Smoked Salmon and Asparagus Linguine

                                             Smoked Salmon and Asparagus Linguine


It's fast approaching Valentine's Day so I've been trying to put together a few recipes for a romantic dinner at home.  This pasta dish will only take you minutes to prepare & cook and is sure to impress your sweetheart. This will serve 2 healthy portions for a main course but you can halve the quantities for a starter sized dish.

Ingredients:-

6oz/175gms Packet of Smoked Salmon (pre-sliced) 
4oz /250 gms of dry linguine or similar pasta
a bunch of fresh asparagus (woody parts trimmed away)
7oz/200 gms Cream Cheese (I used Philly light)
splash of olive oil
grated zest of half a lemon & 2tsps of lemon juice
chopped chives or dill to finish

Method:-

Chop the tender stalks of the asparagus leaving the spear tips whole
Save 2 small slices of smoked salmon and roll  them up to form a rose as in the picture above
Chop the rest into strips
Cook the pasta in salted boiling water as per  packet instructions (usually around 7-8 minutes)
Add the asparagus to the same pan a couple of minutes before the end of cooking
Strain the pasta and reserve around 1 cup of the cooking water
Separate the asparagus spears for decorating the dish
Place the cup of cooking water back into the pan...add the cream cheese, olive oil,  lemon zest & juice
Stir to make a sauce ...do not boil it though
Add the chopped smoked salmon and the pasta to the pan stir through and plate onto warm dishes immediately
Decorate with the asparagus spears and the smoked salmon rose ....sprinkle with chives
Serve ... with a little green side salad and some warm ciabatta 

Pasta with Beetroot, Feta & Pine Nuts

Delciously healthy vegetarian fodder, cheap as chips too.

Beetroot is a great favourite...not so much the pickled in jars kind but the fresh sweetly roasted or boiled kind.

I grew the beetroot myself and they were picked, cooked and on the table within hours...some of the wonderful leaves & stems are included along with the cooking liquor......waste not want not.... this gave a wonderful colour to the actual pasta as well as adding a real depth of flavour to the dish.

Feta, Pinenuts and a good glug of decent Balsamic vinegar added to produce a wonderful flavour combination......just perfect for a summery lunch.

For 2/3 decent portions I used

6 medium sized beetroot....washed well. leaves removed and saved. Chop the stalks finely and slice through the leaves

if you buy the beet without leaves then substitute with a little spinach, Swiss chard or similar greens 

1 small onion finely diced

2 tbsps aged balsamic vinegar

a little olive oil for frying

a handful of toasted pinenuts

around 6oz of Cavatappi, macaroni or penne or similar pasta

1 tsp sea salt or so

fresly ground black pepper to taste

3/4oz Feta Cheese crumbled

1 tsp dried oregano

a little extra virgin oil for drizzling

Method

Cover the unpeeled beets with water in a saucepan, add a tsp or so of salt, bring to the boil and simmer until cooked through....approx 35 minutes

Leave in the pan until cool enough to handle.......keep the cooking liquor, it adds an incredible earthiness and you lose none of it's flavour & goodness

it also turns the pasta red....so lovely.

When cool enough to handle, gently remove the skins and chop into approx 1" cubes

Put the pan with the cooking liquid back on the stove and bring to the boil.

Add the pasta and perhaps a little more boiling water and cook as per packet instructions.

Meanwhile, add a little olive oil to the a frying pan,  sautee the onion until transluscent

Add the beet stalks first, cook on for a couple of minutes then add the leaves

Throw in the balsamic vinegar...and stir through, heat for a minute or so

Add the cooked pasta to the pan and toss everything together

Add the feta stir through....check your seasoning

Sprinkle over the Pinenuts, the oregano and drizzle with the extra virgin olive oil 

The pasta turns a lovely shade of red when cooked in the saved beetroot liquor

Chicken & Asparagus Pasta with Balsamic Red Onions

 To serve 4 portions

 400gms of penne pasta
 400g/14oz chicken breast cut into strips & seasoned well with black pepper & sea salt
 2 cloves of garlic
 a little olive oil fry frying the chicken
 16 medium sized asparagus spears, woody ends removed
 100gms/4oz button mushrooms sliced
 ½ pt of good strong chicken stock
 ½ pt milk or single cream
 2 tbsps of cornflour slaked in a little milk
 a little grated nutmeg
 seasoning
 2 medium red onions thinly sliced fried gently in a little oil until soft
 2 tbsp aged Balsamic added to the onions & cooked until evaporated & keep warm
 a little shredded Basil &> Grated parmesan to serve

 Method:-

First make the sauce, slowly bring both the chicken stock & milk/single cream to the boil in a saucepan, add the slaked cornflour stirring continually until thickened. Leave to cook out for around 5 mins. Add the nutmeg and check to seasoning keep hot

 Chop the heads from the asparagus spears, chop the stems into small pieces removing the woody ends

 Put a large pan of water on to boil Cook the pasta according to instructions 5 mins before the end of cooking time add the asparagus Drain then return to the pan

 Meanwhile while it's cooking Fry the chicken on a medium heat until just cooked through. Put onto a plate & keep warm. In the same pan gently fry the mushrooms & garlic until soft and add to the chicken
 Add the chicken, mushrooms & garlic to the sauce
 Taste for seasoning Pour this over the pasta and mix well
 Place in a serving dish, sprinkle over the balsamic onions, some chopped basil and grated parmesan & serve