Quick Soup and a Memoir
Warming Pea and Spinach Soup
I always keep frozen veggies on hand. They come in very handy when a quick meal is needed and can rescue a dull meal. My "always on" stand by frozen vegetables are peas. They're great for a quick pea mash to accompany a roast or grilled meat and I love their use in pasta. They're sweet, juicy and full of flavour. It's a vegetable that doesn't lose any nutrients from being frozen. I made a batch of this soup the other day and it was all done in about half an hour. I had some leftover mint and threw that in as well. Peas and mint are a classic combination and the flavours marry well together. A big hunk of crusty bread for dunking (and to make some cheesy croutons) and I was set. You may choose to add cream at the end for a bit of a "lift" but the soup also works well without it (so does my waistline!).
RECIPE FOR PEA AND SPINACH SOUP
- 2 cups of frozen peas
- 1 big bunch of coarsley chopped spinach leaves
- 1 small bunch of finely chopped mint leaves
- 1 small red onion finely diced
- 1 clove of garlic finely diced
- 2-3 cups of chicken stock
- salt and pepper to taste
- a "splash" of cream
- In a medium sized pot fry off the onion and garlic on a medium heat till they become translucent
- Add the peas and give everything a good stir. At this stage you can also place in the mint leaves.
- Add the chicken stock and let the peas simmer for 10-15 mins
- Add the spinach towards the end and let it all soften
- Whizz with a stab blender in the pot or use a blender or food processor
- Add the splash of cream and salt and pepper and give it all a good stir
Top with cheesy coutons and serve. N.B. The croutons or toasts are very easy to make. Cut some small pieces of bread and top with parmesan or cheddar cheese and place under a griller to melt or alternatively bake in a hot oven for about 5 mins.
If I'm having guests over for dinner and I'm not serving a soup as a starter I serve this soup in a shot glass as a canape. Its a great way to receive "oohs and aaahhs" from your guests and it also warms them up a little (especially in the cooler months). Try it...its so easy!
On another note I got tagged by Pixie to play along in a meme. I had to compose a 6 word memoir about myself and tag some other bloggers in the process. Whilst I'm not a huge fan of memes myself, this one's quite quick and I suppose I can do it. I won't tag anyone else to play but what I'll do is give you a list of SOME (there are so many!!!) blogs that I really enjoy reading over my morning coffee here in Australia. If any of you are reading this then its up to you if you wanna play. There is no pressure at all! Ok here's my memoir:
- Hungry..all the bloody time
- Passionate...about all my activities
- Funny...when the occasion strikes
- Stubborn...my way or no way
- Ostentatious...you gotta stand out
- Talkative...love a chat..did I say how much I love to talk?..no really..I do!
- Heather from Gild The Voodoolily for the most entertaining read on the web. Ever. Period. (and her recipes are A++)
- Ben from What's Cooking for real Mexican food.
- Laurie from Mediterranean Cooking in Alaska because I could eat at her place the whole year and never go hungry!
- Ivy from Kopiaste...right from her kitchen we get to see the Best and Tastiest Greek and Cyprian recipes
- Allen from Eating Out Loud because he always tries something different. His latest experiments with Indian cooking had me inspired!
Have fun and enjoy the soup.
Spring Chicken In Autumn
Chicken drumsticks with rosemary and lemon
The weather's gone haywire. Here we are midway through autumn and its gloriously warm with temperatures in the mid 20's. A few weeks ago I started to see brown and red leaves on the trees and today I see flowers in beautiful bloom! Anyway, I was in no mood for soups or stews so I decided to roast some chicken drumsticks. I could have done a "whole bird" but opted for those instead as I wanted a quick roast. Actually, if you're after a fantastic roast chicken recipe with great commentary head on over to "Gild the Vodoolily" and read Heather's post on the perfect roast chicken. Highly entertaining and delectably delicious!
