Creamy Mushroom Pasta with Caramelised Onions and Spinach
Monday, 11 August 2014
Vegetarian comfort food at its best. Make sure to drain the pasta some minutes before it is ready, as it will continue to cook in the pan with the sauce.
Ingredients:
Ingredients:
Makes 4 servings
Directions:
First we need to caramelise onions. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil on high heat in a large pan. When oil is heated, add sliced onions and cook on high heat for about 10 minutes, constantly stirring with spatula. The onions should start to brown, but without burning (a couple of onions may be burnt here and there, but overall they should not be charred). Reduce heat to medium and continue cooking onions for 10 more minutes, continuing to stir, as onions brown even more without burning. At this point add just a pinch of salt over onions. Continue cooking for 10 more minutes on medium or low heat, stirring occasionally to make sure onions don’t stick to the bottom of the pan or burn. In total you should have cooked onions for 30 minutes. Remove from heat and sprinkle onions with a small amount of balsamic vinegar to deglaze the pan. Using a spatula mix the onions, scraping the bottom of the pan and coating onions with the balsamic vinegar you just added.
After you have started cooking onions, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in another pan, and add sliced mushrooms. Add just a pinch of salt. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook mushrooms covered for about 20 minutes, occasionally stirring.
Add cooked mushrooms to the pan with caramelised onions, add the 3 cups of spinach and stir on low heat just until spinach wilts. Add heavy cream, milk, Parmesan cheese and 1/4 teaspoon salt to the mushroom-onions-spinach mixture on medium-low heat and mix.
Add pasta to the creamy sauce, stir to coat on low heat for about 3-5 minutes until Parmesan cheese melts and starts to coat pasta as well.
Adapted from Original Recipe
- 1+1 tbsp olive oil
- 3 medium onions, sliced
- salt
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 10 to 15 shiitake mushrooms (or any other small mushrooms), sliced
- 3 cups fresh spinach leaves
- 2/3 cup fresh cream
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
First we need to caramelise onions. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil on high heat in a large pan. When oil is heated, add sliced onions and cook on high heat for about 10 minutes, constantly stirring with spatula. The onions should start to brown, but without burning (a couple of onions may be burnt here and there, but overall they should not be charred). Reduce heat to medium and continue cooking onions for 10 more minutes, continuing to stir, as onions brown even more without burning. At this point add just a pinch of salt over onions. Continue cooking for 10 more minutes on medium or low heat, stirring occasionally to make sure onions don’t stick to the bottom of the pan or burn. In total you should have cooked onions for 30 minutes. Remove from heat and sprinkle onions with a small amount of balsamic vinegar to deglaze the pan. Using a spatula mix the onions, scraping the bottom of the pan and coating onions with the balsamic vinegar you just added.
After you have started cooking onions, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in another pan, and add sliced mushrooms. Add just a pinch of salt. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook mushrooms covered for about 20 minutes, occasionally stirring.
Add cooked mushrooms to the pan with caramelised onions, add the 3 cups of spinach and stir on low heat just until spinach wilts. Add heavy cream, milk, Parmesan cheese and 1/4 teaspoon salt to the mushroom-onions-spinach mixture on medium-low heat and mix.
Add pasta to the creamy sauce, stir to coat on low heat for about 3-5 minutes until Parmesan cheese melts and starts to coat pasta as well.
Adapted from Original Recipe
A very simple Italian-style pasta dish, which makes good leftovers for the next day. This dish is best served using fettuccine pasta, however I used fusilli, which were equally as good!
Ingredients:
Makes 4 servings
Directions:
Start by heating 2 tbsp olive oil in a pan, and add the shallots. If the artichoke hearts are quite big, cut into smaller pieces and add to the shallots. Add salt and pepper, and add the wine. Cover the pan and let cook for a some minutes.
In the meantime, in another pan, brown the pancetta, and then add to the artichoke and shallot mixture, letting it cook further on medium heat.
While cooking the pasta, remove a couple of ladles of the cooking water. These will be used for the sauce. It is important to drain the pasta before it is cooked, as it will continue cooking in the pan with the sauce.
Melt the saffron in 3 tablespoons of the cooking water. Then add the pasta in the pan with the sauce. Slowly, add some of the cooking water in order to keep the sauce from drying up. Cook until the pasta is ready, preferably still al-dente. There is no need to add all of the reserved cooking water. Add the parsley, and after mixing throughly the pasta is ready to serve.
