Cookbook Challenge 2013 - Week 28

When we were invited along to join some friends at a beer festival in their village we were still in the grips of a fairly cold spring, but when the weekend in question actually approached and we heard that it was going to be a scorcher we were delighted. While being in the middle of a field drinking beer isn’t necessarily the way to avoid sunburn and sunstroke we took all precautions and arrived loaded up with bottles of water and sun cream. Even though we were told that we didn’t need to bring anything I figured the more sustenance we had the more beer we could taste, so to that end I whipped up some Everyday Brownies from Nigella’s Kitchen the night before. They were super easy to make and had the added bonus of being robust enough to survive the train journey to the festival (I doubt any fancy cupcakes would have!). They were just the thing come the mid-afternoon munchies and went down well with the friendly crowd we were with. We had a great day at the Haddenham Beer Festival which was rounded off nicely with more beer from the local pub (well the festival had run out) and a few chilli-dogs back at my friend’s house – lord knows how we made it back to the station and on to the right train, but we did. Oh and for anyone that’s interested, if you leave a camembert out in the full sun for an hour it bakes as well as in any oven (umm, fondue!). 

 

Following the over-indulgences of a beer festival and a family BBQ (we were celebrating the British win at Wimbledon, so we just had to treat ourselves!) I decided a nice light meal was the way to go so I made the Sea Bass Ceviche from Wahaca. A little bit of prep was all that was required and I could just sit back and let the fish ‘cook’ in the citrus juices, I then simply made it all look pretty on a platter to serve alongside some tortilla chips. In the middle of the heat-wave we’re experiencing this is the perfect dish, it’s light, fresh and zingy – I may have to make another ceviche next week, I’d forgotten just how tasty they are and who knows how long the hot weather is going to last. 

The following night I made the Tomato & Basil Tarte Tatin from Lorraine Pascale’s Baking Made Easy, it really could not have been easier as there was absolutely no pre-cooking required, just put everything in the pan, cover with the pastry and pop it into the oven. Now I do just have to dispute the cooking time given in the recipe, I had my reservations when I first read it and after 20 minutes I was right, the tomatoes were definitely not cooked enough so I popped it back in. Served with a massive salad this was a very light and healthy dish (if you just completely forget all about the puff pastry).

My fourth, and final, new recipe of the week was Fusilli al Fagiolini from The Geometry of Pasta (my favourite pasta book, I have to say). I can’t say that I’ve ever consciously had pasta with green beans but I thought it sounded tasty (and cheap…that’s always important too). It involves cooking some of the green beans in advance and then blitzing them with some cream, garlic and bit of ground cinnamon but once that’s done all you need to do is cook the pasta and add the remaining beans to the pan towards the end. Once everything is mixed together you get a lovely combination of creamy-coated pasta with the slight crunch of those green beans and just a hint of sweet cinnamon in the background. Another winner from a brilliant book!

Recipe Count: 89
New Target: 104

Cookbook Challenge 2013 - week 27

This week was decidedly lighter on the new recipe front than recent weeks, but it did mean I got to enjoy a nice relaxing Friday night, albeit without the satisfying smell of home-baked goodness. A bit worryingly I have come to the conclusion that I don’t have enough baking books, I feel a book order coming on but there are so many to choose from…all recommendations are welcome!

Since receiving my lovely new frying pans I’ve been meaning to make a frittata so that I can actually remove it from the pan without destroying it, and given that ‘summer’ is apparently upon us I figured now was as good a time as any – well that and the fact that I had inadvertently bought far too many eggs which needed using. From Cook in Boots I made the Pea, Pancetta & Halloumi Frittata, which involved very little effort really, a bit or prep was all that was needed. I couldn’t quite get the halloumi to brown completely on top under the grill as the rest of the frittata was getting quite dark already, and surely nobody wants a charred frittata <shudder>. Served with a simple side salad this made for a very tasty and light midweek dinner, and also lunch for hubby the following day. I always enjoy a nice frittata but the addition of the halloumi was inspired, it has a great texture and a mild salty flavour which worked brilliantly here.

 My only other new recipe this week was Spaghetti with Asparagus, Anchovies, Basil & Pangrattato from Theo Randall’s Pasta. Determined to make the most of the British asparagus season I’ve been trying to inject it into our diet whenever possible, and this seemed like a perfect opportunity. Despite the addition of double cream this was a very light dish, the tender garlic and asparagus were offset nicely with the crunchy breadcrumbs and the salty flavour of the anchovies. Next time I could be persuaded to add a little chilli into the mix (when couldn’t I?) but a really enjoyable meal nonetheless, and one that I will definitely make again. 