I decided to roast the chicken "drummies" using rosemary, olive oil and cut lemon pieces. The flavour of rosemary is pungent and suits the chicken well. When the lemons roast in a hot oven they release all of their juice and create a lovely sauce combined with the olive oil. The final touch was to dot the drumsticks with some sun dried tomatoes approximately 15 mins before the they are due to come out of the oven. The sun dried tomatoes crisp up slightly and provide another element to the dish. I love picking up the drumsticks with my fingers and chewing through the perfectly cooked flesh and tasting the medley of flavours created by the oil, rosemary, lemons and tomatoes. Please note. This isn't a recipe as such. It's a "put together with whatever's on hand" type of meal. You could use other chicken parts, maybe substitute the rosemary for thyme or oregano. You could use some roasted capsicums instead of the tomatoes. You get the idea.
Packed with flavour
RECIPE FOR ROSEMARY CHICKEN DRUMSTICKS
- 4-5 chicken drumsticks
- 4-5 rosemary sprigs
- 1 whole lemon cut into 8ths
- a handful of sun dried tomatoes
- extra virgin olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- Preheat oven to 180 deg C
- Arrange all ingredients, except the sun dried tomatoes (add these about 15 mins before the taking the chicken out)
- Cook for about 45 mins...keep a check on this because every oven is different
- Let these rest for about 5 mins
- Serve with some freshly steamed asparagus and crusty bread to mop up all the juicy goodness.
Baby Bok Choy
Steamed Baby Bok Choy
Time for some vegies. I have been craving steamed, green vegetables for a few days now. So, instead of heading down the asparagus/broccoli route I opted for some good ol' Chinese cabbage. Other wise known as bok choy or Pak choi. There are so many names and spelling variations of this vegetable I can't cope! Its very simple to make and very high in antioxidants and all those other good nutrients. Whilst is easy to pick up the phone and order this at a local Asian restaurant nothing beats making this easy delicacy at home.
Chinatown is about 10 mins walk away for me and I love going there to pick up foods, exotic ingredients and cooking utensils. I picked up the bamboo steamer (which will definetly be used for other future steaming) some Chinese spoons, chopsticks and bowls all for under $20. What a bargain. Today I picked up the baby variety of bok choy. Little cute miniatures. They're easier to eat and quicker to prepare. I paired them with some oyster sauce and fried eschallots/onions on top. Some steamed rice on the side and dinner was served!
STEAMED BABY BOK CHOY WITH OYSTER SAUCE
- 1 bunch of baby bok choy...my bunch had 5 in each
- 2 tbsp oyster sauce
- 2 tsp Soy sauce
- 1 tsp of sesame oil
- fried onions/eschallots (bought ready made form the Asian grocer)
- Steamed rice to serve
- You may choose to cut the baby bok choy in half but I prefer them whole. Make sure you clean them thoroughly to remove any gritty bits in the stalks.
- Boil a pan of water and when the water comes to a boil place your bamboo steamer with the clean bok choy over the water. Cover it with the lid and leave it for about 5-10 mins. (this will vary depending on the size of bok choy).
- Heat the oyster, soy and sesame oil over a low gentle heat.
- Pour over steamed bok choy
- Garnish with fried onions
Enjoy!
I "Heart" Tomatoes
A great appetizer or starter
As the summer months finally wind down here in Sydney, admittedly a little earlier than normal, I seek to take advantage of the last of the summer fruits and vegetables at the markets. The figs I cooked the other day were fantastic and very tasty. On that same day I noticed a stall selling a variety of tomatoes in all shapes and sizes. This guy had it all. Cherry, "teardrop", heirloom, amoroso...all were there. My eye spotted the "grape" variety. Shaped liked grapes, I was informed that these were juicy and packed a lot of flavour. Great, time to get experimenting. I like playing with food so I wanted to use these a little differently. I mean I could have used them in a salad with some red onion and a simple dressing but I thought it would be fun to change the elements a little. So I skewered them! I basically made them into vegetarian "souvlaki". LOL! I paired them up with some bocconcini, drizzled some extra virgin olive oil over them and some basil pesto. They were fun to eat and very fresh. One bite had creamy, soft mozzarella and the next bite was a juicy grape tomato. A perfect appetizer or starter for your guests.
