Nigella’s Sicilian Pasta

Today it is just a quick post as I would like to share with you a tasty recipe I was treated to on Saturday evening.

Although I enjoy all sorts of food I am apparently quite difficult to cook for. I find this hard to believe at times because I love food so much but I do have quite high standards and tend to steer clear of lashings of cream, bags of salt and anything else that screams ‘heart attack’. Don’t get me wrong I like to indulge and couldn’t live without bread, pasta, chocolate and anything else that’s not great for the waistline; however everything in moderation is the key for me.

Therefore when my boyfriend offered to cook, it was great for me but most probably a little daunting for him. As I often share my interest in Nigella Lawson he chose to make Nigella’s Sicilian pasta recipe with tomatoes, garlic and almonds, which you can find here.

He did adapt the recipe slightly by topping the pasta with sautéed prawns and squid and swapping the fusilli lunghi to traditional linguine. For me this was perfect as I am a seafood obsessive and prefer to eat long strands of pasta rather than the swirly pieces.

The dish was absolutely delicious; the anchovies and sultanas added an edge of sweetness to the tomato base, the almonds gave a surprising crunch to every other mouthful and the basil added a refreshing and aromatic twist.

Overall, I recommend that you try this recipe. Even if you don’t have a guy like mine who is pretty great in the kitchen, it isn’t too complicated so it is definitely worth a go. Whether you are cooking a meal for one, dinner with a loved one or you’re entertaining guests, this simple Italian dish is flavoursome and indulgent whilst remaining light.

One word of advice, it may seem carb heavy but serve a bowl of crusty bread to the side; mopping up the crunchy sauce was one of the best parts. Also if you are a wine drinker, Chapel Down’s Flint Dry is a crisp white wine which complements the pasta and seafood perfectly.

Apple Tarte Tatin

My mum’s cooking is to die for; whether its beef wellington, fish pie, linguini, brownies, crumble or shortbread, her cooking never fails to impress.

One of my Mum’s most talked about culinary creations is her Apple Tarte Tatin. Previously, I had only heard about this from friends and family, but luckily for me I had my first tasting last Sunday. 

After tucking into a roasted rib of beef, gigantic Yorkshire puddings, seasonal greens and lashings of thick, flavoursome gravy, I was a little defeated. However, when I caught sight of the magnificent tarte sitting on the counter I just had to dive in.

The pastry was light and fluffy, the apples were sweet and syrupy and with a small drizzle of custard, it was the ultimate dessert for a pudding lover like me.

Unfortunately I can’t send you all my mum’s actual tarte tatin to try, however I can give you the recipe, so here goes:

Ingredients

4 Golden Delicious apples

125g castor sugar

100ml water

25g butter

1 x packet puff pastry

1 egg beaten

Method

• Pre heat your oven to 200ºC.
• Peel, core and quarter the apples.
• To make the syrup mix water and sugar in a medium ovenproof iron pan and simmer until golden brown.
• Remove from the heat and stir in the butter.
• Arrange the apple quarter’s in the syrup solution.
• Simmer for 10 minutes.
• Set to one side or refrigerate until ready to cook.
• Roll out the pastry and place on top of the apple quarters folding an extra inch down around the edge of the pan.

• Brush the top with egg wash.
• Bake for 20 minutes or until the tarte is golden and puffed up.
• Tip onto a plate.

• Serve with clotted cream, vanilla ice cream or custard.

DID YOU KNOW: The recipe for tarte tatin was accidentally achieved by a mishap in the kitchens of the Hotel Tatin in the town of Lamotte-Beuvron, deep in the Loire Valley.