 Recipe Count: 85
New Target: 104

Cookbook Challenge 2013 - Week 26

When we invited the neighbours round for a meal it was supposed to have been gloriously sunny, but instead it was blowing a gale and we felt more like hibernating than sitting in the garden. Obviously the idea of a BBQ soon went out of the window, but I was still determined that we should have a very summery meal – which we did. I chose something fairly simple for the main course, something that I’ve made many times before so that way I could enjoy several glasses of Pimm’s with our guests. For dessert I made the Chocolate & Raspberry Pavlova from Nigella’s Forever Summer. Having made the meringue the night before all I had to do that evening was whip the cream and pile it on top, followed by heaps of beautiful raspberries (I also added some blueberries to the mix as they needed using up). My only problem came when it was time to serve, as the dessert was such a behemoth that I couldn’t find a serving plate big enough – I had to make do with a large glass cheeseboard instead. The pudding was a great success, the meringue was rich and speckled with flecks of chocolate which complemented the cream and fruit topping wonderfully. Due to the size of the dessert our neighbours very kindly took some off our hands, which they may or may not have eaten for breakfast the following morning!

As I was using so many egg whites for the pavlova I wanted to make use of the leftover egg yolks, so I figured that the best way would be to make some ice cream – it must be the sweltering hot summer we’re experiencing! Flicking through The Icecreamists I settled on the fairly simple Milk Chocolate Ice Cream, I doubled the recipe to get maximum use from the eggs and to make it worth my while getting the ice-cream maker out. With the pavlova in the oven I made the custard base, added the chocolate and then left the whole thing to cool before refrigerating overnight. I was pleased the following morning to see that it practically filled the ice cream maker, and then when I tasted the custard it actually tasted like melted ice-cream – things were looking good. Now the ice-cream wasn’t meant as an accompaniment to the pavlova, it was simply a by-product, but since I’d made it I thought I’d offer it anyway. I’m glad that I did, it was gorgeous and rich, and someone did say that it was better than Ben & Jerry’s – I’d say that was a success!

Dhal Keema from Cook in Boots was next on the agenda, and it did not get off to the greatest of starts when I opened the book to find that I had to soak the lentils in water for two hours first…luckily I had at least started the prep as soon as I got home so it wasn’t as bad as it could have been. Apart from that setback the rest of the cooking went without incident and, slightly later than planned, we sat down to a very tasty dinner. I think the only criticism I have about this is that I like my keema curries to be strewn with peas, and this was therefore slightly lacking in that department – the lentils were nice, don’t get me wrong, but I do love peas. Still, there are a couple of portions to go in the freezer and I won’t complain next time I need an easy option!

And finally, I made Moroccan Style Pasta from Fantastico!, although I did take the liberty of using bucatini in lieu of the pappardelle, because that’s what I had in the cupboard. I think in principle the recipe is lovely, all the elements work really well together but I found the flavour lacking somewhat, so I think next time I would add some ras-el-hanout in place of the other spices, and possibly even a bit of chilli or harissa to give it a much needed kick. And when I have time to make some of my own pasta I will have to try it with the pappardelle because I think the wider pasta would work really well here. Incidentally, hubby and I have decided that we prefer spaghetti because due to the hole down the middle of bucatini it is impossible to suck that last little bit into your mouth.

Recipe Count: 83
New Target: 104

Cookbook Challenge 2013 - Week 25

Continuing my predilection for Friday night baking I whipped up the Dark Chocolate & Amaretto Cake from The Clandestine Cake Club Cookbook when I returned home from work. My thinking was that if I made it early we could enjoy it all weekend, and so we did! Though I did make the mistake of having a piece later that night when it was still slightly warm and the chocolate was still gooey - I should have waited as it was much nicer the following morning. The crunch of the chocolate and the biscuits was delicious with the soft texture of the sponge; this was a very easy cake to make and made for one very happy weekend!

