Broken Spaghetti “Risotto” – There’s a Good Reason for Those Quotation Marks

This broken spaghetti “risotto” is many things – a fun-to-make recipe; a visually unique pasta dish; and a great alternative to the same old starchy side dishes – but one thing it’s not, is a risotto. No rice was harmed in the making of this video.

The “risotto” refers to the similar technique used for that famous Italian dish. Like the grains of Arborio rice, the pieces of broken pasta are tossed in hot butter or oil before the liquid is added, but here we’re going even further, and toasting it to a gorgeous nut-brown.

This gives the dish its signature look, as well as adds a subtle nutty/toasty flavor. The rest of the process is similar to risotto as well, with the broth being added in increments, to be absorbed by the noodles before the next splash is added.

The broth amounts below should be very close to what you’ll need, but as I said in the video, depending on the pan, heat, and size of batch, you’ll have to simply adjust on the fly.

As long as you don’t walk away, you should be fine. Just keep stirring until the liquid is almost gone, then taste, and if the pasta is cooked, you’re done. If it needs more, add a little broth and keep going.

I did this as a simple side dish, but if you added some vegetables and shredded chicken, you’d be looking at quite an impressive main course. In fact, don’t be surprised if you see this dish re-imagined here in the future. In the meantime, I hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 2 small portions:

1 tbsp olive oil

1 cup cut spaghetti, or regular spaghetti broken into very small pieces

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

about 1 1/2 cups hot chicken broth or stock, as needed

salt and chili flakes to taste

1 tbsp chopped fresh Italian parsley

2 tbsp Romano or Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, or to taste

Classic Chicken Noodle Soup – Thank Goodness We Had Roasted Chicken Broth Around!

In case you haven’t been following along, let me catch you up. On Wednesday we made a gorgeous roasted chicken broth for the expressed purpose of making this soul-warming soup. Here, we used that wonderfully flavorful broth to complete the recipe, and let me tell you, it was incredible.

You know how much I hate to complicate a recipe, and I'll always err on the side of too few ingredients vs. too many, so when I make this chicken noodle soup it’s a constant battle to not add other “stuff.”

Not that’s there’s anything wrong with stuff, per se, but if properly made, this soup is just too amazing in its pure and natural state for any distracting, supercilious additions. By the way, a little advice to you young up-and-coming food bloggers; never use “per se,” and “supercilious” in the same sentence.

Yes, other than the mirepoix, and a tiny pinch of fresh thyme, the rest of this soup is basically chicken and noodles. Speaking of the noodles, I’m hoping you go with the wide ones I used. I was only half-kidding about this soup being a meditation, and egg noodle wrestling is half the fun.

Like I said in the video, this will work with regular chicken stock, but if you do decide to make this, I sincerely hope you go ahead and make the roasted chicken broth first. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 4-6 servings:
1 tbsp melted butter
1 tbsp rendered chicken fat

1/2 cup diced carrot

1/2 cup diced onion

1/2 cup diced celery

1/4 tsp fresh thyme leaves or pinch of dried thyme

2 quarts roasted chicken broth

1 pound cooked chicken breast, cubed

4 oz dry wide egg noodles

cayenne, salt and black pepper to taste

Noodles and Cabbage

I had a real craving for pasta today and so I decided to cook myself up a mess of noodles and cabbage.



This was a dish I used to cook often for my family when they were growing up. Sometimes we had it as a side dish along with pork chops . . . and sometimes it was the whole dish, served with sour cream and lotsa cheese.



It was a real favourite of everyone. I always made a double batch because the leftovers were always fabulous the day after heated up in a little bit of butter in a hot skillet. The noodles got some brown scrummy bits and it was just wonderful. We liked fried leftover spag bol too.



Todd is not a fan of pasta anything, (as you know only too well), so it's something that I only rarely indulge in these days. I love this recipe because I always, always have what I need to make it in the cupboard. It's quick and it's easy.



You don't have to use white cabbage all the time. Today I had a small head of dark Green Savoy Cabbage and so I used that. I just cooked the cabbage for a shorter time than the white cabbage, and as you can clearly see it gave a nice bright green colour to the dish. Very pretty.

I also added a bit of zip with a light drizzle of cooks&Co Olive Oil with Chillies which I was sent to try out the other day. (Remember the grapeseed oil that I used the other day to make that Treacle Gingerbread Loaf that was so nice?? Same company!)It added a wonderful kick to the dish. Hot chillies are added to this olive oil to help to create a classic condiment for pizza's, pasta dishes, dressings sauces and grilled meats. I really thought it added a lovely depth of flavour. This is great olive oil . . . and a little drizzle goes a long way!



