The Acropolis...a sight to behold

Why hello! Its been a while. Yours truly has been holidaying in Greece and lapping up every minute of it. I've mainly been visiting friends and relatives in the Peloponnese and checking out a lot of ancient ruins. There are many food adventures to re tell and lots of photographs of my quick visit. Today I provide a sample, but look out over the next few days as I provide a more detailed description of my holiday.


The stunning coast of the Mediterranean...viewed from the port city of Napflio

Tags:Greece

My own creation...all lying about in the fridge

Yours truly was looking in the fridge yesterday, trying to decide what to eat for dinner. I'm sure this routine is repeated everywhere in the world, no matter where you are. You open the fridge, you look, you think you have a solution and then you start all over again! Considering how many food blogs I read, cookbooks I consult and Cooking TV shows I watch I too can get stuck. Sometimes this can be a good thing because it can force you to be creative. All within reason of course.
When I glimpsed into my fridge yesterday I found a few zucchini, some left over pancetta, a third of a container of ricotta, some chillies and some leftover basil pesto. My mind went into overdrive and finally I thought of this little creation. Spaghetti with grated zucchini, pesto, ricotta and pancetta. Drawing inspiration from Jenn, our famous leftover queen, it turned out very nice thank you very much. The saltiness of the pancetta went well with the creaminess of the ricotta and the chillies provided that little bit of extra heat. And the basil pesto gave it just enough aroma with out it dominating the dish. This is what I had leftover in my fridge. Feel free to play around with the amounts.

SOUVLAKI FOR THE SOUL'S QUICK PASTA
3 grated zucchini
2 tbsps of basil pesto
3/4 cup of ricotta
1 chilli finely chopped
4 slices of pancetta all diced up
1/2 a packet of spaghetti

You know the drill. Boil the spaghetti and get it to the al dente stage. No soggy overcooked strands please!
Grate the zucchini and set aside in a bowl. In a large fry pan on a MEDIUM heat fry up the chillies in a little olive oil. Add the diced pancetta and give it a good stir. Add the grated zucchini and let all the ingredients fry for a couple of minutes. Then add the cooked spaghetti to the pan and shake it all about tossing everything through the strands. And finally add the ricotta and basil and stir one more time. Arrange on a plate and tuck in. So simple yet so delicious.



Spaghetti with pancetta, ricotta, chillies and zucchini

Tags:recipes pasta quick

Freshly Toasted Muesli

Its been a while between a few posts and I thought I would do some "catch up" entries. I recently had the pleasure of attending a Biteclub held in the morning. Breakfast/brunch was on the agenda and our good hosts Tony and Michael had gone to the trouble of putting on an amazing feast. Better than any hotel buffet I've ever seen!!! And trust me, I've sat a few hotel breakfast buffets in my time!

With the sun shining in Sydney, summer has come a little early for us here. It was a perfect environment to indulge in a beautiful breakfast. Fruit salads, fresh bakery items, scrambled eggs, sausages...the list goes on. I think there is something quite indulgent about a cooked breakfast. Whilst many 9 to 5'ers grab a bowl of Corn Flakes and a cup of coffee during the week , its nice to spoil ourselves on the weekend with a luxurious cooked breakfast and the weekend papers. Anyway, join me on a photo journey that will have you drooling at the mouth. Michael and Tony had outdone themselves truly.


Double Espresso with a dash of milk...the perfect starter to breakfast


Fresh fruit salad...look at those summer colours

I love starting off with a good cup of strong coffee. The perfect heartstarter! The fruit salad was so inviting and healthy of course!


Fresh and flaky croissants

As if these items weren't enough, we got ready for part 2.


Barbecued Italian sausages


Scrambled eggs...for 10



Lightly fried mushrooms in butter


Sauteed spinach


Layers of hash browns

Are you hungry yet? Are you inspired enough to get into the kitchen and make a sexy breakfast? You should be.
Again, I have to emphasise what an effort it is to put on a feast for 10 people. Michael and Tony excelled themselves and the food was delish.

I think I'm starting to like Biteclub at Breakfast...

Pete

Tags:Bite Club Breakfast