When it comes to special occasions I always like to bake something, to find something that I know the other person likes, and knowing my Dad’s fondness for the chocolate orange I baked the Chocolate Orange Brownies from Cook in Boots by Ravinder Bhogal for a special Father’s Day treat. Although I used the size tin specified in the recipe they came out a lot bigger than the picture indicated, and took a lot longer to cook – but what finally came out were some proper man-size brownies that smelt wonderfully orangey. Following a very enjoyable afternoon in the pub with my lovely Dad we headed home for beer and brownies (though I just shared one as they were fairly substantial, and for testing purposes only you understand).

Having neglected the mighty aubergine recently my next recipe of the week was Baked Aubergines with Spinach & Pecorino from Fantastico! by Gino D’acampo (recently donated to me by a friend, I love friends like that!). The aubergines took a bit longer to cook than was specified, but that simply gave me longer to complete my ironing (multi-tasking at its best!). They were stuffed with tomatoes, spinach, pine nuts, cooked aubergine flesh then topped with mozzarella and baked. While the dish was very nice there seemed to be something lacking in the flavour, if I make it again I would probably add a pinch of chilli (big surprise there!) or some more herbs. I have only been satisfied with one stuffed aubergine dish that I’ve made and that was from the master himself, Ottolenghi – why did I think that could be topped?

 

Another cracking recipe this week was the Creamy Pea and Chive Risotto from BBC Good Food, and while I may have fudged it by using risotto rice instead of pearl barley it was still absolutely delicious – I do love peas in a risotto! And I know the addition of the cream cheese was to make up from the lack of creaminess of the barley, but what the hell I threw it in anyway…and it was scrummy. I haven’t cooked a risotto for a while (there was a time when we’d have one every other week) and I’d forgotten how much I like the soothing stirring action, it gets quite hypnotic after a while. A nice and simple recipe for the midweek dinner table, you can’t ask for more than that. 

 

Rigatoni con Asparagi Piselli e Funghi was my final recipe of the week, from Gino’s Pasta, though obviously I omitted the mushrooms – my intolerance to them is too painful to ignore. I loved the combination of peas and asparagus, coated in a creamy sauce spiked with smoked paprika, but I have to say that I could have done without the leeks. I mean I like leeks but I’m not sure they added anything here and if I were to make it again I may just leave them out too. A nice simple evening meal, especially after whipping up pavlova and chocolate ice cream…but that will have to wait until next week’s write-up!

Recipe Count: 79
New Target: 104

 

Cookbook Challenge 2013 - Week 24

I’d been eyeing up the Blueberry Swirl Cheesecake in the latest issue of BBC Good Food magazine for the past few weeks but couldn’t really justify making it for the two of us, so when I was asked to bring a pudding to a BBQ there wasn’t a moment’s hesitation as to what I’d be taking. As it was a baked cheesecake I made it the night before because I wanted it to chill overnight, though it did prove a risky venture as the temptation to dig-in every time I went into the fridge was immense. Still, I managed to resist, and it survived the journey up the M40 (still snuggled in its tin). Although the weather was not as hot as predicted, there’s nothing like sitting outside enjoying good company, good food and a few drinks – many thanks to our hosts for a very enjoyable and meaty BBQ (I’m sorry if we ruined the two-tone effect…but personally I blame Jamie Oliver!). I think we must have all engaged our ‘pudding tummy’ later in the evening when we decided we probably could squeeze in a small piece of cheesecake, and rather pathetically we only managed to consume about a third of it – but there were only good noises coming from around the room so it seemed to go down well. I was really pleased with how it turned out as I realised that I’d never made a baked cheesecake before, but definitely will be doing so again!

Given that tartiflette is an indulgent French dish usually saved for a post-ski meal, it may sound slightly bizarre that I cooked up Rachel Khoo’s Nids de Tartiflette, from The Little Paris Kitchen, on a swelteringly hot June day…nevertheless that’s exactly what I did. Though I did serve them with a freshly-dressed green salad to compensate, because I believe that does make a ton of potato and cheese the healthy option! They were really easy to make, mainly because I used the food processor to shred the potatoes nice and finely, and then sat back with a chilled glass of wine while they continued to cook in the oven. I must have added more potato that strictly necessary because we ended up with more than the recipe stated, but hubby wasn’t complaining when he took the leftovers to work the next day (nuke them in the microwave and they’re just as tasty…apparently).

