Smoky Chicken Pasta

This is a something I had pinned to my pasta board and had wanted to cook for absolute ages as it just looked so damn good (sadly this is not the case with my photos). I wasn’t able to get the marinade specified though (and I now presume that this is probably available only in the US anyway) so kept putting it off.

In the end I decided to try it anyway using any smoky BBQ marinade that I could get my hands on (as it turned out, Nando’s) mixed with a little liquid smoke and lime juice.

I also employed the slow cooker for the chicken as from my experience thus far I knew this would be a good way of marinating and getting a pulled chicken effect in one.


Smoky Chicken Pasta
serves 3

225g Farfalle pasta
250ml double cream (I used Elmlea to save on calories)
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 cloves garlic, crushed
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
½ tsp dried basil
20g butter
½ tbsp flour
125g bacon, cooked until quite crispy and crumbled / chopped
40g Parmesan cheese, grated
170ml Nandos’ smoky Portuguese BBQ peri peri marinade
juice of ½ lime
¼ tsp Stubbs mesquite liquid smoke
100ml water

Put chicken, marinade, lime juice and liquid smoke plus 100ml of water in a slow cooker. Give it a good stir then put it on low for about 4.5 hours.

Pull the marinated chicken out of the marinade liquid, allow to cool a little bit, then shred and pop back into the marinade in the slow cooker to keep warm.

Cook the pasta according to packet instructions.

While the pasta is cooking melt the butter In a small saucepan. Stir in the flour and cook for a minute or so until the flour starts to colour a little. Add the garlic, stir in and cook for 30 seconds to a minute more.

Add the cream, basil, pepper, parmesan cheese, and crumbled bacon. Stir together on a low heat for 5-10 minutes.

Add the chicken and marinade sauce to the creamy sauce. When the pasta is cooked combine with the sauce.

Serve immediately with a little bit more shredded Parmesan cheese on top.

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Prawn Gumbo

Another Cajun / Creole inspired meal in a week (by accident rather than design) after the dirty risotto. I think I saw a version of this on Pinterest originally which spurred me to do a little research and then some more when that in turn spurred me on to find out the difference between an etouffee & a gumbo.

For those that are interested, a gumbo is made with a traditional roux, that is then browned and then the ‘holy trinity’ of celery, peppers and onions is added as well as broth and meat/seafood of choice (and okra if you’re into it, which I’m not). Basically a kind of soupy stew served over or alongside rice.

Etouffee means smothered and is usually crayfish or prawns, covered with a light roux (i.e. not browned) in which the holy trinity are then sauteed. The flavor of a blond roux is different, and because it's not cooked much, it has great thickening power, hence why it's called "smothered." The sauce is thicker.

The gumbo recipe I chose to adapt didn’t have pepper so in the interest of keeping to the ‘holy trinity’ I took liberty of adding it plus some tinned jalapenos - partly as I had some to use up but also as I like chillies.

Although I have made a roux before, I’ve never had to prepare one where it is browned and then is used to cook the vegetables - the fragrance as the chopped veg hit that nutty brown roux and sizzle is utterly delicious and really stimulates the appetite.

Ideally we would have had this spooned over brown rice but I didn’t leave myself enough time so basmati it was.


Prawn Gumbo
serves 2

170g raw prawns
1 tbsp groundnut oil
1 tbsp flour
1 onion, finely chopped
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
½ green pepper, finely diced
1 clove garlic, crushed
250ml fish stock
small tin chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp canned diced green chillies
¼ tsp dried thyme
¼ tsp dried oregano
¼ tsp smoked paprika
⅛ tsp cayenne
juice of ½ lemon
½ tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp chopped parsley
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Tabasco sauce (to taste)

In a large heavy bottomed saucepan, heat the oil over a medium-low heat.

Sprinkle flour over the oil and stir well until it's completely blended. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the flour-oil mixture browns and is dark caramel-coloured. Be very careful not to let it burn (be warned, this process isn't particularly quick so don't lose concentration through boredom and let it catch!).