In any case, Todd sat there enjoying his ham sandwich and I sat there enjoying my bowl of Noodles and Cabbage. Everybody was content and happy. ☺ Just as it should be.



*Noodles and Cabbage*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

This is a lovely dish that goes well with most meats, and I have even been known to eat a big plate of it all on it's own. My family always used to love it when I made this. I most often use flat egg noodles such as Fettuccini, but Tagliatele and Farfelle works really well also. I don't think that it is suited to the rounder types of pasta. You can top it with sour cream if you like, but we have always loved to have ours with a dusting of freshly grated Parmesan Cheese.

2 cups egg noodles, or other pasta
(Uncooked)
1/4 cup butter
1 large onion, peled and thinly sliced
1 small head of white cabbage, quartered, core trimmed away, and thinly sliced
2 tsp brown sugar
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Sour Cream or freshly grated Parmesan Cheese for serving (optional)

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to the boil. Add the noodles and cook according to the package directions. When done, drain well, rinse in warm water and then keep warm until they are needed. (Tossing them with just a touch of vegetable oil helps to keep them from sticking together.)

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the butter and once it is foaming add the onion. Cook, stirring until the onion begins to soften. Add the cabbage and sprinkle it all with the brown sugar. Cook, stirring and tossing until the cabbage begins to wilt and brown in a few placed, and the onion and cabbage are well mixed together.

Turn the heat to low, pop a lid on top, and cook for five to ten minutes, giving it a stir every few minutes, until the cabbage and onion are nicely softened and beginning to caramelize a bit. Remove the lid and toss in the noodles, mixing all together well. Heat through and season to taste with some salt and black pepper. Serve hot with a dollop of sour cream on top of a light dusting of Parmesan Cheese. Delicious!!



Cooking in The Cottage today, Cheater's Apple and Cherry Crumble.

Sauteed Potato Gnocchi with Egg

Oh, I am having such a lazy day today. It's gloomy and dull and I hardly slept a wink at all last night . . . it's a low energy day for me . . . a kind of blah day.



There is no rest for the wicked though . . . because I have had to get things ready for our church ladies group activity tonight (muffins, valentines rice krispie treats and bits and bites) . . . but alas . . . all that work has left me with little or no energy for cooking a big meal. It will be all I can do to just get through the rest of the day.



Spying a package of fresh potato gnocchi in the refrigerator though . . . I wondered if there would be something that I could do with them. I took a boo on Tastespotting at the scrummy food pics on there, but there was nothing that a. struck my fancy b. that I had all the ingredients to make or c. had enough energy to execute.



And then I remembered one of our favourite suppers, Posh Eggs, Chips and Beans!!! I was inspired to use the gnocchi just like potatoes. In fact this was even easier than using potatoes, and a lot quicker too . . .



And so so so tasty! Puffy little potato gnocchi, gilded until golden brown in a mixture of olive oil and butter infused with sage and garlic . . . two fresh organic free range eggs broken over top and fried until the edges of the eggs are crisp, the golden yolks still runny and just waiting for your fork to dip one of those little gilded gnocchi in . . .



I have little or no resistance when I am very tired. I could just as easily be chowing down on chocolates and potato chips . . . I figure this is the lesser of most evils! a light dusting of freshly grated Parmesan completely the picture quite nicely, thanks . . .



Todd didn't complain about it being pasta either . . . I told him they were potato dumplings, which . . . they kinda are, right? In any case he loved them!



*Sauteed Potato Gnocchi with Egg*
Serves 2
Printable Recipe

This makes a hearty, quick and simple supper for two. A variation on my regular posh egg and chips recipe.

500g of refrigerated potato Gnocchi (a generous 1 pound)
2 TBS good quality olive oil
1 TBS butter
2 fat cloves of garlic, peeled and bruised and left whole
3 springs of fresh sage
2 large free range eggs, at room temperature preferably
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Finely grated Parmesan Cheese (grate it yourself, preferably)



Put a pot of lightly salted water on to boil. Place the olive oil and butter in a large nonstick skillet along with the garlic and sage. Heat gently while you cook the gnocchi.