Wanting to feel a bit more virtuous after consuming my own weight in cheesecake I opted for Green Sindhi Fish Curry from I Love Curry for the following day, it looked nice and light and just the thing for a quick mid-week dinner. It was very easy to prepare but I needed to cook the sauce down for a lot longer as it was still very watery towards the end, I removed the fish and continued to reduce it down even further as I didn’t want it to be overcooked and flaking into the sauce. I think that next time I won’t add so much liquid as it did dilute the flavour somewhat. I served it with naan bread but I think rice might be a better idea in future.

My final new recipe of the week was Broad Bean, Pea & New Potato Quesadillas from Wahaca: Mexican Food at Home. This one takes a bit of prep, and a few saucepans (although I waited until the potatoes were done and then used the same pan for the beans and peas, don’t want hubby complaining about the washing up!) but is definitely worth the effort. I prepared the filling and then sat down with a cup of tea before continuing with the griddling a bit later on, with all the windows open naturally – my griddle pan does have a tendency to set all the smoke alarms off! Once griddled, I kept each quesadilla warm in the oven while I completed the batch. These were exceptionally tasty, nice and crispy on the outside, though I might add an extra chilli next time for a slightly bigger kick, I served them with just a dressed salad and it was the perfect dinner.

Recipe Count: 74
New Target: 104

Cookbook Challenge 2013 - Week 23

Following a very frantic Friday evening, I awoke on Saturday feeling quite pleased that I’d made the effort as now the whole weekend stretched ahead of me and the most effort I had to put in from that point was to whip some cream. I had, the night before, baked the Amaretto Cream Cake from The Clandestine Cake Club Cookbook and now had to simply whip the cream, add the amaretto and sandwich the cake together. I dusted the top liberally with cocoa powder and tried not to eat it right then and there! I loved this cake, the amaretto in the cream was not in the least bit over powering and neither was it too sweet. The perfect accompaniment to a cup of tea of a Saturday morning! I did have to reign myself in from snacking on the leftover amaretto biscuits though, there are just enough left to make another cake from the same book, so no leftovers for me.

A pattern has begun to emerge over the past few weeks in that I don’t seem to do any cooking at the weekends, it’s not through choice per se, just that we’ve been very busy and away from home. With that in mind we spent a very enjoyable afternoon and evening out with friends, sampling the delights of several pubs in the Thame area – catching the train to the pub is definitely the way forward. Our dinner that night consisted of a hog roast sandwich, and some lovely snacks procured by my friend from the local farmers market that morning…and possibly a sneaky portion of chips on the way home!


In an attempt to get back to the post-holiday detox my other new recipe for the week was Salmon & Lentils with Chorizo, Asparagus and Balsamic Dressing from Lorraine Pascale’s Fast Fresh & Easy. Now I didn’t have a tin of green lentils so before I started the rest of the prep I quickly popped some dried ones on to cook while I got everything else ready. Believe it or not this is the first time I’ve cooked asparagus so far this year, I’ve only actually eaten it on a handful of occasions too – the weather has delayed it for too long! This was an absolute delight of a dish, the salmon was lovely and moist, the chorizo and asparagus really adding flavour to the lentils and the dressing was a nice touch of sweetness. It might have been slightly on the expensive side, but we all deserve a splurge now and then!

Recipe Count: 70
New Target: 104

Cookbook Challenge 2013 - Week 22

After a week of feasting on cheese and beer I figured that the health drive should start as soon as we got home, therefore the week involved plenty of fish and vegetables, and since I missed the butchers on Saturday – it would also be meatless. On the bank holiday I spent the day churning out washing by the bucket load, and racing through the ironing while watching Les Misérables (how apt!) so when it came to the evening meal I was grateful for something quick and easy. I chose Seabass Fillet Parcels with Lemon Couscous from Woman & Home's current issue of Feel Good Food magazine, it was a lovely delicate dish with a zingy couscous which was deliciously strewn with peas. Exactly the kind of detox we needed after our holiday!


My only other new dish of the week was put off several times but we did just manage to squeeze it in, so on Friday night we tucked into Pasta with Mackerel, Marsala & Pine Nuts from Nigellissima. It was a particularly busy evening as it turned out and I was quite impressed that I managed to get it on the table at a decent hour, my husband seemed fairly impressed that I was whipping up three different dishes all at the same time (and fortuitously for me he turned up in time for the washing up – sorry!). I did feel like I was spinning on the spot at times though, chopping something quickly, flinging it in the pan and then turning back to do three other things/dodge the husband trying to make a cup of tea (this is not how I usually roll!). For some reason when I had originally seen this recipe it didn’t really appeal to me, so why make it at all you might ask? I guess I just felt it deserved a fair crack, and my husband does like a bit of mackerel. I was actually pleasantly surprised, I’m not sure if it was the dish or the fact that after a hectic day I was finally sitting down, but nevertheless it was a very tasty dish and, for me the pine nuts were the star here, adding a much needed bit of crunch

