Pasta with Tomato & Mascarpone Sauce

One of our favourite sauces, this sauce is just exquisite. It's what you say, naughty but nice! The sauce's pink colour also gives the dish a wonderful look. Mascarpone cheese is a delicious sweet, soft, full fat cheese from Italy that is made from cream which is coagulated with citric acid. It is most commonly known as one of the main ingredients in the famous Italian dessert, Tiramisù. Do try this sauce and you will definitely impress your family as it tastes gorgeous. The Mascarpone cheese should be added at the end of the cooking until all cheese is melted and incorporated into the tomato sauce. The ingredients in this recipe are for approximately 3-4 servings but it is always up to you. You will need...

• 250g fusilli, penne or other short pasta
• 350ml thick passata
• 125g Mascarpone
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 200ml vegetable stock
• ¼ teaspoon dried basil
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon dried marjoram
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• ¼ teaspoon mixed spice
• ½ teaspoon brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt & pepper, to taste
• Grated Parmesan, to serve

1. Heat the oil and fry the onion until transparent. Add the garlic and fry for a few minutes. 
2. Add the passata, herbs and spices, sugar and stock and simmer on medium heat for about 15-20 minutes or until you get a bright red thick sauce. Make sure you stir occasionally.
3. Meanwhile cook the pasta and drain.
4. When the sauce is done, add the mascarpone and stir slowly into the tomato sauce until no chunks of cheese are left. Simmer on a low heat for a few minutes.
5. Mix the sauce with the cooked pasta and serve with grated Parmesan.

Enjoy!!

R&A

Dundari alla Minorese - Ricotta Gnocchi with Tomato & Basil Sauce

I must say we tried these for the first time and we loved them. We saw Gennaro Contaldo preparing this recipe on TV and we decided to try them out. Usually gnocchi are using floury potatoes although in this recipe that hails from the Italian region of Campania, potatoes are replaced with nice milky ricotta which makes them lighter. This is our take on this Italian dish that, as I said comes from the Amalfi coast of Italy, namely from Minori a town on between Salerno and Naples. It is a very simple dish to prepare and very filling not to say scrumptious. They are simply served with a delicious tasty tomato & basil sauce. Give them a go and you will love them :) You will need...

Serves 4

For the gnocchi

• 250g ricotta
• 200g plain flour, preferably ''00''
• 30g grated parmesan
• 3 egg yolks
• salt & pepper, to taste
• Pinch of grated nutmeg

For the sauce

• 2 large tins plum tomatoes, tomatoes cut in half
• 3 garlic cloves, sliced
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 2 small dried chillies, chopped
• small bunch of fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped

How to...

1. In a bowl, mix the ricotta, flour, yolks, nutmeg and seasoning until you get a soft dough.
2. Knead on a well floured surface for about 5 minutes.
3. Shape the dough into an inch wide sausage. Cut into slices about 1cm or less. To make sure they do not stick to surface, add extra flour to the surface and cover the edges with flour. Bring a large pan of slightly salted water to boil.
4. In the meantime make the sauce by heating the olive oil, then add the garlic and chilli. Cook until garlic is fragrant and golden. Remove the pan from the heat and add the tomatoes. Return the pan to the heat and simmer partially covered on a high heat for about 5-7 minutes. Turn off the heat and add the freshly torn basil leaves.
5. When the water boils, carefully throw in the gnocchi and cook until they start coming up to the water surface. About 3-4 minutes.
6. Remove the gnocchi with a slotted spoon and put them in the tomato sauce. Stir carefully to coat in the sauce and serve topped with grated Parmesan cheese.

Enjoy!!

