Similarly to Wendy Cope’s men, my entries for Presto Pasta Night are also like busses.

Bloody men are like bloody buses -
You wait for about a year
And as soon as one approaches your stop
Two or three others appear.

Wendy Cope – Bloody Men

Having has a good 4 months off this is my third submission to PPN in a row (and I have another one queued).  It must be something to do with the change in the season, dark cold evenings demand comfort food, and, judging from the plummeting quality of my photography, some decent lighting.

This recipe was developed for French’s Mustard, in conjunction with my current competition to win a £50 supermarket voucher.

Every autumn I become obsessed with slowly frying onions for 30 to 40 minutes to make them sweet, sticky and juicy.   They are then made into a sauce with a little cream (50ml for two people), chopped sausages and a generous dash of French’s smooth and spicy American mustard.   The mustard has just the right mix of sweetness and heat when paired with the sausage and onion, and thickens the sauce nicely.     If you have not done so before, do try adding a little pasta water to a creamy sauce.  It bulks it out and does not add the scary calories that cream contains.

I used a rather wonderful artisan pasta, from the Terracafe in London.    The Terracafe is a gem, situated in the wasteland between Victoria rail and coach stations.     They serve great Italian coffee and sell a range of delicious top notch products from Tuscany Corner.      With the price of rail travel rocketing we are travelling by coach more and more frequently, and the Terracafe will become a “must stop” for both provisions for the journey and presents when going to stay with people.

Recipe: Mustardy Sausage & Sticky Onion Pasta

Serves 2

1 tbs olive oil
1 large onion – finely sliced
2 cloves garlic – chopped
3 – 4 cooked chipolatas
150g pasta
50ml double cream
2 tbs grain mustard

Handful frozen peas and sweetcorn (optional)
Salt & Pepper to season

Gently fry the onion and garlic in the olive oil on the lowest heat on your hob, stir regularly, you may need to use a diffuser ring to stop it burning.

Meanwhile roast or fry the sausages.

When the onions are reduced (this will take about 30 mins) start cooking the pasta.

Finish the sauce by adding the chopped sausages & cream and season with salt and pepper.     Add a little pasta water to the sauce to thin and bulk it out.     Stir in the mustard to taste.

2 mins before the pasta is cooked add the peas and corn to the pan.

Drain the pasta, mix into the sauce and serve immediately.

Sending to this weeks Presto Pasta Nights hosted this week by HoneyB.

If you like sausages I am giving away 3 copies of the sausages cookbook!

Despite the, as yet, unbashed out backlog, I am determined to start to plan ahead and to actually publish some seasonal recipes.   The general Fuss Free rule is to not even to start to think about Christmas until after my birthday (the exception to this is things seen in the sales).  Birthday is done so time to think ahead.

This dish is in part inspired by the amazing Christmas produce box I received yesterday from Knorr (the majority of which has been stashed in the freezer).

In general I am a huge sprout fan, providing they are cooked properly.  Institutional over boiled mushy soggy sprouts that squirt bitter water into your mouth are an abomination, and I can quite understand why one sprouty school dinner can put people off for life.   I either shred and stir fry or roast them, both are quite delicious.

Matched with some tart cranberries, soft sweet chestnuts and creamy Stilton they make the perfect festive quartet.     You could add some leftover bacon from your turkey, or if you do not eat diary, use some pine nuts in place of the Stilton and leave out the butter.   Perfect seasonal pasta using leftovers to cater for omnivores, vegetarians or vegans.   This was quite delicious, and possibly far too good to wait to be made from Christmas (or even Thanksgiving leftovers) leftovers!

Recipe:  Chestnut, Cranberry, Stilton & Sprout Pasta

Amounts are approximate, use what you have.   Do not go mad on quantities if you over indulged on Christmas day!

Per person

4 or 5 sprouts – sliced
A glug of oil
A pat of butter
Ready cooked chestnuts -  sliced – 3 or 4 per person
A small handful of cranberries (or a spoon of leftover cranberry sauce)

2-3oz / 50 – 75g pasta

A slither of Stilton – crumbled
Salt & Pepper to taste

Finely shred the sprouts, if they have not been cooked place in a sieve and pour a kettle of boiling water over to soften them.

Heat up the oil and butter and gently fry the sprouts, chestnuts and cranberries.  Meanwhile boil the pasta.

When the pasta is done, drain, stir into the sprout, chestnut and cranberry mix.    Serve immediately topped with the crumbled Stilton.

Sending this to Ren’s Simple and in Season and Presto Pasta Nights hosted this week by Tandy at Lavender and Lime.