Recipe Count: 68
New Target: 104

Cookbook Challenge 2013 - Week 21

As I said at the end of my last post I was off on holiday this week and as suspected I did very little cooking, I don’t think heating things on a camping stove really counts (though they were things I’d taken from the freezer and had actually cooked initially…nope, didn’t think I’d get away with that!). It was a very good week for food and drink, as it turns out – we visited the Black Sheep Brewery, Theakston’s Brewery, Copper Dragon Brewery, and the Wensleydale Creamery so a diet of beer and cheese was inevitable really (though we did bring the majority of the cheese home with us, as we may have overindulged slightly during the cheese tasting). At times I did wonder about my suitability for the whole camping experience, namely when I swanned off down the campsite in my Joules wellingtons, with my Cath Kidston vanity case clung over my shoulder…
To bridge the gap between camping and our weekend in the city we called in to Betty’s at Ilkley on the way past for a spot of lunch. After a round of salmon sandwiches and a visit from the cake trolley we were just about transformed and felt ready for civilization. 

I think my big revelation came when we hit Leeds at the end of the week and during the obligatory curry night (at Aagrah on Harrogate Road) we had a mixed tandoori grill which, unbeknownst to me, contained liver – but rather surprisingly I really enjoyed it. I’ve never been a fan of liver in the past, like a lot of people, but it wasn’t overpowering and clearly it was cooked to perfection as the texture was not that of rubber. That night I also sampled a lightly spiced seabass fillet, and a monkfish curry that may have been a little on the spicy side, but the complimentary glass of wine soon sorted that out (seriously, the nicest waiters in there – the wine was slightly delayed in arriving so it was on the house…I don’t think it had anything to do with Barbara glaring at them at all!).

 

Our second stop in Leeds was for lunch the following day when we headed to the Corn Exchange, so we sat there and watched the diners in Anthony’s Restaurant while tucking into our gourmet hotdogs in Primo’s. But I have to say they were extremely good, exactly what we needed to after the heavy night before – the people of Adel sure can hold their liquor!
 

That night we headed to a Mexican restaurant in the new Trinity development, Cielo Blanco. We arrived fairly late but were pleased to see that the place was still packed and having been told there’d be a twenty minute wait we were pleasantly surprised to be ushered to our table before we’d even had chance to order a drink at the bar. We decided to go for a tapas-style selection of the street food dishes, so we feasted on quesadillas, tacos, tostados, and stuffed jalapenos. It was a really relaxed evening and the food was truly delicious – I’m glad I did some research before heading up North! 

After a day watching the cricket in a Headingley pub garden, just a stone’s throw from the live action, we were taken for a wonderful meal at Divinio, an Italian restaurant in Adel. The asparagus starter jumped out at me straight away as I’ve not yet had any of this season’s bounty (stupid weather delaying my favourite vegetable!), and then in a shock twist I chose the pan-fried calf’s liver and a side of minted peas – oh my goodness this was good, did anyone know that liver was this good?! I may have been totally bowled over by this dish (I’m sure if my husband hears the word liver one more time, well I imagine he may ‘swing for me’).

Next week is going to seem really dull now…

Recipe Count: 66
New Target: 104

Cookbook Challenge 2013 - Week 20

Having been invited to a party to celebrate a friend’s overseas wedding I thought we should probably eat something before we left – given my penchant for passing out when (a) I haven’t eaten, (b) I have eaten, (c) I feel warm, or (d) none of the above but what the hell I’ll do it anyway! With this in mind I made Southern Potato Curry from I Love Curry, a dish that I had been meaning to make for a few weeks but it was always the one ‘that would keep’. This recipe was incredibly simple, the potatoes need cooking separately, and then you add them to the sauce for a short while at the end for them to absorb some of the flavour and finish cooking. I probably could have added a little bit more spice, but I do have form for making things a little too hot so for the sake of my long-suffering husband I held back a bit this time.

