Tag Archives: pasta

Chicken and Walnut Cannelloni – the short-ish way

30 Sunday Aug 2015

Posted by in chicken, Pasta

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From time to time I want some tasty food,  but just don’t feel like expending the energy to put all the ingredients together.  At times like that I think a few shortcuts are acceptable.  In this recipe the shortcuts are the sauces.   Substitute with your favourites – and of course, you can always cook them from scratch (which I often do).  The pasta I already had in the freezer from an earlier time when I had made cannelloni – phew that was lucky.

We have a lot of walnuts which need using – so I spent a little time in the afternoon shelling a bowl full.  We both love using walnuts in our cooking.  When I made the filling I could have gobbled it all up without any further cooking – it smelt SO good.  But I held back.  Difficult though.

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INGREDIENTS

  • 500g chicken mince, or finely diced chicken breast or thigh
  • 2 shallots
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 cup chopped roasted walnuts
  • 2 teaspoons pesto
  • 3 cups baby spinach, washed
  • ¼ cup grated parmesan
  • 1 cup Passata
  • 325g jar Carbonara Sauce
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 8-12 fresh cannelloni or lasagne sheets

METHOD

STEP 1

Pulse ¾ cup walnuts with pesto (add a little oil if too dry). Chop shallots and garlic. Heat a pan with about 1 tablespoon olive oil and add shallots and garlic. When soft add chicken and cook until chicken is just cooked. Add the baby spinach and cook until spinach is wilted.   Take pan off the heat and let cool.   When cool combine chicken mixture with the pulsed walnuts and pesto. Add grated parmesan, and salt and pepper to taste.   Mixture should be slightly moist, but not runny.

STEP 2

Cover bottom of ovenproof dish with the passata. Dip a cannelloni sheet in hot water to soften and place on a flat surface. Spoon chicken filling along the longer pasta sheet edge and roll up to form a cylinder. Place in the dish, seam side down. Repeat to use all sheets.

STEP 3

Pour carbonara sauce over cannelloni, cover and bake at 180°C for 30 minutes.

Serve sprinkled with remaining walnuts and some chopped parsley.

Good with a fresh salad and some warm garlic bread.

Beetroot Pasta Sauce, with Walnuts and Feta

24 Monday Aug 2015

Posted by in Dinner, Pasta

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My tastebuds felt like something different – have been feeling a little lacklustre in the kitchen department lately. The other day I bought one beetroot from the supermarket, one beetroot. Yes, very random. One. Beetroot. What do you do with only one? You make some sauce, enough for 2 people, and wish you had more.
This recipe creates a dish with a glorious colour, if I had been more intent I would have made the pasta too. I am sure u may well do that, but if not don’t feel guilty, the sauce is SO good that you won’t worry too much about the pasta! The taste was subtle, but definitely there. The Walnuts and Feta were perfect accompanients, even if Mr MWCED didn’t think quite so – as he prefers parmesan to feta. It’s all really up to you and your taste, there are many variations on a theme that can be done here.  Limited only to your imagination (isn’t all cooking!).   Enjoy. IMG_1921Pasta with Roasted Beetroot Sauce, Walnuts and Feta

Serves: 2 (probably 3 – I had enough for a take to work lunch the next day)

300g fresh beetroot, cleaned and trimmed. Cut into diced pieces
4 – 6 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 slosh of white wine (whatever is close to hand, preferably dry)
200 ml chicken or vegetable stock
½ cup walnuts, shelled
½ cup feta, cut or broken into small pieces
Pasta of choice
Parsley

Heat oven to 200 C . Put beetroot and garlic onto an oven tray, Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and roast until beetroot is soft. Probably about 30/40 minutes. Make sure garlic doesn’t overcook.

Once cooked put beetroot and garlic into a blender. Add rest of olive oil, balsamic, wine, and start to blend. Add stock slowly and only use enough to ensure that the mixture is well blended and smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Cook pasta and drain. Add beetroot sauce and keep warm over low heat. Meanwhile heat a frying pan and lightly cook walnuts – make sure they do not burn.

Put pasta into serving dish, top with walnuts and feta and parsley.

Mr MWCED doesn’t like feta, so I served this on the side, and subbed parmesan for him (also on the side). This dish can be made with many substitutes, it is very versatile.

True Synergy – Pumpkin and Pasta

09 Wednesday Apr 2014

Posted by in Vegetables

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There is something blissful and delicious about pumpkin and pasta.  It is a favourite combination of ours and one we never tire of.     I only get to cook a couple of times a week (thank you Mr MWCED),  but even then I sometimes leave the run a little late in the day and need something easy and quick.  This may not be the quickest,  but it was easy, and anyway during the two main cooking times you can always pour a glass or 2 of wine.   I think the weather had chilled down a bit,  and I had a yearning for some comfort food (my body doesn’t need it,  but my mind certainly did!).   This recipe came from food.ninemsn.com.au and as usual I made a few tweaks:

Baked Pasta with Pumpkin, Feta and Basil

Ingredients:
500g pumpkin, peeled and chopped
3 rashers bacon, rind removed, chopped
6 garlic cloves, unpeeled
2 tablespoons oil
400g rigatoni pasta (or best alternative)
100g feta, crumbled
½ cup parsley, chopped
lots of basil leaves, chopped
½ cup (50g) grated mozzarella

Preheat oven to 190C or 170C fan. Place pumpkin, bacon, garlic and half of oil in a baking pan and toss to coat. Cook for 30-40 minutes, until pumpkin is tender. Squeeze garlic from skin.
Meanwhile cook pasta in a large saucepan of boiling, salted water according to packet directions. Drain, preserving 1 cup of cooking liquid.
Combine pasta, pumpkin, bacon, garlic flesh, feta, parsley and basil plus remaining oil in a 10 cup ovenproof dish.  (Do you ever know how many cups your dish is?  I wouldn’t have clue,  so just choose whatever looks to be the right size).  At this stage I also sprinkle through just a tad of dried mixed herbs.  Pour over reserved liquid and top with mozzarella.   Bake for 25 minutes, until golden.  When serving use some basil sprigs for garnish.

A definite dish to repeat in the winter.  It will be one of our weekend standbys.   Hope you like it too.