Cook the Gnocchi according to the package directions. Once they are done and float to the surface, scoop out with a slotted spoon and drop into the infused and heated oil/butter mixture. Turn the heat up and cook, stirring occasionally until they begin to turn golden brown and the sage leaves crisp up. If the garlic looks like it is going to burn, lift it out and place on top of some of the gnocchi. Make two hollows in the bed of gnocchi and drop an egg into each.

Cover with a lid and cook over medium low heat, just until the whites are set. Season to taste with some sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Serve at once, divided in half and placed onto heated plates. Sprinkle some cheese on each serving. The gnocchi is delicious dipped into the egg yolks.



Over in The Cottage today, Fish Stick Taco Dogs.

Pappardelle with Roasted Winter Squash, Rocket and Pistachios

Oh my but I do love me some pasta from time to time. Todd . . . he does hate it with a passion and so . . . I only ever have it very infrequently . . . almost never really.



The other day he was going with the missionaries to have lunch at a Single Sister's house and so I decided to fulfil my flagrant need to eat some pasta and threw together this dish.



Unfortunately my Pappardelle was a bit broken up . . . which didn't affect the flavour at all . . . just the looks. It went down the same and tasted every bit as delicious.



I love butternut squash as well, especially roasted until it is almost caramelized . . . and I love the flavour of sage . . . rocket . . . je t'adore . . . and pistachios??? Well, they just happen to be my most favourite nut of all time!!



So . . . let's see now . . . roasted butternut squash all sweetly caramelized at the edges . . . toasted pistachio nuts . . . oh so scrummy . . . sage . . . all musty herby . . . the peppery bite of rocket . . . almost meaty . . . buttery al dente pasta . . . oh . . . and cheese, finely grated Parmesan Reggiano . . . all together in my bowl, on my fork and in my tummy.



Bliss. Pure and utter bliss . . .




*Pappardelle with Roasted Winter Squash, Rocket and Pistachios*
Serves 4 to 6
Printable Recipe

Easy to cook and relatively low in fat. Low fat doesn't have to mean dissatisfied. This pleases on many levels! It's peppery, sweet and quite filling!

4 cups of butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
(about 1 medium sized squash)
2 TBS of good quality Balsamic Vinegar
2 tsp of good quality extra virgin olive oil
fine seasalt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
low fat cooking spray
8 ounces uncooked pappardelle or fettuccine
1 TBS butter
4 TBS coarsely chopped raw shelled pistachio nuts
1 TBS chopped fresh Sage leaves
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
1/2 of a 70g bag of washed rocket (2 cups)
2 ounces grated Parmesan cheese (1/2 cup)
corasely ground black pepper to garnish

Preheat the oven to 230*C/475*F/ gas mark 7. Line a baking tray with foil wrap. Spray lightly with cooking spray.

Toss the squash cubes together in a bowl with the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt and some pepper. Spread out on the baking sheet in a single layer. Bake for about 25 minutes or so, until tender and lightly browned, stirring occasionally.

About halfway through the baking time for the squash cook the pasta, according to the package directions, omitting any salt or fat. Drain in a colander over a bowl, reserving 1 TBS of the cooking liquid.

Melt the butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the pistachio nuts, sage and garlic. Cook for about 3 minutes until the nuts begin to toast and the mixture becomes very fragrant, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and toss in the drained pasta, cooking liquid, roasted squash and rocket, tossing all together gently to combine. Add a pinch of salt, some freshly ground black pepper and the cheese. Toss gently again to combine. Serve immediately.



Baking in The Cottage today, a delicious Golden Jubilee Cake.

New York - December Edition - Not So Cheap

As much as I loved all the cheaper places we visited, leisurely dinners meant coughing up a bit more. My favourite of the trip goes to Schiller's Liquor Bar. Located on the Lower East Side, the room is white tiled, darkly lit and bustling. The bar area was filled with people perched on high stools sipping on beers and we were seated at one of the last tables for two left.

I loved how unpretentious it was; the wine list was simply presented as 3 options; 'cheap', 'decent' and 'good'. When our bottle arrived, CHEAP was plastered across it. I'm not a wine buff in any way, shape or form and our bottle was drinkable and tasted good.

East Coast and West Coast oysters were sweeter with more mineral flavour than ones from our own shores. Crab and articoke dip with melba toast was decadently creamy and rich, though I'd have preferred a little more crab flavour. A seared tuna Nicoise salad (what was I thinking!?) was horrendously overshadowed by The Boy's 'pork chops and roasted potatoes'. What was presented to him was a behemoth plate with two chops and a pile of roasted potatoes, just as advertised. They were cooked in the most delicious caramelised onion, ginger and garlicky sauce. I almost cried with envy.

