Pasta with Bacon in a Crème Fraîche and White Wine Sauce

Well, I've really been slacking recently. With it being the end of the summer holidays, I've tried to really enjoy myself and not go on the computer too much so now I have all these recipes on my Blogger app that I am yet to finish off and publish. Guess I'll be posting quite a few tonight - thank God for back dating.

First day back at work today obviously meant the first day back on my diet. But what I overlooked was the fact that we had two birthdays (meaning cake in our office) and I forgot my lunch resulting in a naughty pub lunch. Good start! So when I got home to find no food in the house and dire need of a supermarket trip, this was my request for dinner. Not the healthiest recipe ever, but there's always tomorrow ;-)

Ingredients (serves 2):
1 white onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
250g mushrooms, sliced
4-5 rashers of smoked bacon, fat removed and sliced
1 large glass of white wine
200g pasta
400ml crème fraîche (I use reduced fat)
50g grated cheese

Instructions:
1. Put the pasta on to cook as per packet instructions. Fry the onions for 5 minutes until soft. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute.

2. Add the bacon, mushrooms and white wine and fry until cooked through and wine mostly boiled off. Season with black pepper.

3. Add the crème fraîche and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to simmer before adding the grated cheese.

4. Add the pasta to the pot. Coat well in the sauce. Keep on a low heat for a few minutes before serving with a voilà! (and with a giant glass of wine if it takes your fancy).

Carrot and Coriander Soup

This recipe seems pretty apt now that I've seen my second tutor group right the way through their A-levels as it's from my Fiona Beckett student cookbook, which my Dad bought me nearly 10 years ago when I was preparing to leave home and go to university.
Now that I am going back to work, I need to take control over my diet once again and last time I made this, eating it in conjunction with no snacks and a balanced meal in the evening, I lost 5 pounds in a week. That would make going back to work a little easier for me.

Ingredients:
1 white onion
350g carrots, peeled and cut into rounds
2 sticks celery (you can't taste it, I promise!)
1 medium-sized potato
750ml vegetable stock
1 tsp ground coriander
Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions:
1. Dice the onion and cook on a low heat in Fry Light (or oil/butter depending on your preference) for 5 minutes, until soft.

2. Add the carrots, celery and potato to the pan and stir well. Cover the saucepan and cook for 10 minutes.

3. Add the stock and on a high heat, bring to the boil. Turn the saucepan down to a medium heat and continue to cook for 25-30 minutes until the veggies are soft. Allow to cool slightly (you don't want to melt the blender - that's happened to my Mum before now!).

4. Using a blender, blitz the soup until smooth and return to the saucepan, reheating slowly. Add a little extra water if required, and season to taste.

Chicken, Bacon and Mushroom Risotto

I think I should be Italian! I seriously love all their food - pasta, risotto, pizza, calzone... We're currently considering going to Rome for October half term but I could come back the size of a house! This is an adaptation of a recipe I found a long time ago on a website. I've cooked it for just about everyone I know and they've all loved it - even my brother who's just the teensiest bit fussy!

Ingredients (serves 4):
4 chicken breasts, diced
8 rashers of smoked bacon, sliced
1 onion, finely chopped
250g sliced mushrooms
300g arborio risotto rice
1 glass white wine
1 litre chicken stock
30g Parmesan cheese

Instructions:
1. Cook the chicken in some fry light until the outside is just white, and add the bacon. Cook until the chicken is completely cooked through and set aside.

2. Add the onion to the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes until soft. Then add the mushrooms and cook for a further 3-4 minutes.

3. Stir the rice through. Cook it for 1 minute until it starts to go transparent. Then add the white wine, and cook until evaporated before stirring through the cooked chicken and bacon.

4. Add the chicken stock a ladle at a time. Make sure that the stock is absorbed before adding any more but do not allow the pan to go dry.

5. Once all the stock has been added, sprinkle the Parmesan over the top and stir it through. Season as required and serve immediately, with a salad.

Note: Always taste the rice about 15 minutes after you first started adding stock. Cook until it is "al dente" - there should be a little bit of resistance when you chew but it shouldn't be rock hard in the center and mushy on the outside.
Also be prepared to add more liquid if required (add hot water) or less stock than is stated in the recipe. It will depend on your risotto.

Cottage Pie

As ever, this is not really my own recipe but inspired. This is a recipe from James Martin on BBC Good Food which I have adapted somewhat to suit our tastes. It's the first time I've made a more traditional cottage pie as in the past I've always used a chilli con carne base (not that this is massively different) but I really enjoyed it and can't wait to cook it again. I do have some of the base left over which is going in the freezer ready to make another.
This isn't the greatest picture in the world as I didn't take one after cooking but just trust me on how good this tastes!