R&A

Baked Salmon Fillets with Olives & Cherry Tomatoes

This recipe is very easy and this way of cooking fish can be used for every type of fish from tuna, sea bass, sea bream, lampuki etc etc. Just put the fish on a big piece of aluminium foil or greaseproof oven paper put the ingredients, wrap it up and bake for 15 minutes. This method is called al Cartoccio [Italian for paper bag]. It is a great way to cook fish as it is cooked in the steam generated in the package and with all the goodness of the juices coming out from the fresh ingredients. You can serve this dish with roast, baked, fried or mashed potatoes  and a nicely dressed greens'salad. You will need...

Serves 2

• 2 Salmon fillets
• 4 cherry tomatoes
• About 8 green olives, chopped or left whole
• 2 tsp capers [optional]
• Pinch dried mint
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• Extra virgin olive oil
• 2 large pieces of aluminium foil or greaseproof oven paper

Method

1. Spread the foil or paper and put some olive oil on them. Put the fillets skin side down.
2. Put some more olive oil and add about 4 olives, 1 tsp capers [if using], 2 cherry tomatoes, half of the garlic and a pinch of dried mint to each fillet.
3. Now close the foil to shape up as a parcel and close it up tightly but always leave some space from the fillet to the parcel top so as the steam can circulate around and cook the fish evenly.
4. Bake in a hot oven for about 15 min.
5. Serve with the potatoes and salad.

Enjoy!!

R&A

Threlfall's Mess

I had this version of Eton Mess last summer at Graham's farewell BBQ. I must say I do miss his treats that he used to bring at work....oh yeah by the way, I do miss him too!!!! :) It was an instant hit with Amanda and has been waiting to taste it again for a whole year, bless her! I was just waiting for the perfect strawberries of which the season has just begun and finally I got them. Wow!! Well worth the wait. Here is what you will need...

Makes 4

• 450g fresh strawberries
• 300ml double cream
• 8 small ready made meringues [or 3 large ones]
• 3 tbsp porridge oats
• 2 tsp whisky or brandy
• Pinch of sugar

1. Start by cutting the strawberries in quarters, setting aside 4 whole ones to garnish. Put them in a bowl and sprinkle with the pinch of sugar and the alcohol. Set aside.
2. Toast the oats in a dry pan for a few minutes on high heat until crisp.
3. Whip the cream in a large bowl until peaks are formed.
4. Now add the strawberries mixture and oats into the cream. Crumble the meringues with your hands into the mixture and fold all the ingredients.
5. Spoon into glasses and garnish with a whole strawberry.

Enjoy!!

R&A

Our new Facebook page!!

Hello all,

we just published our new Facebook page, please click on the link below, like and share. Recipes will be shared on this link as well. Hope you continue trying all the recipes and enjoying them as well.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ramandas-Spicy-Passion/133496050062068

Thanks for your continuous support

Regards

Ramanda

xx

Honey Glazed Gammon Steaks with Pineapple

Gammon steaks are one of our favourite pork steaks. Amanda adores them as they are salty and she loves salty food. To ease the saltiness and balance the flavours we honey glaze ours just before grilling. Exquisite!! I guess this post is not actually a recipe but a way to cook gammon steaks. So if you have never tried gammon with honey before you do not know what you're missing. Honey is one of my favourite ingredients and I tend to use it in loads of dishes from antipasti to desserts. :) If honey is not your thing, you can always grill the gammon steaks and serve them with a fried egg on top. We accompanied our steaks with some green beans, and chips. Feel free to serve it with whatever veg you want. You will need..

• 2 thick Gammon steaks [about 250g each]
• 4 tbsp runny honey
• 4 pineapple slices
• Ground black pepper

1. Using a basting brush, brush a tbsp of honey on each side of the steak. Season with the pepper and put under a medium hot grill for about 15-20 minutes turning the steaks occasionally.
2. 5 minutes before the end of cooking time put 2 pineapple rings on each steak and return to the gril for a further 4-5 minutes.
3. Serve with veg and chips.