A simple pasta dish with roasted "grape" tomatoes.
For my next "experiment" I simply roasted the leftover grape tomatoes. I placed them in an oven dish, drizzled them with some olive oil, a god splash of balsamic and seasoned them with some salt and pepper. My oven was smokin hot (about 200 deg C) and I let them roast for about half an hour. The tomato skins will be blistered but they will be plumper and full of extra juiciness. Once they had cooled I tossed them with some spaghetti (my favourite!), a little extra virgin olive oil and grated some Parmigiano Reggiano cheese over them. Simplicity and taste in its purest form. Nothing is better. I love playing with food...
Hot Chocolate..."You Sexy Thing"
Decadent...triple hot chocolate with cream
When Elly decided to hold a blogging event associated with music I knew she was on a winner. Music along with food are life's essentials. I often have something playing in the background as I cook and photograph my creations. I was stumped initially about what I was going to do. I finally decided to go back to the 70's with a funky, get down, sensual song. Hot Chocolate's "You Sexy Thing". So I'm basing my entry on the bands name. I whipped up a decadent, rich, sensual hot chocolate loaded with calorific goodness! And boy is it sexy! Think full fat creamy milk, good couverture chocolate and whipped cream. (There's a lot to be said about the 70's isn't there?...flares, bad hair, cool music). I'm dedicating this creation to all the foodie gals of the blogoshere. After all, we should know by now that "chocolate is the universal language of women" worldwide. And chocolate is sexy! Here's my entry for Elly's Eat To The Beat.
RECIPE FOR TRIPLE HOT CHOCOLATE WITH CREAM
200 grams of good couverture chocolate (at least 70%)
2 cups of full fat creamy milk
whipped cream
cocoa powder for dusting
1 x Chocolate stirrer ( I used that iconic Australian chocolate called "Flake". It's a crumbly chocolate log that has these amazing layers..it melts as you "stir" the chocolate!)
Place your milk in a saucepan over a low heat and add the chocolate. Stir slowly till the chocolate melts. We want it slightly above warm and not too scalding hot. Otherwise the chocolate will get burnt. Pour in a mug or glass and top with whipped cream. Dust with cocoa and add your "chocolate stirrer" of choice i.e. your favourite chocolate bar. By the way, its up to you if you feel like adding sugar. It may be sweet enough as it is!
Thank You's and...Baked Figs
I only realised the other day that I had officially forgotten to thank Ivy on my own blog, for giving me an "excellent Blog" award. Oops! I'm so sorry for that. I know I left a comment in your comments section but I realised I hadn't done that here. Thank you again and it is really nice to be appreciated. All the other bloggers that I would have liked to award it to have already received one! So much love in the foodie blogosphere at the moment!
So on with today's recipe...
Beautiful, soft, delicious figs
When I was at the markets the other day, I noticed some fresh figs on display and I noted to myself that I hadn't really cooked with them this summer. The owner explained they were nearing the end of their cycle and that this batch would be very ripe. I picked up a few and got home thinking about creating a dish with them. They're very popular in Greek cooking often served dried and with cheese and walnuts. They are used in sweets and in jams. I wanted to go a different route with them. I had seen a few recipes about on the net and on many cooking shows where fresh figs are often baked in an oven wrapped in prosciutto and stuffed with a gorgonzola cheese. Well I have issues with strong smelly cheeses. So I opted to bake my figs with mozzarella or the little balls of mozzarella often known as bocconcini. The taste was simpler but before baking them I drizzled some extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar. They turned out a treat! The cheese had melted through and the balsamic had slightly caramelized. Try this for something different.
RECIPE FOR BAKED FIGS WITH MOZZARELLA
6 freh figs cut with a criss cross shape
Fresh Buffalo Mozzarella or fresh Bocconcini Balls or pearls
drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
a good "splash" of balsamic
salt an pepper to taste
Once you've cut a cris cross shape on each fig, gently stuff it with a piece of mozzarella or bocconcini. Drizzle a little amount of good quality extra virgin olive oil and a good "splash" of balsamic. Season with a little salt and pepper. Bake in a 200 deg C preheated oven for 10 mins. Serve warm and enjoy this soft, sensual dish.