Another recipe which I’d put off last week was Chicken Souvlaki with Coriander, from Sarah Raven’s Food for Friends and Family. This was supposed to have been done on the BBQ in the blazing sunshine, but was in fact done in the griddle pan with the rain lashing at the windows – you’ve got to love the British summertime! Having marinated my chicken ahead of time, I donned a pair of CSI gloves to thread it on to the skewers. The jaundice look which results from handling anything containing turmeric is not one I intended to sport for the rest of the week. I heated up the pitta bread and served with a simple salsa of tomatoes, red onion, coriander and lime. I did contemplate doing further side dishes but I figured with the amount of chicken and the size of the pitta breads we’d probably have more than enough already. Despite my husband’s comment that he hated this ‘cooking your own dinner malarkey’, owing to the fact that he had to put everything in the pitta bread himself at the table, he did seem to enjoy himself enormously – it was me that managed to make a complete mess of it (but it’s not like there’s any photographic evidence of this at all…).

I do hate a recipe which is never going to emulate the glossy colour photograph it comes with because clearly they’ve done something extra to the dish – this is how I felt when I decided to make Taking the Pistachio, Pistachio Ice-Cream from The Icecreamists. Clearly they had added green food colouring to their ice cream but was there any mention of this in the recipe, no! And another thing when exactly do you want me to add the almond extract, the first time you tell me to or the second? The resulting ice cream was very tasty, what little there was of it anyway – not really sure it was worth getting my ice-cream maker out for to be honest!

Every time I chop courgettes I always think that there is far too much and we’ll never eat them all, yet I know that they shed loads of water therefore reducing the amount once they’re cooked – so seriously when will I stop questioning it? Conchiglie con Zucchine e Pancetta from Gino’s Pasta was the aforementioned courgette dish, and yes the pile of chopped courgettes was huge to begin with. I love conchiglie pasta at the moment, I like the way it collects little bits of goodness inside its shell – meaty goodness in this case – and surprises you mid-mouthful! A very simple recipe and a very tasty dish, this book is definitely staying in my collection come year-end.

Next week I’ll be on holiday and there will be absolutely no cooking being done – though I will be hoping to sample lots of good food cooked by someone else!

Recipe Count: 66
New Target: 104

Cookbook Challenge 2013 - Week 19

With a bank holiday looming I made some great recipe plans for the long weekend, then in a flurry of invitations they were slowly but surely wiped out – but hey I’m not complaining. A wonderfully fun BBQ with our neighbours, and then an equally awesome one the following day with my parents was just the thing to make the weekend a truly relaxing one. So a big thank you to all our hosts for some truly spectacular cooking – not least the brioche and baklava which we thoroughly enjoyed!

My efforts this week now seem very paltry in comparison to everything we tasted at the weekend, and the fact that we were out for two evenings meant that I didn’t get to make very many dishes either; in fact my recipe count is only a very measly two. But given I’ve already exceeded my year’s target it’s not the end of the world, the dishes I managed to create still produced some smiles on the faces of those that ate them. First up I wanted to do a bit of baking so I flicked through my recipe file once more and decided to make one that I’ve looked at for ages and never actually made – Raspberry Bakewell Cake from BBC Good Food Magazine. Now my first mistake was leaving the butter on the windowsill to soften, in the full sun….all day (cue melted butter dripping off said windowsill on my return home), so with my second pack of butter desperately softening on my aptly named ‘butter-shelf’ (i.e. the shelf above the radiator) I set about weighing everything else out and hoping that by the time I needed it, the butter would be nicely squishy. Now although the recipe did call for a large quantity of ground almonds I also added a couple of dashes of almond essence too, because I just can’t resist that heady hit of marzipan. The cake was a hit with everyone that tried it, and it was especially nice with a scoop of ice-cream after a particularly meaty BBQ.

 

Thanks to my scavenger hunt a few weeks ago I had stocked up on pasta and so was able to try the recipe for Conchiglie with Yoghurt, Peas & Chilli from Jerusalem. I think it must have been all the warm weather we’ve been having which tempted me to make this dish, as the yoghurt sauce is cold the finished dish is not piping hot, but this seemed perfect…until the wind and rain reappeared. But I figured the addition of feta cheese would appease any qualms hubby might have, indeed I was right. This was a super dish, the pasta really held onto the sauce and each shell of pasta had filled with peas and yoghurt-y goodness – and the crispy pine nuts on top gave a really wonderful extra texture. I think I might have to head out for more pasta supplies soon…

Recipe Count: 62
New Target: 104