Enjoy!!
R&A

Maltese Balbuljata [Tomatoes & Eggs]

This is another Maltese classic dish. It is very easy and quick to prepare. I love it and I could eat a whole Ħobża maltija [Maltese bread loaf] with this dish. That is how it is eaten in Malta. It is a very old dish and I can remember eating it everywhere...from my mum, to both of my nannas and also my mum-in-law. Eggs and tomatoes go very well together, in fact there are loads of dishes which consist from these two ingredients from the Tunisian dish Ojja to Huevos Rancheros which is a very famous dish in Spanish speaking countries. So here is what you will need...

• 4 eggs
• 1 large tin chopped tomatoes
• 1 small onion, chopped
• Salt & pepper
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• Crusty bread, to serve

How to...

1. Fry the onion in the oil for a few minutes until soft and transparent.
2. Add the tomatoes, sugar, salt & pepper and simmer covered for about 10 minutes on medium heat.
3. Turn the heat to low and crack the eggs in the pan and stir to combine the tomato sauce with the eggs until the eggs are set,
4. Serve with crusty bread.

Enjoy!!

R&A

Penne Spinaci e Gorgonzola - Pasta with Spinach & Gorgonzola

I just love spinach...not to mention Gorgonzola...one of my favourite from the blue cheese family. It is so delicate and light.  We found this recipe on the net but obviously we gave it our touch. Amanda is not a big fan of spinach and she had two helpings of this :)) So that says it all...it was delicious!! Very easy to prepare. We used baby spinach leaves but if you can use large spinach leaves instead. Makes a great starter or a even a main course...depends on the portion. For a vegetarian version just omit the bacon and add a dash of soy sauce. You will need...

• 300g Penne
• 150g Gorgonzola Dolce, cubed
• 200g Smoked Bacon, cut into small cubes
• 200ml vegetable or chicken stock, hot
• 250g baby spinach leaves or 100g frozen spinach (defrosted)
• 3 tbsp single cream
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp Vegetable oil
• Ground black pepper

1. Heat the oil in a large frying pan and fry the onion until transparent.
2. Add the bacon and cook for further 5 minutes until the bacon is browned. Add the stock and simmer until the stock has reduced a little.
3. Cook the pasta in lightly salted water.
4. Add the Gorgonzola and stir until partially melted. Throw in the spinach and cover for few seconds until it wilts down. If using frozen spinach make sure it is defrosted and all water squeezed out.
5. Stir the sauce into the spinach slowly and turn off the heat. Add the sauce to the pasta or vice-versa, add the cream and stir well.
6. Serve with loads of ground black pepper!!

Enjoy!!

R&A

Lebkuchen - German Gingerbread

Lebkuchen translates as gingerbread. Lebkuchen are usually made during Christmas in Germany but hey I felt like doing these this morning and nothing goes better with a good mug of coffee :) Oh the house smells so good this morning. They are very quick and easy to prepare and bake...and eat!!! You can decorate these with almond slivers, cover them with melted dark chocolate or even drizzle with an icing glaze but we like ours plain. Give them a go and I am sure you will bake them again!!! You will need...

• 250g plain flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon ground cloves
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 85g butter
• 200ml clear honey

How to...

1. Put the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and spices in a bowl and combine.
2. Put the honey and butter in a medium pot and heat slowly until all butter is melted. Add the dry ingredients to the butter/honey mixture and stir well until you get a smooth stiff dough.
3. Put into a small bowl and set aside until cool.
4. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
5. After the dough has cooled down a bit, make 3cm across balls (about 45g each) and flatten them with your hand. Place the Lebkuchen on a greaseproof paper lined tray and bake in the oven for about 15 minutes until risen and brown.
6. Put them on a wire rack to cool down completely. This process will magically turn them into wonderful and delicious delights which crispy on the outside but with a very soft cake-like centre.
7. Serve with coffee or tea.

Enjoy!!

