Wild Mushroom Pasta

We have a generous amount of dried wild mushrooms stockpiled, thanks to an enthusiastic mother who picks more than she can eat herself. Soaking the mushrooms in boiling water creates a rich stock that serves the basis of this dish.

dried wild mushrooms (soaked, with their stock retained)

(some regular mushrooms)

olive oil (for frying)

3 cloves garlic (crushed)

fresh chili (chopped)

fresh parsley

lemon juice and zest

2 tsp capers

salt

pepper

(parmesan)

- Soak the dried mushrooms in hot water, keep the water to use as stock later on.

- Fry the garlic for a couple of minutes, then add the mushrooms and chili and fry until they soften up.

- Add the capers, some lemon juice and zest and a little seasoning and start adding stock a little by little, just enough to cover the mushrooms. While doing this, start boiling your pasta.

- When the pasta is cooked, toss everything together, season to taste and drizzle with a little olive oil.

-Serve with optional grated parmesan.

Mozzarella Salad with Grilled Chili & Vegetables

Grilled chili, fresh mozzarella and lemon zest are a perfect combination. In this salad they are accompanied by grilled vegetables, crispy leaves and toasted bread.

fresh mozzarella

2 red chilies (deseeded)

red onion (wedges, grilled)

pepper (grilled, peeled and sliced)

cherry tomatoes (grilled)

rucola

lemon zest

olive oil

balsamic vinegar

2 tsp capers

white bread (toasted)

1 garlic clove

- Grill the vegetables and chili. Notice that the peppers and onion take longer to grill than chilies and tomatoes. Sprinkle the tomatoes with some olive oil and balsamic vinegar before grilling.

- Toast or grill the bread, rub some garlic on it and drizzle with olive oil.

- Arrange everything on a plate and sprinkle over some olive oil, balsamic vinegar, capers and lemon zest.

Tagliatelle, Pesto & Grilled Vegetables

Homemade pesto is a perfect partner of pasta. In my opinion pesto and pasta needs something fresh to accompany it, so this time I used some grilled cherry tomatoes and peppers.

Pesto:

50 g parmesan (grated)

50 g pine nuts (lightly toasted)

3 handfuls fresh basil leaves

1 garlic clove (crushed)

olive oil

salt

pepper

(a squeeze of lemon juice)

tagliatelle/spaghetti

tomatoes (grilled)

peppers (grilled and peeled)

- Blend all the pesto ingredients well, add enough olive oil to make it smooth.

- Boil the pasta and mix the pesto-sauce in it. Serve with the grilled vegetables.

Falafel

The secret to falafel is not to cook the chickpeas, otherwise they fall apart when you deep fry them. When the oil is at the correct temperature the bean mixture cooks well and the result is golden brown and crispy on the outside, well-cooked and soft in the inside. I like the falafel with some pita-bread, fresh salad, tzatziki, hummus and chili-tomato-sauce.

3-4 dl dried chickpeas (soaked over night)

1/2 onion (chopped)

3 cloves garlic (crushed)

2-3 fresh chillies (chopped)

1 tsp cumin seeds (toasted and ground)

1/4 tsp ground coriander

fresh coriander and/or parsley

salt

pepper

(1 tsp bicarbonate of soda)

oil for deep frying

- Combine all the ingredients except for the chili and blend them together.

- Add the chili and stir well. Leave the mixture at least for an hour.

- Shape into small balls with wet hands.

- Heat up the oil in a large, heavy saucepan and deep fry the falafel in batches of 5-7 until golden.

-Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and drain on top of kitchen paper.

Tip: Make a test falafel to ascertain that the oil temperature is correct. If the falafel gets too dark after a few minutes of frying, the oil is too hot; if the oil doesn't bubble vigorously enough when you put the falafel in, it's too cold.

Jamie's Minestrone Soup

Jamie Oliver's Minestrone is one of my favourite soups at the moment. The flavours are well balanced and the beans and pasta make it very filling. Being vegetarians we obviously left the bacon out and we didn't have fennel either, but the essence of this recipe remains the same.

Delia's Goat Cheese Souffles

This recipe is probably as easy as souffles get - it takes a bit of time to prepare but the result is fabulous and easy to achieve. Delia Smith serves her souffles with salad and vinaigrette, but we had these with roasted vegetables. I highly recommend to try this lovely dish on a special occasion. You can even make these souffles beforehand since they are double-baked and freeze well, according to Delia.