for truffle linguine, but you can use other pasta as a substitute. Prosciutto can be used in place of pancetta to give this simple pasta dish a flavour boost.

• 200 g Truffle linguine©angiesrecipes
  
  
• 2 tbsp Olive oil
  
  
• 80 g Pancetta, roughly chopped
  
  
• 1 Shallot, diced
  
  
• 2 Tomatoes, finely chopped
  
  
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  
  
• Some fresh basil leaves
  
  

1. Cook truffle linguine in a large saucepan of boiling salted water, following packet directions, 8-10 minutes. Drain.
   
   
2. Meanwhile heat a little of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add in chopped pancetta and cook until golden and crisp, about 3-4 minutes.
   
   
3. Add in diced shallot and stir fry until aromatic. Add in the diced tomatoes, olive oil and pasta. Toss over low heat to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Top with basil leaves.

Rigatoncini with Fresh Tomatoes and Chickpeas

A simple tossed dish of spelt pasta, fresh tomatoes, basil and Parmesan is satisfying, healthy and filled with natural flavours. The addition of chickpeas ensure a healthy and nutritiously balanced meal.

• 100 g Wholemeal spelt rigatoncini
  
  ©angiesrecipes
  
  
• 1 tbsp Olive oil
  
  
• 150 g Canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained
  
  
• 1 clove Garlic, minced
  
  
• 250 g Ripe tomatoes, diced
  
  
• 10 Olives, pitted and chopped
  
  
• Some fresh basil
  
  
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  
  
• 2 tbsp Parmesan, grated

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti to the boiling water and cook until tender, yet al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain.
   
   
2. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chickpeas and garlic, stirring frequently, until the chickpeas are just heated through. Add diced tomatoes, chopped olives, fresh basil, salt and pepper. Stir gently to combine. To serve, divide the pasta among 2 serving plates and top with sauce and Parmesan cheese.

Rigatoncini with Fresh Tomatoes and Chickpeas

A big thanks to Claudia from Foodessa and Brian from A Thought For Food!