R&A

Tuna & Bean Salad

All you need when the weather is hot is a cool salad. This salad here is quick and easy to prepare as we use beans from a can. Obviously you can use dried beans but you will have to soak them for at least 8 hours. Like this you can prepare it very quickly. We like to serve it with three different condiments mayonnaise/salad cream, balsamic vinegar and loads of extra virgin olive oil. You can use any beans you want. Serves 4. You will need...

• 1 large can butter beans
• 1 large can pinto beans
• 1 large can borlotti beans
• 2 large cans tuna chunks
• 4 Hard boiled eggs
• Half red onion, sliced thinly
• 4 small beetroots
• 4 small potatoes
• Handful of cherry tomatoes
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Balsamic vinegar
• Mayonnaise or Salad cream

Method

1. Drain the beans, rinse them and put them into a bowl. Then drain the tuna and add it to the beans.
2. Add the sliced onion, potatoes, tomatoes and some olive oil. Mix slowly.
3. Plate the salad and garnish with the eggs and beetroots.
4. Dress with more olive oil, balsamic vinegar and maybe some mayo.

Enjoy!!

R&A

Penne alla Norma

This is one of our favourite pasta dishes. It is so good...our secret is to use good quality extra-virgin olive oil as it gives it such a great flavour. As you can see from our blog, aubergine is one of my favourite veggies around. Originally, this dish is served with grated ricotta salata [Salty dried ricotta cheese] which is a Sicilian regional speciality but since I cannot find it here, I used Feta cheese. It is nowhere close to the ricotta salata but at least it is a salty cheese. Although I will try and do my own ricotta salata in the near future. Now some history on the origins of this dish. This dish originated in the Sicilian city of Catania. It got its name from Vincenzo Bellini's opera Norma. Some of the actors where eating at a restaurant after a performance and one of them said after eating this aubergine dish...''ohh this is Norma''  So there you have it, pasta alla Norma was invented. Give it a go and will definitely have the Mediterranean on a plate :) You will need...

• 2 cans chopped tomatoes
• 500g Aubergine, thinly sliced
• 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 400g Penne pasta
• 175g Ricotta Salata or Feta cheese, crumbled
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Salt & Pepper

How to...

1. Put the aubergine slices in a colander and sprinkle with coarse salt. Leave to drain for about 30 minutes. This process is done so as to get rid of the aubergine’s bitter juices.
2. After 30 minutes, rinse the aubergine thoroughly and pat dry with kitchen towel.
3. Fry or grill the aubergines until soft.
4. In a pan put some olive oil and the crushed cloves of garlic.
5. Cook the garlic until golden, about 1 minute.
6. Add the chopped tomatoes and simmer on medium heat for about 30 minutes.
7. In the meantime cook the pasta.
8. When both the pasta and sauce are ready, mix everything in the sauce pan and toss the pasta into the sauce.
9. Serve and garnish with Ricotta Salata shavings or cubed Feta cheese.

Enjoy!!

R&A

Couscous & Aubergine Stuffed Peppers

Arabic/Middle Eastern cuisine is one of the best on the planet. It is so full of aromatic flavours and most all it smells so wonderful when you are cooking it. These peppers are stuffed with lots of flavours from very hot [harissa] to sweet [raisins]. We served them with some seasoned natural yoghurt. One of my tricks is to put all the spices in a small jar or small container with a lid and give them a good shake so as when you use them the spices are distributed evenly into the dish. You can call the spice mix Ras El Hanout [which literally means shopkeeper]. This term is used in North Africa [mostly Morocco] to define spice mixes sold in shops/market, every shop/seller has his own spice blend...hence the name! This dish is 100% vegetarian and will  make our vegetarian friends very happy...so please do give it a go. For 4/5 peppers you will need...

For the stuffing

• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 medium sized aubergine, diced into 1cm cubes
• 50g raisins
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon harissa
• Ras el Hanout spice mix *
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Extra water
• 200g couscous
• 200ml boiling water
• 4/5 Bell peppers, top taken off and deseeded

Ras el Hanout spice mix

* ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon turmeric powder, ½ teaspoon ground cumin, ½ teaspoon ground allspice, freshly ground black pepper, ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom, pinch ground ginger, pinch ground cloves, sea salt (to taste).