I hope that Lucy Cufflin, the leftover queen will be proud of me for devising this dish.

This is going to be a lightning fast round up.  I have had one of those weeks (I always seem have one of those weeks when hosting – last time I was food poisoned).  Firstly, my mother fainted and fractured her skull at the weekend and I had to make an emergency dash to the internetless depths of the English countryside to see her.   She is fine and now well on the road to recovery, but it is a reminder of how fragile we all are and how horrible head injuries can be.

Secondly in  London mid July is Christmas preview fortnight.   I have been sampling turkey, ham, more canapes that I can count and quaffing champagne, cocktails and mulled wine.   For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, it is very surreal to enter a building on a hot summer’s day and to step into a Christmas winter wonderland.  The main supermarkets have some lovely things for Christmas and I have gained some fab ideas for my present list.

As a consequence of both the above I have barely cooked, so no pasta from me this week, although I am full of ideas of recipes that I would like to develop.

So in no particular order with a special thank you to the first timers ….

A deconstructed lasagna – or beef noodle bake from Squirrel Head Manor

I cannot resist greens and anchovies with pasta, so The Crispy Cook’s broccoli rabe, garlic scapes and anchovies would be a winner in my flat.

More veggies, bacon and chicken with some summer corn pasta, from Pictures of all my Princesses.

Delicious looking Rigatoni with Spicy Sausage-Tomato Sauce and Spinach from Tea and Scones

A newcomer to PPN is Fiona, London-Unattached with fresh looking pasta primavera made with veggies grown on her balcony!

Another PPN first timer is this pasta with white clam sauce and heirloom tomatoes from The Spamwise Chronicles.

More anchovies this time with tomatoes from Lavender and Lime.

Creamy pasta with peas and mint was send by my friend Katie at Feeding Boys & A Firefighter, with both one of the boys and the firefighter newly turned vegetarian she is getting to grips with some lovely meat free dishes.

Happy 50th blog post to Wit, Wok and Wisdom who celebrated with Red Pepper Pasta.

I think that chicken livers are often underrated so love this spaghetti con fegatini di pollo (chicken liver spaghetti) from FoodyCat, and another PPN first timer!

More garlic scapes, this time in a pesto from Equal Opportunity Kitchen.

A vegan rigatoni with kabocha squash, sage and walnuts from Chez Cayenne, looks delicious and I love the inclusion of miso.

Patio Pasta with sunflower pesto from Libby at the Allergic Kid, seed pesto rocks so do go and make some!

A quick cook tuna, pinenut and basil spaghetti from the 3rd London based blog of the week – Tamarind and Thyme.

Lastly Ruth celebrated Canada Day in style and had lobster, some of which made it into a creamy pasta with tomatoes and baby beet greens.  Lovely!

Many thanks to all who took part and to Ruth for letting me host.

Next week’s host is Tandy at Lavender and Lime.

I recently received an e-mail inviting me to a bloggers’ Philly lunch where celebrity chef, Ed Baines would be cooking some recipes from the Philadelphia Local Heroes campaign.     Philadelphia is a very useful fridge staple that I use in a number of dishes, both savoury and sweet, cooked and uncooked.    I had not seen the competition or I would have certainly have submitted my Philly, pesto, chicken pasta (recipe below) which is easy to make, and very child friendly.

We assembled in the rather lovely kitchen above, and were put to work cooking our lunch, with lots of helpful tips from Ed and Natalie, the  London local food hero and creator of the Philly leek risotto pictured above.

This was followed by Philly chicken.  Pudding was a mini Pavlova, topped with a Philly and icing sugar mix, which tastes delicious, and contains few calories than cream.

For another sweet Philly idea of the perfect cream cheese frosting, check out Ruth’s post here.

My Philly pesto chicken pasta is my favourite thing to cook when looking after small children, it seems that all parents of small children always have chicken fillets, cream cheese and pesto in the fridge.    It is quick and easy and children (and most adults) love it.   Add some frozen peas and corn to the pasta water when it is nearly cooked.

Obviously, vary the amounts below according to the age of your children.  For adults and less fussy children add some garlic.  Also works well with ham or bacon.

Recipe: Philly Pesto Pasta

(serves 2 children)

2 handfuls of pasta shapes
1 small chicken breast diced
Small glug olive oil
1 heaped tbs Philadelphia Cream Cheese
1 heaped tsp pesto
Handful frozen peas & corn
Sprinkling of grated cheese

Put the pasta on to boil.  Gently fry the chicken pieces in the olive oil for 5 mins, until cooked and just starting to brown.  Add the Philadelphia & pesto and stir until the cheese is melted.   Add enough of the pasta water to loosen the mix so it is at a coating consistency.