Turn the heat down to low and stir in the onions, celery, green pepper, green chillies and garlic and sprinkle over ⅛ tsp salt and a few turns of freshly-ground pepper. Stir well then cover the pan and let the vegetables cook in the roux for 10-15 minutes until softened.

To the pan add the tomatoes, thyme, oregano, paprika, cayenne, lemon juice and Worcestershire sauce.

Stir well then add the stock and let simmer uncovered for about 20 minutes.

Stir in the prawns and let simmer in the soup until they are just firm and cooked through, about 3-5 minutes, depending on size. Taste and adjust seasoning to taste.

Stir in the chopped parsley, a couple of drops of Tabasco and serve in wide bowls over rice.

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Bourbon Basted Pork Chops

I made the marinade for this in the morning and let the chops sit in it all day - this will of course increase the depth of flavour but in all honesty it is not strictly necessary and this could just as easily be whipped up after work and let sit for 30 mins or so

Summer, at the time, was here so we chucked them on the BBQ (the bf is an Aussie after all) but you could cook them however you want. Just remember that if you use bone-in they will need a longer cooking time, unless you’re using Iberico pork or something which is OK a little pink. And if you are, lucky you.

Some lovely Jersey Royals would go perfectly with this but unfortunately for me that wasn’t to be so instead we had some honey carrots and parmentier potatoes.

Bourbon Basted Pork Chops
serves 2

1½ tbsp lemon juice (about half a lemon)
3 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
2 tbsp bourbon
½ tbsp grated shallot (about 1 small banana shallot)
¼ tsp hot sauce
¼ tsp pepper
2 pork loin chops

In a small saucepan mix together all of the ingredients except the pork and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer 5 minutes. Reserve half of the sauce.

Pour half of the sauce over the pork chops and marinate 30 minutes to overnight.

Grill the chops (in my case on a pre-heated BBQ) for 6 minutes and then flip and grill for a further 5 minutes on the other side, basting often with the reserved sauce. Make sure the chops are cooked through and then serve with your choice of sides.

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Grilled Chicken with Nectarine Salsa & Truffle Fries

It may now be winter, Christmas is approaching after all but here is a nice and pretty simple dish that should easily transport you back to the height of summer. Well, perhaps.

I think the piece de resistance here is the nectarine salsa - a really juicy, zesty relish that will go with all sorts of grilled white meats or fish. Peach is, naturally, a good alternative.

Obviously my choice was to serve it with marinated (in Old Bay seasoning, garlic olive oil and lime juice) chicken that we grilled on the BBQ (in winter perhaps use a griddle pan). The truffle fries are pretty genius too actually and this was altogether a really lovely meal.


Nectarine Salsa
serves 2 as a relish very generously

2 nectarines, stoned and diced (leave the skins on)
¼ small red onion, finely chopped
½ tbsp chopped mint
½ tbsp chopped coriander
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
juice of ½ lime
½ mild to medium green chilli, finely chopped
½ tsp agave nectar (or honey)
½ tsp olive oil
sea salt and black pepper

Mix the vinegar, agave nectar and lime juice in a small bowl and stir together until well combined.

Put the rest of the ingredients in a bowl, pour over the vinegar / lime juice mixture and combine carefully.

Season to taste with a little salt & pepper.



Truffle Fries
serves 2

2 maris piper potatoes, cut into fries
1 tbsp truffle flavored extra virgin olive oil
Parmesan cheese, finely grated, to taste
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 220C

Line a baking sheet with greaseproof paper and then place the fries onto the sheet. Drizzle over the truffle oil and a little salt and pepper and gently toss to combine.

Place into oven and bake for 30 minutes.

Grate over some Parmesan, give another little shake then put back into the oven for another 5-10 minutes, until golden brown and crisp.

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Chilli Cheeseburger Pasta

In devising this recipe I turned to my Pinterest pasta inspiration board - at the time, months ago, I was a bit hungover so the ones that stood out the most were those that were, shall we say, a bit on the dirty side.