Laban dip

• 250ml natural yoghurt
• Freshly chopped mint [or 1 tablespoon dried mint]
• Ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil

How to...

1. Fry the onion in some oil until soft and transparent. Add the diced aubergine & garlic and cook covered for a further 5 minutes, stirring occasionally adding a little water if necessary. Now add tomato paste, harissa, raisins, Ras el Hanout spice mix and some more olive oil. Cook for a further 10 minutes on low heat.
2. Prepare the couscous by pouring 200ml boiling water on the couscous. Stir with a fork and cover for about 6 minutes. After 6 minutes, separate the grains with a fork and add some olive oil and stir well.
3. Add the couscous to the onion/aubergine mixture and mix well.
4. Put the peppers (with the pepper top) in the microwave for 5-6 minutes on high. Take peppers out and carefully stuff the peppers tightly. Put the stuffed peppers in the microwave again and cook for a further 10 minutes on high. 
5. Alternatively, put the peppers in an oven dish and add some water or tomato sauce at the bottom of the dish. Bake in a 200°C preheated oven for about 40-50 minutes.
6. Mix the laban ingredients together.
7. Serve with the yoghurt and pita bread.

Enjoy!!

R&A

Sweet Surprise Pie

This pie was absolutely gorgeous. I just made a couple of these and used two small silicon heart shaped moulds. I made my own pastry but feel free to use ready-made sweet shortcrust pastry. The recipe for the pastry yields a good amount of dough, so just wrap any dough that you do not use in cling film and freeze it. Although I made these mini pies you can adjust the ingredients to make a large one. Serve this pie warm with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. You will need...

For the dough

• 350g plain flour
• About 200ml water
• 3 egg yolks
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 100g unsalted butter, in cubes and soft

1. Put the flour and sugar into a bowl and rub the butter until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs.
2. Add the egg yolks and pour the water gradually until you get a very soft, pliable dough.
3. Knead well for a few minutes. 
4. Wrap in cling film and put into the fridge for about 20 minutes to set.
5. Any dough you do not use wrap it in cling film and freeze for future use.

For filling two pies

• 1 banana, sliced
• 2 tsp strawberry conserve or jam
• 2 tsp seedless raisins
• Honey
• Caster sugar, to decorate
• 2 small heart shaped pie moulds, although you can use any shape

1. Preheat the oven to 220°C. 
2. Line the bottom of the moulds with pastry.
3. Spread the bottom of the moulds with the strawberry conserve. Neatly lay half a banana in each mould, sprinkle 1 tsp of raisins on the banana pieces and drizzle with honey.
4. Cover the moulds with pastry and trim any excess. Make sure that you seal it well.
5. Pinch the top of the pie with scissors and sprinkle with the caster sugar.
6. Bake in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes or until done.
7. Serve warm with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Enjoy!!

R&A

The 4 Tablespoon Honey Mustard Chicken

A family favourite, this chicken dish is just tasty and delicious. This is my mum's recipe which I happily inherited :) When you are doing this recipe, the kitchen will smell fantastic. It consists of very few ingredients and to keep the balance between the American mustard and the honey you will have to use the same amounts of both. We use drumsticks and thighs mostly, but it will definitely do well any thighs or even chicken breast. We always serve with some nice freshly mashed potatoes and I naughtily finish all the sauce left in the plate [and sometimes the dish as well] with bread :) Make sure you only use american mustard in this recipe as other types of mustard are too strong and obviously if you use too much of it, it will ruin the dish. Go on, give it a go...you and your family will love it...so, you will need...

• 8 pieces of chicken [like drumsticks, wings or thighs]
• 4 large cloves garlic, crushed
• 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 4 tbsp honey
• 4 tbsp American mustard
• 250ml chicken stock
• 100ml (½ cup) single cream or crème fraiche
• Freshly ground black pepper, to serve

How to...