Adapted from Original Recipe
Ingredients:
Makes 4 servings
- 300g artichoke hearts
- 40ml white wine
- 140g smoked pancetta
- 2 tbsp parsley, chopped
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 50g shallots, chopped
- 1 packet saffron (0.125g)
- salt
- pepper
Start by heating 2 tbsp olive oil in a pan, and add the shallots. If the artichoke hearts are quite big, cut into smaller pieces and add to the shallots. Add salt and pepper, and add the wine. Cover the pan and let cook for a some minutes.
In the meantime, in another pan, brown the pancetta, and then add to the artichoke and shallot mixture, letting it cook further on medium heat.
While cooking the pasta, remove a couple of ladles of the cooking water. These will be used for the sauce. It is important to drain the pasta before it is cooked, as it will continue cooking in the pan with the sauce.
Melt the saffron in 3 tablespoons of the cooking water. Then add the pasta in the pan with the sauce. Slowly, add some of the cooking water in order to keep the sauce from drying up. Cook until the pasta is ready, preferably still al-dente. There is no need to add all of the reserved cooking water. Add the parsley, and after mixing throughly the pasta is ready to serve.
Adapted from Original Recipe
Healthy finger food! Add salad and chips and you have an easy and delicious main dish.
Ingredients:
Makes 4 servings
Directions:
Combine barbecue sauce and honey in a large bowl. Cut chicken breasts into strips. Add the chicken strips to the bowl and stir to coat. Cover tightly and marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes and up to 4-6 hours. The longer, the more flavourful your chicken.
Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Line a large baking sheet with baking paper. Combine flour, salt, pepper, and paprika in a shallow dish. Pour beaten eggs into another shallow dish. Pour Panko breadcrumbs into a third shallow dish. Coat each chicken strip in flour, shaking off any excess. Then, dip in egg and let any excess drip off. Then generously roll in the breadcrumbs, shaking off any excess.
Place the chicken strips on the prepared baking sheet. Spray each chicken piece with cooking spray to "seal" the breading, which will prevent the breading from staying raw and allows it to bake onto the chicken fingers.
Bake for 10 minutes. Turn each piece over and continue baking until the outside is crisp and the centres are cooked through, about 10 minutes more. Serve chicken fingers with more BBQ sauce. Store any leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Chicken fingers freeze well, up to 2 months.
If desired, rather than throwing away the remaining marinade, you can put it in a pan and heat throughly, simmering it for about 5 minutes. The marinade will thicken and is a great sauce for serving the chicken fingers with.
Adapted from Original Recipe
Ingredients:
Makes 4 servings
- 3/4 cup BBQ sauce
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/2 cup whole wheat flour (all-purpose is fine as well)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 1 1/2 cups Panko breadcrumbs
- 700g chicken breasts (about three medium breast halves)
- cooking oil spray
Combine barbecue sauce and honey in a large bowl. Cut chicken breasts into strips. Add the chicken strips to the bowl and stir to coat. Cover tightly and marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes and up to 4-6 hours. The longer, the more flavourful your chicken.
Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Line a large baking sheet with baking paper. Combine flour, salt, pepper, and paprika in a shallow dish. Pour beaten eggs into another shallow dish. Pour Panko breadcrumbs into a third shallow dish. Coat each chicken strip in flour, shaking off any excess. Then, dip in egg and let any excess drip off. Then generously roll in the breadcrumbs, shaking off any excess.
Place the chicken strips on the prepared baking sheet. Spray each chicken piece with cooking spray to "seal" the breading, which will prevent the breading from staying raw and allows it to bake onto the chicken fingers.
Bake for 10 minutes. Turn each piece over and continue baking until the outside is crisp and the centres are cooked through, about 10 minutes more. Serve chicken fingers with more BBQ sauce. Store any leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Chicken fingers freeze well, up to 2 months.
If desired, rather than throwing away the remaining marinade, you can put it in a pan and heat throughly, simmering it for about 5 minutes. The marinade will thicken and is a great sauce for serving the chicken fingers with.
Adapted from Original Recipe
A protein-packed, healthy meal.
Ingredients:
Makes 4 servings
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 230 degrees Celsius. Pulse the carrots, celery and shallots in a food processor until coarsely chopped. If a food processor is unavailable, you can grate these vegetables instead. Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high. Add the chopped vegetables and cook, stirring frequently, until light golden and soft, 8 to 10 minutes. (Add a splash of water if the mixture begins to stick.) Add the ground beef and 4 teaspoons of the tomato paste and cook, breaking the mixture up with a wooden spoon, until browned, about 4 minutes. Add 1/2 cup water, the parsley, raisins, 1 tablespoon of the vinegar and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Bring to a simmer and cook until most of the water is absorbed and the mixture gets saucy, about 1 minute. Let cool slightly.