With a couple of well made cocktails and well deserved tip for our affable and charming waiter, the bill came to around £50 / head.



I was a fan of David Chang since I went to Momofuku Noodle Bar on my first visit. Since then I've become an even bigger fan, having bought his cookbook and the quarterly magazine he's a part of, Lucky Peach. We managed to nab two seats at the bar at Momofuku Ssam early on new year's eve.

I'd have liked to try more of the raw dishes but they were quite pricy, so we settled on one - diver scallops with yuba (tofu skin), satsuma and coriander. The smears were intensely orange flavoured and worked well with the sweet, delicate shellfish. Yuba doesn't taste of much but had a tender texture, much like the skin you get on top of gravy. It sounds rank but it was a great texture contrast to the scallop.

The pork buns, which Momofuku is famous for were pretty damn sexy. Pillowy steamed buns were stuffed with a slab of fatty warm pork belly, with a smear of hoisin sauce and sliced cucumbers. It took everything in my power to refrain from cancelling the other dishes and ordering another seven of these instead.

Fuji apple kimchi with bacon and maple mayo was incredible; rather than the apples being fermented with garlic and chilli over a length of time, the apples were crisp and fresh, having been dressed in kimchi juice instead. The bacon was really smoky and coupled with the maple mayo it was perfect.

Market greens came in the form of swiss chard, cooked in XO sauce and topped with a heap of fried shallots. Cooked until the stalks were al dente and the leaves just wilted, the intense savoury flavour of the XO sauce was thankfully sparing; any more and it would have been overwhelming.

Spicy sausage with fried rice cakes and Sichuan pepper was my least favourite dish of the meal. Although the rice cakes had a great texture, both gooey and crispy from frying, after a while it began to all get a bit samey with each bite. Too stuffed for dessert and with a party to get over to, we decided against desserts. With a couple of cocktails each, our bill again reached around £50 / head.



After an afternoon of ice skating, we were ravenous. The temperature on our last night was around -5 C; I don't think I've been anywhere that cold. The streets of New York were windy, and as we rushed towards Locanda Verde in TriBeCa I had everything crossed that we wouldn't have to wait long.

The place is cavernous, dark - this is a recurring theme - but lively. Families dined with small children, couples were having intimate dinners and groups of friends were sharing plates. A long L-shaped bar was absolutely rammed, both with people having drinks waiting for a table as well as people eating at the bar. A mere half hour wait while nursing a Negroni was all it took before we were seated.

A tuna crostini with smoked cannellini beans and a hint of lemon was perfunctory enough to keep the hunger at bay. Proscuitto lent smokiness to the prawns they were wrapping, doused in romesco sauce and it was dotted with creamy white beans to give some heartiness to the dish.

Marinated beet salad was a textbook example. Tender beetroot was topped with slices of fennel and happily they didn't go for the obvious goats cheese, but instead smoked ricotta. Some welcome crunch was provided from the pistachio garnish, with a smear of pistachio puree hiding under the beets.

We had a lot of trouble trying to decide on mains, but we were pleased with our spiced duck choice. Huge slabs of flush pink breast arrived, garnished with pomegranate seeds, small faro grains and cavolo nero. The skin was crisp with sweetness with a hint of the exotic, and the meat as tender as butter. A side dish of roasted brussel sprouts was a hearty affair; strong mustard flavours with the slightly bitter brassica was reinforced further with chunks of pecorino and pancetta. It was the unheathiest vegetable side I've laid eyes on in recent times. Obviously I thought it was great.

Orecchiette was served with beans and fennel sausage and a hard strong cheese grated on top. These were gutsy flavours and the little ears held them well. With the beans and pasta combined, it was great comfort food. But good lord we were stuffed afterwards.

A pear, quince and cranberry crisp with vanilla bourbon ice cream sounds quite light and insubstantial, right? That's what we thought when we ordered it to share. A deep ramekin arrived with the aforementioned fruits in a crumble. Crisp, it turns out, is a crumble. Oof. We managed to polish it all off due to its own deliciousness caused by nuts being incorporated into the crumble topping, but I was rendered incapacitated after the meal and could only lie down and make small groaning noises.

Locanda Verde reminded me a lot of Polpo both in atmosphere and food; unsurprising really, as the recommendation to go there came from Russell Norman. Locanda Verde is a touch more expensive though, we hit £60 a head with a bottle of wine.