1. Make the sauce by mixing the honey, garlic, olive oil and mustard in a bowl and stir well.
2. Pour into a large skillet and heat until the mixture starts to bubble. Add the chicken pieces and on low heat brown on both sides, make sure it is on low heat as the honey/mustard mixture will burn. 
3. Add the stock, bring to the boil and simmer uncovered on a low/medium heat until the chicken is thoroughly cooked, about 20 minutes.
4. When cooked remove the chicken pieces from the skillet and set aside. Add the cream and reduce the sauce on a low heat until you get a thick creamy sauce. Return the chicken to the skillet and heat for a couple of minutes.
5. Serve hot with mashed potatoes.

Enjoy!!

R&A

Crab Mousse with Maltese Carob Liqueur

Saturday morning at the market, I could not resist the urge I had to buy fresh crabs from the fishmonger as soon as I saw the size of them, they looked awesome. So if you manage to get your hands on a fresh crab it would be great but if you cannot find it use canned crab meat instead. Obviously do not use surimi sticks which are erroneously called crab sticks. In this recipe you can see that I used light and dark crab meat, the light crab meat coming from the legs and claws of the crab whilst the dark crab meat comes from the body cavity of the crab. I also used a Maltese Carob Liqueur which gave this mousse a wonderful carob scent. If you do not have or cannot find it, you can use good quality sherry instead. It is a pretty easy recipe as all you need to is blend all the ingredients. So, here is what you will need...

• 60g light crab meat
• 60g dark crab meat
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 190ml double cream
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• Pinch of Cayenne Pepper
• 2 tsp Maltese Ħarruba (Carob) Liqueur or Sherry if not available
• Few leaves fresh thyme or a pinch of dried thyme

How to...

1. Lightly grease 3 ramekin dishes or small glass tumblers.
2. Preheat the oven to 190°C.
3. Blend all the ingredients in a blender until you get a smooth velvety mixture.
4. Pour the mixture into the ramekins/tumblers and place them into a deep oven dish.
5. Pour boiling water in the dish up to about ¾ of the outside of the ramekin/tumbler.
6. Place in the oven for about 25-30 minutes.
7. Serve with some wild rocket or salad of your choice and some crunchy grissini or Maltese galletti.

Enjoy!!

R&A

Ragù al Cioccolato Amaro - Pork Ragù with Dark Chocolate

Oh dear...what an explosion on your taste buds this pasta sauce is!! The secret of every ragù is to simmer it on a low heat for a long period of time, but this only takes an hour. I mean only because a proper ragù can take more than 3 hours. It is also very important that you use good quality dark bitter chocolate with at least 70% cocoa solids (I used Lindt 90% Dark Chocolate) because if you use any sweet/milk chocolate, it will ruin the sauce. So if you feel adventurous, as I always am give this a go, You will need...

• 300g pork mince
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste/puree
• 15g dark chocolate [minimum 70% cocoa solids]
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 200ml good red wine
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• Pinch ground cinnamon
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 200ml boiling water
• Sea salt & ground black pepper
• Grated parmesan, to serve [optional]

How to...

1. Fry the onion in the olive oil until soft and transparent. Add the minced pork and cook for about 15 minutes.
2. Add the wine, bit by bit, evaporating it all in the process. When all the wine is used, water down the tomato paste in the boiling water and add it to the meat & onion mixture. Add the sugar, cinnamon, chocolate and season with salt & pepper. Give it a good stir and cover the pan and simmer on a very low heat for about an hour, stirring occasionally. If needed add some boiling water to the sauce.
3. When the ragù is done, turn off the heat and add the chocolate, sugar and cinnamon.
4. Serve the ragù on the pasta or, alternatively mix the ragù with the pasta. Sprinkle with grated parmesan.

Enjoy!!