Meanwhile, toss the pepper halves with the remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil in a microwave-safe bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave until the peppers are pliable, 10 to 12 minutes. Carefully uncover the bowl and pour out any liquid that has accumulated.
Stir the couscous into the beef mixture. Whisk together the remaining 2 tablespoons tomato paste, 1 tablespoon vinegar and 3/4 cup water in the bottom of a large baking dish. Carefully transfer the peppers to the baking dish cut-side up and fill each pepper with the couscous mixture. Sprinkle with the cheese. Cover with foil and bake until the peppers are tender and the stuffing is hot, about 20 to 25 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature drizzled with the tomato cooking liquid.
Original Recipe
Ingredients:
Makes 4 servings
- 2 medium carrots, cut into chunks
- 2 stalks celery, cut into chunks
- 1 large shallot, cut into chunks
- 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- 225 grams ground beef
- 2 tbsp + 2 tsp tomato paste
- 1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 1/3 cup golden raisins
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- salt
- 4 peppers (mix of colours), halved lengthwise and seeded
- 1/2 cup couscous
- 3/4 cup grated asiago cheese
Preheat the oven to 230 degrees Celsius. Pulse the carrots, celery and shallots in a food processor until coarsely chopped. If a food processor is unavailable, you can grate these vegetables instead. Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high. Add the chopped vegetables and cook, stirring frequently, until light golden and soft, 8 to 10 minutes. (Add a splash of water if the mixture begins to stick.) Add the ground beef and 4 teaspoons of the tomato paste and cook, breaking the mixture up with a wooden spoon, until browned, about 4 minutes. Add 1/2 cup water, the parsley, raisins, 1 tablespoon of the vinegar and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Bring to a simmer and cook until most of the water is absorbed and the mixture gets saucy, about 1 minute. Let cool slightly.
Meanwhile, toss the pepper halves with the remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil in a microwave-safe bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave until the peppers are pliable, 10 to 12 minutes. Carefully uncover the bowl and pour out any liquid that has accumulated.
Stir the couscous into the beef mixture. Whisk together the remaining 2 tablespoons tomato paste, 1 tablespoon vinegar and 3/4 cup water in the bottom of a large baking dish. Carefully transfer the peppers to the baking dish cut-side up and fill each pepper with the couscous mixture. Sprinkle with the cheese. Cover with foil and bake until the peppers are tender and the stuffing is hot, about 20 to 25 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature drizzled with the tomato cooking liquid.
Original Recipe
A simple Italian-style pasta dish. The saffron takes this simple dish to another level. The original recipe (in Italian) calls for luganega sausage, however I used traditional Maltese sausage, and I must tell you it was really delicious!
Ingredients:
Makes 4 servings
Directions:
Start by removing the sausage skin, then break the sausage meat into small chunks. Put the sausage in a pan on medium heat. There is no need to add any oil as the sausage meat will cook in its own fat. Once the meat turns golden, add the fresh cream to the pan and cook for a couple of minutes, until the cream is flavoured with the sausage fat.
While the pasta is cooking, take a ladle-full of the cooking water and dissolve the saffron in it. Make sure to cook the pasta less than usual, as it will cook further in the pan with the sauce.
Add the saffron water to the cream mixture in the pan and add salt and pepper as desired. Add the pasta to the pan, along with the cheese, and cook for about two minutes.
Adapted from Original Recipe
Ingredients:
Makes 4 servings
- 250g sausage meat
- 250ml fresh cream
- 1 packet saffron strands
- 60g Parmesan cheese, grated
- salt
- pepper
Start by removing the sausage skin, then break the sausage meat into small chunks. Put the sausage in a pan on medium heat. There is no need to add any oil as the sausage meat will cook in its own fat. Once the meat turns golden, add the fresh cream to the pan and cook for a couple of minutes, until the cream is flavoured with the sausage fat.
While the pasta is cooking, take a ladle-full of the cooking water and dissolve the saffron in it. Make sure to cook the pasta less than usual, as it will cook further in the pan with the sauce.
Add the saffron water to the cream mixture in the pan and add salt and pepper as desired. Add the pasta to the pan, along with the cheese, and cook for about two minutes.
Adapted from Original Recipe
