Sticky Pasta

This pasta, I think, is amazing. It's so simple to make and really really tasty. It's pretty salty though and one of the very, very few times I use a sauce from a packet.

If I had time, I would make hoi sin sauce myself, but i love this as a quick and tasty dinner for a treat.


Ingredients:

• Hoi sin sauce - 2 packets of ready made sauce is perfect for 4 people.
• 300g Penne pasta
• 1 Red pepper, sliced
• 75g Chestnut mushrooms, sliced
• 2-4 spring onions, sliced
• Optional chicken or prawns, as much or as little as you like. I love left over roast chicken for this.

Method:

• Put the pasta on to boil and prepare the veg
• Stir fry the veg ( and meat or prawns if using) on a high heat then add the hoi sin sauce and simmer on a very low heat while you drain the pasta.
• Add the drained pasta to the veg & sauce and toss to coat well.
• Serve in bowls immediatley

Sweet Potato Tikka

We love curries here. This one is a fabulous change from a meat curry and it goes down really well with guests too. Perfect with a bottle of Red (or grape juice for the kids).

Ingredients:

• 1tsp ground cumin
• 1/2tsp cayenne powder
• 1tsp round turmeric
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• small sprinkle dried chilli flakes
• 1 1/2tsp garam masala
• 2-3 cloves fresh garlic, crushed or finley chopped
• 4 tins tomatoes
• 300ml creme fraiche
• 1kg sweet potatos
• 100g chestnut mushrooms
• 2-3 big handfuls baby spinach leaves
• Olive oil
• Basmati or pilau rice  - aprox 75g per person.

Method:

• In a large pan, put all the spices and set aside for later.
• Peel sweet potato and cut into bite size chunks. Boil until tender, but not soft.
• Slice mushrooms and set to the side.
• Add a good glug of oil to the spices and stir well to make a runny paste.  Heat on a low to med heat until just starts to sizzle and no more.
• Add drained sweet potato to the warmed paste and then add the mushrooms too. Stir really well and add the tinned tomatoes.
• Leave to simmer for 5 mins while you put the rice on to cook.
• One the rice is on, chop the baby spinach into shreds and add to the curry, but don't stir in yet.
• Once the rice is half done, stir in the spinach and leave to simmer.
• Just as the rice is finishing, add the creme fraiche to the curry and stir well until melted through. Turn to lowest heat and leave while you serve the rice.
• Add your curry to the plate and serve with nanns and papadoms.