All of these featured beef mince with cheese sauce as well as pasta: usually macaroni and most it seems based on that - would you believe - stalwart of American mid-week cooking, Hamburger (or Cheeseburger I guess) Helper. I don’t think we can buy it here: unless in the specialist food aisles of say, Selfridge, or one of the online speciality shops. Both of which meaning that you would pay a fortune for something that is the essence of convenience food.

But I digress slightly. I’ve put a kind of Mexican-inspired spin on this by spicing it up with salsa, jalapenos & spicy cheese for the sauce - at the time of cooking it was after all Cinco de Mayo. Yes, really!

But anyway, there is no denying that it is dirty, not particularly good for you, not very pretty to look at and, really, I’m unsure if worthy of a recipe. But do you know what? It tasted good and I’m sure at some point in the future in an hour of hungover need I will turn to it again and as this blog is at the least a record of my meals here it is.

Perhaps if and when I do try this again in a state of hungoverness (or perhaps I am being optimistic on that front given my current bun-in-oven-ness) I’ll endeavour to make it a one pan dish simply by foregoing the cheese sauce and just stirring in some cheese at end.


Cheeseburger Pasta
Serves 3-4

1 tsp olive oil
500g beef mince
30g taco &/or chilli seasoning
sml tin chopped tomatoes
250g salsa
2 tbsp jarred jalapenos, roughly chopped
500ml (approx) of beef stock
150g fusilli or other short pasta
For cheese sauce

30g butter

2 tablespoons flour
180ml milk
125g grated or finely chopped cheese (I used “Mexican” cheese & gruyere)
sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

Brown the mince well in the oil, draining off any excess liquid if necessary when you are done.

Stir in the taco seasoning, salsa, tomatoes, jalapenos, and pasta. 

Stir together well then add about 400ml of stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cover pan. Simmer for about 15-20 minutes or until pasta is tender - check about halfway through and if you think it needs more liquid add the rest of the stock.

While the pasta is cooking make the cheese sauce.

Melt the butter in a small saucepan then whisk in the flour and cook, whisking for 4-5 minutes until it becomes fragrant and starts to turn a light brown color. Whisk in the milk and bring to a boil.

Continue to whisk until smooth and the mixture starts to thicken. Remove from the heat and stir in the cheese until melted. 

Add a good grind each of salt and pepper to the cheese sauce then when the pasta is cooked pour it over the meaty pasta mixture. 

Stir gently to combine.

Serve immediately with a little extra cheese and perhaps some parsley scattered over.

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Hot Wings with Herby Couscous & Blue Cheese Dip

I have had some amazing Buffalo wings in my time. MeatLiqour’s in particular are, in my opinion, fantastic and what I wanted was to recreate them as far as possible.

Buffalo Wings are so-named as they actually originated in a bar called the Anchor Bar, in Buffalo New York. Owned by Frank and Teressa Bellissimo, Teresa apparently invented the dish back in 1964. The original wings are fried, then tossed in a combination of melted margarine and Frank’s hot sauce.

I know that I didn’t want to deep fry. Or use margarine. But butter would work instead of marg and Frank’s is easy to get hold of so I was set to go. Frank’s is good to use as it isn’t too hot but if really want your wings extra spicy you could use tabasco and still get that vinegar tang or just add some cayenne to the Frank’s as you make the sauce.

So I chose to bake rather than fry (frankly there needed to be some concession to healthiness after all that butter) and similarly when I made my blue cheese sauce I used 0% yoghurt rather than sour cream. As I’ve baked, not fried, I’m calling these hot wings lest I offend any purists...

Traditionally these wings would be served with celery sticks to dip in the blue cheese to temper the spiciness of the wings but here I’ve made it more of a meal by having alongside the couscous and the blue cheese sauce on the side for dunking (extra sacrilege!).


Buffalo-style Hot Wings
serves 4

10-12 whole chicken wings (about 1kg)
2 tablespoons rapeseed or groundnut oil
sea salt and black pepper
For the sauce
120ml Frank’s Hot Sauce
100 g unsalted butter
pinch of salt
cayenne pepper or tabasco to taste (optional - if you want the wings spicier)

Prepare the wings which are traditionally cut into three pieces - do this by cutting through the joints with a very sharp heavy knife or cleaver. If you turn the wings over with the underside of the wings facing up you should be able to see the joints and then cut through them rather than any bone. You can discard the wing tips or, and a much better idea, store them in the freezer to make chicken stock at a later date.