They almost look like flowers...
Passionfruit Curd
Passionfruit
Whilst I was at the markets recently I picked up a whole box of passionfruit. The colours and aromas were so intense I had to just get it. So after spooning it on my breakfast cereal every morning, I still had half a box left. "What will I do with the rest?" I thought. So a good deal of "research" later i.e. scanning cook books and magazines, I saw this great recipe for passionfruit curd. Mmmmm...my mind went into overdrive. I'm not aware of how familiar people are with sweet curds. They're basically similar to jams or jellies (as the Americans call them) and they are used on cakes or as a spread on bread. Lemon curd is a very popular spread in the UK often finding its way in traditional high teas. The passionfruit curd I made is similar to the lemon one. I'll follow it up over the next few days about how I used it. Its sweet, silky and very sexy. Trust me, you'll be happy you made this.
Juicy Passionfruit
PASSIONFRUIT CURD
This recipe has been adapted from Australia's own Bill Granger.
6 ripe passionfruit...scooping out the whole inner flesh...seeds and all
2 organic eggs
80 g of caster sugar
60 g of butter
Place the passionfruit pulp, eggs and sugar in a heatproof bowl and place that bowl over a saucepan with simmering water (aka the double boiler method). Whisk continuously until the mixture begins to thicken. This whisking will probably take up to about ten minutes at the most. Just be patient. Once the mixture has thickened take it off the heat and whisk in the cold butter. Let the curd cool and store it in a sterilised jar. It will keep up to about one week in the fridge.
Pasta with Greens
Fresh wholemeal linguine with asparagus, peas, spinach and mint.
I try to eat healthy. I swear I do. I try to incorporate a well balanced eating routine but I find that during the "silly" season (Xmas and New Year) things can get a little hectic on the food front. Second helpings and extra sweets can certainly build up into unwanted kilos. So I was looking for a healthier alternative the other night for dinner. My local deli always has a handy supply of goodies and on that particular day I found some freshly made whole wheat linguine. Interesting I thought. I just need to balance this out with some lovely greens. I picked some fresh asparagus, some peas, a bunch of spinach and some fresh mint. Then off to work I went!
While this pasta dish is not of the traditional variety I always believe its good to experiment and play around with food. It was very easy to prepare and it provided me with some very well needed greens. I thought that the linguine might have been a little heavy but it was fine. I have included an extra step for those who want to be a little "wicked" in preparing this dish.
PASTA WITH "GREENS"
Pasta of your choice
One bunch of asparagus with the stalky bits cut off.
A cup of fresh peas (you can use frozen..less time)
A good handful of spinach
A handful of fresh mint, roughly chopped
salt and pepper to taste
A little olive oil
A clove of garlic, finely chopped
Wicked optional ingredient
Mascarpone
1. Do all the usual things. Clean the asparagus and discard the "woody" ends. Shell the peas (if using fresh). Rinse the spinach.
2. Bring two pots of water to the boil. In one, place the asparagus first and let it cook for a couple of mins. Then add the peas and spinach and let it cook for about another minute. (We are looking at blanching here and not cooking everything for too long).
3. Drain the greens and refresh them in some cold water.
4. Now, cook your fresh pasta. (fresh pasta will not take too long to boil. A couple of mins at the most). Once cooked, drain and reserve some of the pasta water.
5. Heat up a fry pan with a little olive oil. Add your minced garlic and let it cook a little. Be wary about burning it! Drain your cooled greens and place in the fry pan. Give it a good toss making sure the greens get coated by the oil.
6. Add the freshly cooked pasta and toss through again.
7. Add the freshly chopped mint and some salt and pepper.
8. If things get a little dry here add some of the reserved pasta water.
9. Finally, if you want to be a little wicked add a good tablespoon of fresh macarpone! It just adds a lovely velvety, soft touch to this dish!