When the pasta is nearly done add the frozen peas and corn and bring back to the boil.

Drain the pasta and add to the sauce, serving with a sprinkle of cheese.

I am sending this to Presto Pasta Nights, hosted this week by Cassie the Kitchen Alchemist (together with an apology for sending a non vegetarian dish)

A tired me, and stern looking Ed Baines

Thank you to Philadelphia for a lovely lunch and for all the product samples.

Carbonara, is carbonara, is carbonara right?   Well, no actually.

This month’s theme for Sarah @ Maison Cupcake’s  Forever Nigella is Ciao Italia!, which reminded me of the carbonara off I attended last year but never got round to writing about.     With half a pot of cream in the fridge and some spare real British bacon, I decided to make Nigella’s carbonara. 

I am well aware that I can put a fair amount of food away, but I feel that with the quantities in this recipe Nigella has gone quite mad.  500g of pasta for two people?  The notes to the recipe state that she knows a whole packet is too much, but the recipe is for people in love and she wants “that whole panful lugged back to the bedroom“.   Frankly if I even attempted to eat that much spaghetti, the only action in my bedroom would be quiet groans of discomfort as I clutched my distended belly, there certainly would be no working up an appetite for leftovers as she suggests.

However, with a more measured amount of spaghetti, 75g per person, it was a pretty good carbonara.     I know that authentically there is no cream or wine, but Nigella’s version is delicious and perfect for a Friday night (to comfort after a long week at work) or Sunday (to commiserate for the long week ahead).    I left out the nutmeg, and used bacon in place of the pancetta.

On to the other carbonaras; way back in the mists of time (last November) I was asked to a Carbonara off between Jane Hornby and Marco Torri (Head Chef at Ristorante Semplice) to celebrate the publication of What to Cook and How to Cook it.  Both would cook their carbonara, (Jane’s recipe from the book) and a group of us would taste them blind and give our opinion.   Tough stuff and a real palate test!  The event has been sitting in my to be blogged queue waiting for the perfect time to write about it.

Both were very different, and Nigella’s is different again!

Firstly appearance.

Marco's Carbonara

Jane's Carbonara

Both tasted very different too:

Jane’s Carbonara – Far more al dente in texture, less salty and more porky, less sauce, sweeter.

Marco’s Carbonara -  Softer, cheesy sauce, sharp, peppery, smokey.

And the method of making them:

Jane’s Carbonara – used whole eggs, dry cured bacon, garlic (explains sweetness), all the bacon fat.

Marco’s Carbonara – egg yolks, pork cheeks, pecorino (explained peppery flavour), lots of finely ground pepper,  and added some pasta water for the sauce.

I was amazed at the difference!

Nigella also uses whole eggs – unless you are going to make something with the whites I think that this is sensible, otherwise it is just wasteful I can see lots of people sticking the egg whites in the fridge and then chucking them away a week later.

I think that here there is no winning dish, they are all perfect for different occasions.  Despite its simplicity, Marco’s pasta is a far more complex dish, as you would expect from a Michelin starred chef, that you need to think about the flavours whilst eating, one for an informal dinner party perhaps?  I am not going to be buying pig cheeks for a week night supper.    Jane and Nigella’s versions are both perfect for a simple supper, which recipe I use will depend if I have some white wine open or any cream.

I am also sending this to Presto Pasta Nights #207, hosted by the event’s founder, Ruth, at Once Upon a Feast.

Have I mentioned my love of smoked fish before? I am sure I have.  It’s delicious, relatively cheap, long lasting in the fridge which makes it a staple in the Fuss Free kitchen.

This pretty cream, pink and green dish was simple to put together and used up an open packet of smoked mackerel fillets, the remains of a bag frozen peas and the scrapings of a jar of horseradish sauce.   I find a very satisfactory delight in finishing up multiple ingredients in one dish, I am not entirely sure what this says about my character?  This is a very approximate dish – use what you have – I think a few handfuls of spinach stirred in at the end in place of the peas would work well.

Sending this to Presto Pasta Night #195 hosted by Ruth; the event’s founder at Once Upon a Feast!