R&A

Ramanda's Cooking

Ramanda's Cooking, a set on Flickr.

Chicken in a Sweet & Spicy Peanut Sauce

Satay chicken is a common favourite amongst oriental food lovers. This recipe is very similar to Satay. In our opinion it tastes better :) So if you are a fan of Satay, you would love this!! There may be lots of ingredients but this sauce is very easy and quick to prepare. We roast the chicken in the oven and then throw it in the pan with the sauce so the meat can suck up the sauce...yum yum...finger licking good!!! We serve this with Peshwari Naan [Indian Naan bread with coconut and sultanas], but you can serve it with boiled Basmati rice, mashed potatoes or even noodles. So here is what you will need...

• 4 large chicken legs
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 clove of garlic, crushed
• 2 tbsp groundnut oil or vegetable oil
• 3 tbsp crunchy peanut butter
• 5 tbsp runny honey
• 2 level tsp Dijon  or wholegrain mustard 
• 2 cardamom pods, crushed with a knife
• A dash of chilli sauce
• 1 tsp medium curry powder
• 200ml chicken stock
• Olive oil
• Salt & pepper

Method

1. Preheat the oven at 190°C.
2. Cut the chicken legs in half so as you have 4 drumsticks and 4 thigh pieces. Put in an oven dish, baste them with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Put in the preheated oven and cook for about 45 minutes.
3. When the chicken is nearly ready, about 15 minutes from the end of cooking time, start preparing the sauce by melting the butter and frying the onion and garlic until soft and transparent. Add the honey, crushed cardamom pods, curry powder, mustard, chilli sauce and chicken stock. Stir well and cook until the mixture starts bubbling.
4. Now turn down the heat and add the peanut butter and stir well to incorporate the peanut butter into the mixture. 
5. The chicken pieces should be done by now. Take them out of the oven and carefully put them into the pan with the sauce. Cover and simmer on low heat for a couple of minutes, turning once. 
6. Turn off the heat and serve.

Enjoy!!

R&A

Classic Pancakes

Pancakes are surely everyone's favourite. They can be served and eaten with a myriad of ingredients from savoury to sweet. In Canada & the USA they like to take theirs with maple syrup & butter, whilst here in the UK the tradition is to have them with lemon juice and sprinkled with sugar. We always like ours sweet and amongst our favourite toppings are Nutella™, sliced bananas, chopped nuts, honey, maple syrup, marshmallow fluff, strawberry jam/conserve, chocolate flavoured syrup and loads of others. If you prefer them savoury you can fill them with chopped cooked ham or bacon, grated cheese and whatever your taste is. Very easy to do prepare and cook, the secret is to have a very very hot lightly greased pan. The consistency of the batter should not be runny but should not be stiff. For 4 small thick pancakes you will need...

• 1 cup/115g plain flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• Pinch salt (optional)
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1 cup/240ml whole milk or water
• Butter or a little oil to grease the pan

How to...

1. Sift the flour, salt & baking powder...mix them up in a bowl with a fork.
2. Add the milk, beaten egg, and oil and beat well with a whisk by hand  until all the ingredients are well incorporated.
3. Grease a non stick pan with a knob of butter or by adding a tiny bit of oil to the pan and spread across the pan with a piece of kitchen towel.
4. Heat up the pan on a medium heat until well hot, drain any excess oil.
5. Always on a medium heat, ladle the batter into the pan and leave to cook until the pancake starts producing bubbles on top. When the surface is bubbly and pancake looks set, flip the pancake and cook for a couple of seconds. Repeat until all batter is used.
6. Serve while still hot with the topping of your choice.

Enjoy!!
R&A

Penne alla Carrettiera

This unusual pasta dish is a typical Roman dish and literally means Cart Driver's pasta. It consists mainly of Porcini mushrooms, pancetta or bacon and tuna, It is very quick and easy to prepare. It was the first time that we prepared this dish and it turned out so good that we cannot wait to do it again :) It is definitely worth a try as the combination of the ingredients is ever so unique. You will need...