10. Serve with some freshly grated parmesan, a glass of rose and some Sydney sunshine.
Eat your greens!
Tomatoes On Toast
Roated "amoroso" tomatoes on toasted Olive ciabatta
Continuing on from our Summer Antipasto I wanted to highlight some of the options individually and how you can utilise them as other dishes. Take for example our roasted amoroso tomatoes and olive ciabatta bread. These two items are another one of those relationships that were destined to be together. I mean how could they fail. The tomatoes are so juicy and sweet this time of the year. Ripe and ready! None of those floury varieties those multi chains like to push on us.
These were quite medium in size. Not too small or large. Preparing them is very simple. Give them a good rinse, wipe them and place them in a baking pan. Make sure you're oven is at about 200 deg C and smokin hot! Drizzle them with a good high quality extra virgin olive oil and if you like, a splash of balsamic. Sprinkle on some sea salt and freshly cracked pepper. Pop them in the oven and leave them to roast for about half an hour. Once they're done leave them cool for a little while. We don't want to burn our mouths!
I had visited my local baker in the morning and he had some wonderful ciabatta bread made with the addition of olives. My mind went into overdrive as I thought of the endless possibilities that could be achieved with this bread. I simply sliced it and drizzled some more of that lovely extra virgin olive oil (I can't help it..its addictive!). I then "toasted" it , by placing in one of those groovy pans that have ridges. I made sure it was hot before I put the bread in and I "toasted" each side for about 2 mins. Now its very easy to construct. Put the tomatoes on top of the freshly "toasted" bread and drizzle some basil paste. For the final touch drizzle some more olive oil around the plate. How easy is that for a starter. Summer or not!
Summer Antipasto...Endless possibilities
A selection of goodies
Happy 2008 everyone! The new year saw us sweltering here in Sydney. With temperatures in the mid to high 30's I was at a loss at what to cook. Nobody wants to be stuck in a hot kitchen sweating away. This is where the famous Italian antipasto or Greek "meze" come into play. It's very simple to throw a few things together and nibble at a little bit of everything. Plump, marinated Kalamata and green olives. Freshly sliced cucumbers. Quick roasted tomatoes. Cold meats, tzatziki and toasted olive ciabatta. Let your taste buds have fun. Throw in a good bottle of wine and before you know it, lunch is served.
For now I'll make this a visual feast. I'll follow with recipes and ingenious ways to use them over the next few days. Now get ready to drool...
Get creative with ingredients lying around
Lay out a spread...let everyone help themselves
Succulent cold meats...Hot Salami, Mortadella and Sopressa
Lots of olives...
Cherry Season
Cherries are abundant this time of the year
Hope everyone had a few busy days. I did. I had problems with my blog and couldn't get out my Xmas wishes to everyone. That's modern technology for ya. Anyway, it's all been sorted out and I can write about one of my favourite fruits. Cherries. They are everywhere this time of the year here in Australia. Juicy, dark red and full of flavoursome goodness. It's funny because as a child I had never tried one of these beauties fresh. They were either "glace" in some hideous dessert or deep in maraschino liquer. The first time I tried one I was hooked. I served them the other day as a sweet treat after lunch. Simply dipped in a good couverture dark chocolate and cooled in the fridge. Better than strawberries any day.
I had a few spare after xmas lunch the other day and was wandering how to use them. I scanned my trusty cookbook collection and found a recipe for poached cherries. Very easy and delicious. It's basically 500g of cherries with their stones removed, 1/2 a cup of sugar, the juice of one lemon and a dash of your favourite liquer or port all left to simmer on a low heat in sauce pan for 10 mins. This allows the cherries to soften and release all their wonderful juices. Once the poached cherries had cooled, I put the next part of my plan into action. I grabbed some left over Pandoro (that famous Italian xmas cake) and sliced it thickly. I then toasted it and placed the poached cherries on top. The final touch was to use some left over mascarpone. A good dollop of that and I had a quick and easy dessert.
Try this...you won't be disappointed
This was a real winner and a perfect way to use up leftovers. By the way, best wishes to all this holiday season.