Pea, Smoked Mackerel and Horseradish Penne (serves 2)

½ red onion – finely chopped
2 cloves garlic – crushed
Glug olive oil
Handful frozen peas
Pinch chilli flakes
Gug white wine or vermouth
zest of half a lemon
2 heaped teaspoons horseradish sauce
2 smoked mackerel fillets – skinned and flaked
Pepper and salt

As much pasta as you normally eat

Fry the onion and garlic in the olive oil.    Meanwhile cook the pasta.   When the onion is softened, add the peas, chilli, wine, lemon zest and horseradish and gentle simmer for a few minutes to defrost the peas.   When the pasta is cooked drain and add it and the mackerel to the onion sauce.   Stir through and season to taste.

Pasta with Silken Tofu Sauce

Similarly to marmite, when it comes to tofu people generally fall into 2 camps.   Those that love it and those that do not.    I am firmly in the first group and am constantly on a mission to convert the tofu haters.   I fully understand why people might think that they do not love tofu; badly cooked tofu is an aberration to any right thinking taste-buds.   As I have said before, there is a simple mantra for deliciousness when dealing with tofu; “press and marinade”.

There are two types of tofu; what I think of as regular tofu which is basically soy cheese, where the milk is curdled, the curds strained from the whey and then pressed.  Silken tofu is totally different, softer with the soy milk curdled into a custard like consistency with very little separation.    Regular tofu is more usually served in solid pieces whereas silken tofu is blended, whizzed and mixed into a creamy sauce and generally used in puddings, cakes and dips.

Clearspring have just launched an organic silken tofu* (the only organic ambient storage long life tofu in the world, fantastic if your fridge is always as full as mine) and gave me some samples to experiment with.  The tofu is made and presented in Tetra pack style boxes,and tastes just as fresh as my homemade tofu does.   It is as delicious straight from the box, with a drizzle of oil or tamari, as it is made into all manner of dishes.

I have briefly written about Clearspring before; along with Steenbergs they are one of my favourite food producers.   Clearspring are a 100% vegan company, committed to producing ethical foods and supporting local communities.  They are organic as far as they can be (because of their production methods sea vegetables cannot be certified as organic), and they are serious about quality, their statement that they make premium quality products is spot on.  I have a serious and growing addiction to the brand.

Here in the UK is it freezing cold and snowing, comfort food is called for.  I was craving creamy pasta; but mindful of the spate of Christmas parties that have already started and the resultant calorie load, I wanted something a little lighter.  So  I whizzed up a mock cream sauce using the silken tofu and some other Clearspring goodies.     Miso and tamari are rich in umami; the 5th human taste, which almost defies description.   Umami has long been recognised in Japan where the word means deliciousness.

Silken Tofu Miso Dressing

This multi purpose sauce is excellent with crudities, thinned as a salad dressing, and warmed over pasta it makes a fantastic creamy sauce, fantastic as it is or as a base for other flavours.  It is very creamy;  I think most people would think it contained dairy, unless told otherwise.

Silken Tofu Miso Sauce (Serves 3 as a pasta sauce)

1 pack silken tofu (300g)
50g raw cashew nuts
1 tbs tamari
1 tbs olive oil
1 tbs sweet miso (I used sweet white)
1 tsp roasted sesame oil
Sprinkling of chilli flakes
Salt & Pepper to taste

Whizz all the ingredients thoroughly, either in the food processor or with a stick blender.

I am sending this to Ruth at Once Upon a Feast for this week’s Presto Pasta Night.

*Clearspring Organic Silken Tofu

RSP; £1.85 for 300g (Prices accurate as of October 2010)

Price comparison with fresh tofu

Cauldron Organic Tofu 250g RSP £1.67

Taifun Organic Tofu 225g RSP £1.89

Please see Clearspring for more information.   The tofu is avaiable nationwide from the 1st January 2011 and will be in selected health food shops in London the week before Christmas.

Thank you to Clearspring for the free samples of the tofu.

Usually I cook everything from scratch, but in the last few months I have been lucky enough to be invited to attend several tastings for quite astonishingly good ready made products (namely Bertolli Sauces and Tilda Stir Fry Rices) that I am more than happy to keep in the cupboard and use on the occasions when I am tired or would otherwise call for a takeaway.    I think that anyone can cook with products of this quality – using them as a base to embellish according to their taste, and the contents of fridge and cupboard.

Here is my take on one of the recipes that Gennaro Contaldo made for a group of bloggers at the Bertolli tasting.   I used spaghetti, Bertolli Arrabiata from the store cupboard, capers from the fridge and two haddock fillets* from the freezer.    Absolutely delicious and very easy to put together simply poach the fish in the  sauce whilst the pasta cooks.  I am a caper lover, if you are not, black olives would work well here too.