• 300g Penne or Spaghetti
• 100g pancetta or bacon, diced
• 1 large can tuna, drained
• 40g dried porcini mushrooms, soaked in boiling water for 30 minutes
• 1 clove garlic, unpeeled and crushed
• salt & pepper
• Grated Pecorino Romano

1. Put a pan of water for the pasta on the boil.
2. Heat about 2 tbsp of olive oil and add the pancetta or bacon and cook until brown.
3. Add the crushed garlic clove, salt and pepper and add the porcini mushrooms. Cook for about 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Add the tuna and another 2 tbsp of olive oil and cook for a further 5 minutes. Remove the garlic close.
5. While cooking the sauce, cook the pasta until al dente.
6. When everything is done, toss the pasta in the pan with the sauce and toss gently.
7. Serve with drizzles of olive oil and grated Pecorino Romano.

Enjoy!!

R&A

Ramón's Smooshake

This is one of my favourite Smooshakes [I call it that because it is a cross between a milkshake and a smoothie] that I have been having as a kid. My mother used to do this for us after our return from school. I just love it...this will serve about 4 small glasses or a good pint sized mug, which is usually the case for me :) You will need...

• 1 banana, cut into 4 pieces
• Half a punnet of strawberries, cored and halved
• 5 fresh mint leaves
• 300ml whole milk, well chilled

How to..

Just blend all the ingredients in a blender, pour into the glasses and garnish with a couple of mint leaves.
Enjoy!!
R&A

Basic Bechamel - La Béchamel

Here is a recipe on how to make a basic Béchamel sauce. You can use this sauce in a large number of dishes such as lasagne, macaroni cheese etc. For best results you have to stir constantly and always make sure that you do not burn the roux [flour and butter mixture]. Here is what how to do it and what you will need...

Makes about 1 litre of sauce

• 50g butter
• 50g plain flour
• 1 litre whole milk, at room temperature
• Pinch of grated nutmeg
• Ground black pepper, to taste

How to...

1. Start by warming the milk with the nutmeg and pepper in a separate pan. Do not overheat and/or boil as the sauce will curdle. Set aside.
2. Melt the butter and add the flour on low heat. Stir constantly until you get a golden but not brown roux.
3. Now, start adding the milk to the roux gradually, make sure you keep stirring all the time so as not to get any lumps. Keep stirring until you use all the milk and until you get a thick silky sauce. 
4. Use in any recipe!

R&A

Asparagi alla Milanese - Asparagus Milan Style

This dish is so good that you will need some bread to make sure you swipe clean the plate. It is so easy and quick to prepare. Here in England it is asparagus season and currently you can find purple tip asparagus at very cheap prices. Purple tip asparagus have a slightly better taste than the green ones but any one of them will do. Enjoy this as a quick snack, breakfast, or as a starter to a main meal. So to prepare this dish for 2 people you will need...

• A bunch of asparagus
• 2 eggs
• Generous knob of butter
• Grated parmesan cheese

Method

1. Firstly, to remove the woody part of the asparagus, take one asparagus and bend it slowly until it snaps from the lower end. The small bit left is the woody part. Discard it. Now take a knife and cut the same part for the rest of the asparagus.
2. Put the asparagus in a pan of boiling water and boil for about 5 minutes.
3. While the asparagus are boiling, melt the butter in the pan and when all the butter is melted and bubbly, slowly crack the eggs. Be ever so careful not to break the egg yolk.
4. Fry the eggs until egg white is set but yolk is still runny and bright yellow.
5. Put the asparagus on a thick piece of kitchen paper, so as they absorb excess water. 
6. Put the asparagus on the plate, slide an egg on top and sprinkle with the parmesan cheese.
7. Drizzle the remaining butter from the pan around the asparagus and enjoy!!!!

R&A