Now I shall be nibbling on dry bread and lentils until my bank balance recovers.

Goat Cheese Apple Walnut Pasta – Suspect Supper Turns into Super Side Dish

It sounded so good on paper. Yes, this creamy, tangy goat cheese sauce, spiked with sweet apples and walnuts was going to make quite the memorable winter pasta dinner. The only problem was, halfway through the bowl I suffered that most dreaded of all pasta eating afflictions…palate fatigue.

For whatever reason, after three or four ounces of this perfectly fine concoction, I got tired of eating it. It wasn’t that it started to taste bad; it just became a little tedious. This is not an uncommon phenomenon, especially with a bowl of macaroni.

However, instead of declaring my goat cheese, apple, walnut pasta entrée idea a failure, I decided to cleverly re-brand it as a tasty, seasonal side dish. The same exact recipe that fell a little flat as a main course, turned out to be a stellar side for some roast pork.

Of course, with taste being as subjective as it is, maybe you’ll have a different opinion as to this pasta’s worthiness as a headliner, but I wanted to be clear about my official recommendation. Even simply adding some slices of cooked chicken breast would have transformed the dish into something a little less “one-note.”

By the way, this isn’t something to make way ahead of time, as the walnuts react with the dairy in the sauce, and will turn your leftovers a fairly disturbing purple-blue color! If you’re not going to eat this immediately, then don’t mix in the nuts until service. I hope you give this great winter pasta…err, I mean side dish, a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
2 cups ditalini, or other small macaroni

1 tbsp butter

1 apple, diced

1 cup chicken broth

4 oz fresh creamy-style goat cheese

salt and pepper to taste

cayenne

1/2 cup chopped toasted walnuts

2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme leaves

Layered Ravioli Bake

See this guy??? When I was a child, I was very familiar with him. He's the guy that was responsible for all the pizza, spaghetti and other Italian delicacies that we ate in our house.



In fact this (Chef Boyardee Ravioli in Tomato and Meat Sauce) was a real treat! I was an adult before I realized that Ravioli didn't have to come in a tin, and that Chef Boyardee didn't have to make it . . . that there was a whole world of different Ravioli out there . . . not just meat . . . there was delicious cheese ravioli, and vegetable ravioli . . . mama mia! What a delicious discovery that was!



But, alas . . . the kid in me still craves the comfort of Chef Boyardee once in a while . . . he's like a naughty addiction that I keep wanting to return to.

No Chef Boyardee here in the UK.



So . . . what's a gal to do . . . you put your big girl panties on and you adapt, that's what!!!
And sometimes, you even come up with something thats even better than the original . . . but really . . . . how hard was it to top pasta in a tin . . . hahaha . . . not hard at all.



I still used the convenience of storebought fresh ravioli, and jarred sauce.
I also used extra lean steak mince, and I always, always grate all my own cheese. Those pre-grated cheeses have something nasty in them to help keep them flowing easy. You don't want to eat that do you???? I thought not!!



It was way better than Chef Boyardee, and Todd even offered to don a chef's hat if I wanted him to . . . ☺☺☺



I don't want any e-mails from you purists out there . . . I know this isn't exactly Italian . . . nor is it English, but it is MY kitchen, and once in a while you just have to throw caution to the wind and go with it. C'est la vie. (yes, that's French.)



*Layered Ravioli Bake*
Serves 4 to 6
Printable Recipe

Quick, simple and quite delicious.

700g of spaghetti sauce
(I used two 350g jars of Napolini, about 4 cups in total)
2 pounds of cheese ravioli, thawed if frozen
1 pound extra lean steak mince
1/2 pound of mozzarella cheese, grated
(8 ounces, about 2 cups)
3.5 ounces finely grated Parmesan cheese (1 cup)

Prepare the ravioli according to the package directions. Drain well and set aside.

Spray a large skillet with some nonstick spray and brown the mince until there is no longer any pink showing. Stir in the spaghetti sauce. Heat to a simmer. (If your sauce is lacking in zing, add some dried basil, oregano, garlic powder, salt and pepper.)

Preheat the oven to 220*C/425*F/ gas mark 7.

Spoon about one cup of the meat sauce into the bottom of an ungreased 11 by 7 inch baking dish. Top with half of the drained ravioli. Top with half of the remaining sauce and half of each cheese. Finish off with the rest of the ravioli, sauce and cheese.

Bake uncovered for 30 to 35 minutes.



Cooking in The Cottage today, some delicious Molasses Grilled Duck Breasts.