* Waitrose sell boxes of individually frozen fish fillets which are perfect to keep in the freezer, the individual fillets defrost rapidly ready for use.  All Waitrose fish is sustainable and Marine Stewardship Council approved. 

Speedy Tomato Spaghetti with Haddock and Capers (Serves 2)

Two fish fillets – I used Haddock
Spaghetti for 2
1/2 jar Bertolli Arrabiata Sauce (or homemade)
1 tbs capers

If using frozen fish allow to defrost for as long as you can, I regularly poach half frozen fish and have never come to any harm, just cook it for a little longer.

Put the pasta on to cook.  Pour the pasta sauce into a shallow pan, add a little water and bring to a gentle simmer, add the capers (or olives) and lie the fish in the sauce.   Cook for about 5 minutes until done.     Serve on top of a bed of pasta.

Delicious and so so fast.

I am sending this to this week’s Presto Pasta Nights hosted this week by More Than Burnt Toast.

A classic tapenade usually consists of black olives, capers and anchovies mixed in varying proportions.  I added some seeds to this pungent mix, to both lighten taste & colour and to add a dose of healthy omega 3 & 6s.    My seeds were a mixture of flax (linseed), pumpkin, sunflower and sesame.     The seeds diluted the pungent tapenade from a concentrated spread to the perfect base for a dip or sauce.    I stirred a good dollop of seed tapenade and some semi dried cherry tomatoes into hot pasta for a quick end of week supper.  Ground flax seed is really rather gloopy and the paste will need some thinning.

Having just missed the deadline for this week’s Presto Pasta Night I am sending this to fellow Londoner, Abby at Eat The Right Stuff for next week’s round up.

Four Seed Tapenade (Makes pasta sauce for 4)

2oz black olives (stoned)
1oz seeds (I used roughly equal quantities of flax, pumpkin, sunflower & sesame)
About 8 anchovy fillets (I used a 50g tin)
1 oz capers
1 small clove garlic
Juice and zest of one lemon
Olive oil

Blitz all the ingredients either in the small bowl of your food processor or with a stick blender.   I added the oil from my anchovies, but if you prefer drain them and add an extra glug of olive oil.      If necessary thin the paste with a little oil or, if bothered about the fat content, water.

I can think of several variations of this, using either parmesan or miso in place of the anchovies,

Sometimes the most simple dishes can be the most delicious.   This simple pasta contains only 4 ingredients which come together to make a delicious whole.    It is also fantastic cold, but I think that I would use broccoli in place of the pak choy. ( Whilst writing this up I discovered that pak choy and bok choi are different names for the same thing it is also know as Peking cabbage).

I have been putting soy sauce with my pasta for years; as a child I remember that my mother would make risotto with long grain rice*, which she would serve with  grated cheddar cheese and soy sauce.      Even now if I make an underwhelming risotto my first instinct is to reach for the soy sauce or tamari.

The spelt pasta, soy sauce and olive oil used were all review samples from Clearsping  given to me at the Allergy and Gluten Free show.    I love the semi whole spelt pasta, it has a subtle nutty flavour and because it is made using traditional bronze moulds has a rough texture that the sauce clings to.  I tried some cold at the show and it would be great in salads and for packed lunches.   The tamari is wheat free and double strength and intensely delicious.     The extra virgin olive oil was also delicious, fruity and peppery without being too strong.   All Clearspring  products are vegan and  GMO free and the majority are fully organic.   The company has a commitment to ethical trade and supports sustainable farming practices that help local communities.

I am sending this to  for this Friday’s Presto Pasta Night hosted by The Sweet Kitchen unbelievably this week it is PPN number 168!

* Risotto rice was not to be found easily or cheaply in the UK in the 1970s.  I also remember that one of my Uncles and Aunts used to go to Paxos every year bringing back cans of olive oil which were given as Christmas presents, the contents of which we carefully rationed to last the entire year.   I can still picture the golden can printed in green, black and white with its precious contents within.   Similarly to the risotto rice, olive oil was not readily available and most likely to be found in a pharmacy.

Asian Pasta with Pak Choy (serves 2)

Pasta for 2 – I use about 3oz / 75 g each
Good glug olive oil
Good glug soy sauce or tamari
1 head pak choy

Start cooking the pasta.   Whilst it is boiling roughly chop the pak choy and place in a sieve.    Pour a kettle of boiling water over it to wilt it.    When pasta is done, drain and return to the pan with the pak choy and olive oil.   Add the soy sauce / tamari to taste.   I sprinkled some chilli flake on mine.

Thanks to Clearspring for the free product samples used in this recipe.