Pete
Dukkah Crusted Lamb with Coriander Pesto
Dukkah Crusted Lamb
A friend noted the other day that I had been cooking a fair few salads here on my blog. He said it would be good if I could do some more meals with "bite". I interpreted that as meaning he wanted some meals that were a little more "filling". So I gave into my caveman instincts and decided to whip a meal fit for any carnivore. With a little flair of course! I had actually been craving lamb since my return from Greece. A quick visit to the local butchers had netted me some beautiful organic lamb fillets. Another visit to the deli and I noticed some freshly prepared dukkah for sale. "Great flavours" I thought. The lamb and the dukkah were a marriage made in heaven. Dukkah is that exotic Middle Eastern blend of ground hazelnuts, toasted sesame seeds, ground cumin and coriander. Traditionally served with bread and olive oil, it's quite versatile and can be used to flavour just about anything. I love its simplicity versatility.
When I got home I brainstormed and worked out this great quick recipe. The coriander or cilantro pesto was a last minute inclusion and added another dimension to the dish. Very simple, very quick and very tasty. I drizzled some extra virgin olive oil over the lamb and then sprinkled a liberal amount of the dukkah over it. I massaged the dukkah into the lamb making sure it was coated evenly. After letting it rest and marinate in the fridge for half an hour I threw it into a hot pan and seared it on all sides. I then placed the pan (with a stainless steel handle...not a plastic one!) into an oven that had been preheating at 200 deg C. I let it "bake" or cook for about 10 mins. Once it was out I placed onto another plate, covered it in foil and let it rest for about 5 mins. It's very important to let the meat rest as this allows it to maintain its juiciness and tenderness. Once I was ready to serve it, I thought it looked kind of naked. It was screaming for something else. So out came the coriander or cilantro to US folks and bang! Another marriage was born! I placed a bunch of coriander leaves and stems into a food processor, added some whole ground roasted almonds, a squeeze of half a lime, a good amount of extra virgin olive oil and some salt and pepper for seasoning. The "pesto" or salsa was just what the lamb needed. Even I was impressed!
Lamb and coriander pesto
Thai Beef Salad
Fresh Thai Beef Salad
Everyone knows my love for Thai food. While I usually prefer to go out and eat it, I occasionally indulge in a bit Thai cooking at home. The flavours are strong but the key is always balance. The Thai version of Beef salad is an old favourite and the perfect summer dish. It really is a complete meal and quite healthy. Oh yeah! and very easy. Make sure you use a good quality beef steak, preferably eye fillet. Here is my version. Authentic or not.
FOR THE SALAD
2-3 pieces of good quality eye fillet
2 tomatoes, deseeded and chopped
2 lebanese cucumbers deseeded and sliced
half a small red onion thinly sliced
small bunch of coriander leaves
small bunch of mint leaves
handful of dry roasted peanuts
handful of toasted sesame seeds
fried eschallots for garnishing
FOR THE DRESSING
1/4 cup of good extra virgin olive oil
juice of half a lime
2 tablespoons of fish sauce
1 small red chili finely chopped
a small portion of palm sugar
PUT IT TOGETHER
1. Pre heat your oven to about 180-200 deg C
2. Place the cucumber, tomato, red onion, coriander, mint, peanuts and sesame seeds in a bowl.
3. Sear your steak in a hot pan and sear it a few mins each side.
4. Place the pan (NOT WITH A PLASTIC HANDLE OF COURSE!) into the oven and leave the beef in there for about 10 mins. Whilst that is cooking, whisk up your dressing. Please note, the dressing is "a taste as you go along" thing. It may need more of one ingredient to find the balance. Remember the Thai mantra for cooking. Spicy. sweet, sour and salty. Have fun and experiment.
5. Take the beef out and let it rest for a few mins. Once rested, slice diagonally like they do in restaurants and toss it in with the salad ingredients. Give it a good toss!
6. Present salad with fried eschallots on top for garnish. (fried eschallots ca be readily bought at most Asian grocery stores)
Taste the fresh flavours
Quick Pasta
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