Nachos, My Way

Nachos. Na-chos. Even the word sounds stuff-it-in-your-mouth-able. Doesn't it? Sure, it isn't the healthiest meal you can whip up, but sometimes only a plate of crunchy tortilla chips drenched with toppings and gooey cheese will do the trick. The best part for me is that string of melted cheese when you pick up the first chip. And when you take that first crunchy-spicy-cheesy bite? Man you know that belly-bliss is not far off. Arrrrrriba!

Serves 4 - 6

1 tsp olive oil
1/2 large onion, chopped
500g (1 lb) mince
1/2 tablespoon chili powder
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp cumin
salt & pepper to taste
2 medium tomatoes, diced
2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
2 avocados, skinned
1/4 cup fresh coriander, finely chopped
2 tsp lemon juice
tortilla chips
1/2 cup plain yoghurt
1 1/2 cup grated cheese
1 small cucumber, diced

1. Saute onion in olive oil until softened. Add mince and fry over medium-high heat until nicely browned.
2. Add spices, salt, pepper, tomatoes and sweet chilli sauce and cook for another few minutes until flavours are well developed and mince is saucy but not too wet.
3. Meanwhile make the guacamole - mash the avo, add fresh coriander and lemon juice and season to taste with salt & pepper.
4. To assemble nachos, arrange tortilla chips on individual serving plates. Top with mince, then add dollops of guacamole and yoghurt. Scatter cheese on top and place in microwave for a minute to melt the cheese. Top with a handful of the cucumber pieces and serve warm.

Nutritional info (per serving): Calories 774.4 Total Fat 45.3 g Saturated Fat 16.0 g Polyunsaturated Fat 2.3 g Monounsaturated Fat 13.7 g Cholesterol 127.5 mg Sodium 1313.1 mg Potassium 1386.5 mg Total Carbohydrate 45.3 g Dietary Fiber 9.2 g Sugars 11.6 g Protein 47.5 g

Spaghetti a la Carbonara

One mouthful and I was addicted. I can't believe I'd never had it before Wednesday - of course I'm talking about that silky-smooth-richness that is carbonara sauce.

The venue: Primi Piatti.
The diners: myself, TheHusband and my parents.
The verdict: OhMyGoodnessIHaveBeenMissingOutWhyDidn'tAnyoneTellMeAboutThis?

Of course I had to find a recipe to re-create this classic in my own kitchen. A google search rendered loads of recipes for Carbonara, some using cream (not traditional), some wine (a must), some cooking the eggs slightly, others not at all. Amateur Gourmet's recipe seemed the easiest to follow and posed the least risk of accidentally scrambling your eggs - a horror that befalls many when making Carbonara. I did adapt it slightly - most notably adding spring onions to the mix. Not sure how traditional that is, but that's how I fell in love with them at Primi, so spring onions, in my mind at least, were essential.

So here's how I made mine last night:

Serves 2 (people in love with each other & Carbonara)

250g (1/2 lb) spaghetti
1 tbsp olive oil
125g (4 oz) bacon, chopped
1 tsp minced garlic
1 cup dry white wine
4 spring onions, chopped
2 eggs, at room temperature
50g (about 1/3 cup) grated parmesan cheese
salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
a handful of French chives

1. Bring salted water to the boil in a medium-sized pot. Add spaghetti, lower heat and simmer for 8 - 10 minutes, until cooked to your liking.
2. In a seperate frying pan, cook bacon over high heat in the olive oil until crispy. This should take about 3 - 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for just a minute more to release the flavours, then immediately add 1/2 cup of white wine. Cook over medium-high heat until all the liquid has evaporated (another about 5 minutes).
3. Add the spring onions to the bacon, together with the rest of the white wine (1/2 cup). Lower heat and simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated.
4. Meanwhile, break the eggs into a big bowl, whisk lightly. Add parmesan and whisk again to combine.
5. By this time both the bacon and spaghetti should be done. Working quickly, drain your spaghetti (but reserve about 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid) and immediately add to the eggs. Stir fast for a minute or two until the sauce thickens. Add bacon as well as the reserved cooking liquid to loosen the pasta. Snip a handful of french chives into the pasta, season with a little bit of salt and lots of black pepper and serve immediately.

Prepare to become addicted...

Nutritional info (Per Serving) : Calories 844.4 Total Fat 26.7 g Saturated Fat 9.3 g Polyunsaturated Fat 2.8 g Monounsaturated Fat 11.8 g Cholesterol 323.0 mg Sodium 1,279.5 mg Potassium 500.1 mg Total Carbohydrate 100.6 g Dietary Fiber 3.1 g Sugars 0.0 g Protein 46.3 g

Silky Aubergine with Asian Flavours

I didn't believe Jamie Oliver when he said that steamed aubergine was a fantastic thing. In my mind it couldn't be anything else but mushy and rather flavourless. Surely it needed to be fried in oil or at least roasted in the oven with a drizzle of oil to be properly appreciated? Turns out Jamie was right. Steaming the aubergines renders them light, flavourful and most of all silky-silky. Oh and the onion! I forgot about the onion. I was a bit skeptical as I layered the onion in with the beans, but thought oh what the heck. But to my surprise it came out beautifully soft (but not too soft) and sweet. And can you believe the whole meal is done in less than half an hour? With ZERO fat? Yowzer. I'm curious to see what other culinary delights my bamboo steamer has to offer!

Serves 4

2 aubergines, cut into cubes
200g young green beans, trimmed and cut in half
1 onion, cut into cubes
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons teriyaki sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
jasmine rice, to serve

1. Place aubergine into a large colander, sprinkle with some salt and let rest for about 10 minutes to draw out the juices. Pat dry.
2. Meanwhile, heat some water to boiling point in a large frying pan. Place your bamboo steamer in the pan and layer the aubergines onto the steamer trays. Cover and steam for about 5 minutes until soft and silky.
3. Remove aubergines and set aside. Layer beans and onion pieces onto the steamer trays and steam for about 10 minutes, or until cooked through (but not mushy).
4. Remove the steamer from the frying pan, throw out any remaining water and add the vegetables to the pan. Mix together with the garlic, teriyaki sauce and soy sauce, and cook for a minute or two over medium heat, to blend the sauces together.
5. Serve warm over sticky jasmine rice.

Nutritional info (per serving): Calories 82.1 Total Fat 0.5 g Saturated Fat 0.0 g Polyunsaturated Fat 0.1 g Monounsaturated Fat 0.1 g Cholesterol 0.0 mg Sodium 1,698.4 mg Potassium 392.0 mg Total Carbohydrate 18.0 g Dietary Fiber 5.0 g Sugars 3.4 g Protein 3.3 g