Rinse the wings and pat them dry with kitchen roll and then toss them together in a large bowl with the oil and a good grind of salt and pepper.

Meanwhile slowly melt the butter in a small saucepan over a low heat and then add the hot sauce, whisking well to combine. As soon as the butter is melted and the sauce combined take off the heat - you don’t want the butter to separate.

Taste and if necessary season with salt and add cayenne or tabasco if you want it spicier.

Toss the wings with about ¼ of the sauce, cover the bowl and refrigerate for an hour or longer.

When you are ready to cook the wings preheat the oven to 200C.

Lightly grease a baking sheet with a little oil using a piece of kitchen roll or pastry brush to make sure that the sheet is evenly coated.

Then arrange the wing pieces skin-side-up so that they are fairly closely packed but not overcrowded.

Cook for 30 minutes until golden brown and then using a pair of tongs turn the wings over and return to the oven to cook for an additional 15 to 20 minutes, until crisp.

Gently reheat the Buffalo sauce while you wait for the wings to finish.

When the wings are cooked, pour the Buffalo sauce into a bowl and add the wings (in batches if necessary) to coat them well in the sauce.

Blue Cheese Sauce

85g blue cheese, crumbled
6 tbsp mayonnaise
3 tbsp 0% yoghurt
½ lemon, juice of
½ tbsp white vinegar
sea salt & black pepper

Put the blue cheese in a bowl and mash with a fork until a paste forms. Whisk in the remaining ingredients until you have a smooth sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Herby Couscous
serves 2

75g couscous
handful of mint, roughly chopped
handful of parsley, roughly chopped
½ lemon, juice of
olive oil


Pour the lemon juice
 over the couscous in a bowl then add just enough boiling water just to cover.

Cover the bowl with clingfilm and set aside for 10 minutes.


Fluff the couscous and stir through the herbs and a splash or two of olive oil. Season to taste and serve with the wings and blue cheese sauce on the side.

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Taco Pasta

I had an evening alone which meant, as ever, that I had an excuse to have an experimental cook and / or cook something really dirty. This comes under both headings really.

Having seen a couple of pasta dishes on Pinterest referring to “Taco”, my interest was piqued (Meaty! Tomatoey! Cheesy! Creamy!) but in all honesty I couldn't be sure if the bf would feel the same way. I was also of the opinion that somethings that sounds so good in theory could be well be a victim of the sum of its parts and be absolutely revolting.

In the end I adapted this from The Girl who ate everything and I’m happy to report that it was not revolting but in fact pretty damn good: luckily as I’d made enough for leftover lunch the next day. 

I went with large shells here but I think this would be just as good (if not better, considering that large shells have an annoying tendency of sticking together) with small ones.


Taco Pasta
serves 2
250g turkey mince
175g pasta shells
1 small banana shallot, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tin chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp jalapenos, drained & chopped
2-3 tbsp taco seasoning
3 tbsp quark (or low fat cream cheese)
3 tbspl sour cream
2 tbsp chopped coriander
Salt and pepper

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Cook pasta according to the package directions, but about 5 mins or so less (so just before perfectly al dente). Drain, reserving some of the cooking water and set aside.

Meanwhile, cook the shallot over a fairly low heat in a large sauté pan with a little olive oil until softened and translucent. Add the garlic and cook for a minute or so more.

Push the shallots and garlic to the outside of the pan and add the mince. Cook over a medium heat until no longer pink and starting to brown.

Add in the jalapenos, chopped tomatoes and taco seasoning.

Let simmer over a medium heat for about 10 minutes.

Stir in the cooked pasta, quark (or cream cheese), sour cream and reserved pasta water, and continue stirring until the cream cheese is melted and the sauce is well blended.

Season with a little salt if necessary and plenty of black pepper and continue to gently simmer for a further 3-5 minutes.

Stir through the chopped coriander.

Serve immediately in large, warmed bowls.

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