Ingredients (serves 4):
1 onion
1 large carrot (or 2 medium)
1 clove garlic
500g minced beef
400g tinned tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato purée
500ml beef stock (I used Knorr's rich beef stock)
50g frozen peas
1 tbsp Worcester sauce
Mixed herbs
1kg potatoes
A knob of butter
A dash of milk
1 tbsp horseradish sauce
Salt & Pepper

Instructions:
1. Finely chop the onion and carrot. Cook in a large saucepan for 4 minutes.

2. Crush the garlic and add to the onion and carrot, and cook for 1 minute.

3. Add the minced beef to the saucepan. Cook for 4-5 minutes stirring regularly until brown.

4. Add the tomatoes, tomato purée, 300ml of the beef stock, a pinch of mixed herbs and the Worcester sauce. Bring to the boil before turning down to a middle heat. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

5. Cover the saucepan and cook the base for about 35-40 minutes stirring regularly to not let it catch on the bottom. You want the liquid to reduce but do not allow it to dry out.

6. Whilst the base is cooking, dice the potatoes and boil for approximately 20 minutes. Once the potatoes are done (prick them with a knife to check the middles are soft), drain them and put them back in the saucepan. Put the saucepan on the hob for 30 seconds to cook off any excess liquid. Add the butter (2-3 tbsp), a dash of milk (don't add too much as this makes the mash lumpy) and the horseradish before mashing. Season with pepper and salt to taste.

7. When both the base and topping are ready, stir the frozen peas through the mince mixture and then layer in an ovenproof dish. Put in the oven at 200C and cook for 30 minutes.

8. Use the remaining stock (200ml) to prepare a gravy. Serve immediately with your selection of vegetables.

Chicken Parmigiana

Well this is not truly speaking 'parmigiana' as I had no parmesan in my house, but it's my take on it anyway. Today is the first time I've ever made this, but I was actually impressed with myself and how delicious this turned out (although time I'll probably mix some parmesan in with the cheese on top).
I've been trying to follow the Slimming World diet this week to try and lose some summer pounds so the recipe I came up with takes into account the extra easy plan (using both the healthy B and healthy A options). You can however make this as naughty as you want it and if I wasn't trying to be good, I'd probably mix some parmesan in with the breadcrumbs too.

Ingredients: (serve 2)
2 large chicken breasts, halved
2 slices bread (800g loaf), whizzed into breadcrumbs (use dry bread but don't be tempted by stale ends)
1 egg
Paprika
Mixed herbs
Salt and pepper
400g tinned tomatoes
1 onion
1 clove garlic
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp tomato purée
150g spaghetti
Cheese (to top)

Instructions:
1. Prepare your breadcrumbs and sprinkle over some paprika and mixed herbs. Mix in gently (and add more to taste if you desire). Whisk up an egg in a bowl.

2. Season the chicken with some salt and pepper. Dip each chicken piece in the egg, and then roll in the breadcrumbs. Lay out on a baking sheet, and put in the fridge while you prepare your sauce.

3. Preheat the oven to 200C. Finely dice an onion and fry for about 5 minutes. Add the onion and cook for a further minute. Add in the tomatoes, sugar, tomato purée and a pinch of mixed herbs. Season to taste.

4. Put the chicken in the oven for 20-25 minutes. During this time, blend the tomato sauce before bringing it to the boil and allowing it to simmer.

5. Add the tomato sauce to an oven-proof dish. Place the chicken on top of the sauce and cover with cheese. Put the dish in the oven for a further 10 minutes.

6. Serve on the spaghetti.

Lamb & Halloumi Kebabs

I take no credit for these - they're from one of those recipe cards you can have for free from Sainsburys. We picked the card up for something different to have on the BBQ and they were delicious. We altered the recipe very slightly as Rhys doesn't like mint and they worked just as well (I ate mine with mint sauce as a dip!)

Ingredients:
Wooden skewers (8)
250g new potatoes
1 onion
1 crushed clove garlic
350g lamb mince

15g fresh mint

1 egg yolk

25g breadcrumbs

150g halloumi

1 courgette

Zest of 1 lemon

Instructions:

1. Put the skewers in water to soak for at least 30 minutes. This will stop them from burning when you're cooking the kebabs. Obviously you don't need to do this if they're metal skewers, but be careful when cooking as they'll get very hot!

2. Parboil the new potatoes for about 8-10 minutes. Drain and set aside. Once cool, cut them in half.

3. Finely chop the onion. Add FryLight (or oil) to a frying pan and cook the onion for 5 mins. Add the garlic and cook for a further 2 mins.

4. Allow the onion and garlic to cool and place in a mixing bowl. Add the mince, mint (if using), egg yolk and breadcrumbs and mix well. Season as desired.

5. Cut the halloumi into fair sized chunks - don't make them too small as they have the tendency to crumble when threaded - and thickly slice the courgette.

6. Roll the mince mixture into balls. Thread onto the soaked skewers with the potatoes, courgettes and halloumi.

7. Brush the lemon zest over the kebabs mixed with 1/2 tbsp olive oil if desired. Cook on the BBQ or under the grill for 15 minutes turning once or twice until cooked through.