Fusilli con Funghi, Pancetta e Spinaci

I used to work as a waitress a few years back, and believe it or not, I loved the job. I learnt quite a few tricks of trade from the kitchen staff and also gained a bit of knowledge on foods that compliment each other etc. 

The one thing that I was not amused with at first was that at the end of the shift all the staff were offered a free pizza for dinner. Sadly, me being a coeliac, this did not apply for me. After a long shift, I would have given anything to just be able to have at least just one slice of pizza - so tempting!! 

As an alternative, I was lucky enough to have been offered other options by the company I worked for. A couple of times I was given the choice of a rice dish from the menu, 2 of which I simply loved and found to be so tasty. I started making these recipes at home with a bit of tweaks here and there, and then tried pasta as a substitute to rice, the result... yum!

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Ingredients: 

- 1 tbsp olive oil 
- 100 g Fusilli pasta 
- 1 small onion, finely chopped 
- 1 rasher bacon, finely chopped 
- 50 g mushrooms, chopped 
- 2 cubes of frozen leaf spinach, thawed and squeezed
- 1 cup single cream 
- salt & pepper 
- half a chicken cube (or veg cube)
- grated Parmesan cheese

Method: 

Chop the onions and bacon and add to the pan with olive oil. Allow to cook until onions are soft then add the mushrooms and spinach. Dissolve half a chicken cube in half a cup of water. Add the cream and stock to the pan and allow to cook on a low simmer for 5 - 10 minutes. 

Fill a medium sized pot with water and bring to the boil. Add a drizzle of olive oil (this prevents the paste from sticking). Once boiling, add the pasta and cook as indicated on the packaging or until pasta is al dente (firm to the bite). Toss the pasta into the cream mixture and leave for a further 2 minutes. Do not leave for too long or the pasta will over cook. Season according to taste. 

Serve hot, sprinkled with grated Parmesan cheese. 

Recommendation: This dish can also be served using rice instead of pasta. Par-boil the rice then add to the cream mixture and leave to carry on cooking until the sauce has been reduced. Serve with Parmesan cheese and and a sprinkle of fresh parsley. You may also add some diced chicken breast to the dish for extra flavour!

Home Made Potato Gnocchi

This is the basic recipe for home-made gnocchi. For serving you can choose a variety of sauces such as blue cheese sauce or pesto, or simply serve with plain tomato sauce. 

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Ingredients: 

- 1 kg starchy potatoes, skin on 
- salt & freshly ground pepper 
- 150 g rice flour, plus extra for dusting 
- pinch of freshly grated nutmeg 
- ground sea salt

Method: 

Cook the whole potatoes in a large pan of boiling salted water until tender, about 30 - 40 minutes. Drain and leave until cool enough to handle. Peel and press the potatoes through a potato ricer onto a lightly floured surface. Add half the rice flour, nutmeg and sea salt. Lightly knead until the mixture starts to come together, adding more flour as needed. Don't over knead or the gnocchi will be tough when cooked. 

Divide the dough into 4. Using your hands, roll out each piece on a lightly floured surface into long log about 1cm thick. Then slice into 2 cm pieces and gently press each piece down with a floured fork to create a traditional ridged effect. Transfer to a floured baking sheet and cover with a clean tea towel while you make the remaining gnocchi. 

Bring a large pan of water to rolling boil. Add 10 gnocchi at a time, as they need lots of room: they will float to the top once cooked, about 2 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to a warmed dish to keep warm while you cook the remaining gnocchi. Serve topped with accompanying sauce of choice. 

Recommendation: To freeze, lay the uncooked gnocchi on a parchment- lined baking sheet and open freeze until solid. Then, transfer to an airtight container. Cook from frozen as above for 3-4 minutes or until the gnocchi float to the surface. 

Confit of Slow-cooked Onions

Onions are one of my favourite types of vegetables. There are various types of onions, all of which add such incredible flavour to any sort of dish! These include brown-skinned onions, used for every day cooking and the larger mild, sweet, juicy yellow onions. 

All types of onion can be made into onion chutneys or relishes. Red onions have a sweet mild flavour and can add a lovely colour to preserves, so I usually use these for making chutneys. 

Buttered toast is one of my favourite foods, especially when I'm not in the mood for cooking or when I'm in a hurry and just want something quick and easy to make. However, sometimes I do get bored of the same old buttered toast, or toast with ham and cheese and would rather opt for something  a little bit different as a snack. 

So, when I have the time to, I prepare home made chutneys and spreads, the below of which is one of my preferred. It is simple to make and can last up to a few days in the fridge. Sometimes at the weekend I like to prepare this then have a slice of bread with the confit spread on top every now and then during the week. It's great as a quick snack when you're too busy for cooking or when you're feeling peckish in the late afternoon.

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Ingredients: 

- 2 tbsp olive oil 

- 15 g butter 

- 500 g onions, sliced

- 3 to 5 fresh thyme sprigs

- 1 fresh bay leaf 

- 2 tbsp light brown sugar 

- 50 g prunes, chopped 

- 4 tbsp water

- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

- 120 ml red wine 

- salt & pepper

Method: 

Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil and butter in a large pan. Add the sliced onions, cover and cook gently over a low heat for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

Season the onions with salt and ground black pepper, then add the thyme, bay leaf and sugar. Cook slowly, uncovered, for a further 15 minutes until the onions are very soft and dark in colour. Stir the onions occasionally during cooking to prevent from sticking or burning. 

Add the chopped prunes, vinegar, wine and 4 tbsp of water to the pan and cook over a low heat for another 15 minutes or until most of the liquid has evaporated. Add a little more water and reduce the heat if it looks dry. Stir occasionally. Remove from the heat. 

Adjust the seasoning if necessary, adding more sugar and/or vinegar to taste. Leave the confit to cool then stir in the remaining tbsp of olive oil and serve. 

Note: This slow-cooked confit of onions will keep for several days in a sealed jar in the fridge. 

Serving recommendation: Serve spread on toasted french baguette. 

Spiced Carrot Muffins

I haven't got much of a sweet tooth - but baking is one of my passions. In fact I bake quite often, usually for friends and family. To be honest, I find it to be quite relaxing and therapeutic. I used to wish to become a pastry chef and attended a few courses in cake decoration too. However, I decided that I would much rather stick to baking as a hobby rather than an occupation as I was concerned that I would begin to hate it if I had to do it for a living. 

So, as a part-time thing, I bake cakes from home. By word of mouth and the magic of Facebook, I have received quite a few orders for cakes, some for birthdays, others for hen's nights, etc. (If you wish to see some of my work you can visit: https://www.facebook.com/MiksCakesAndBakes). Admittedly I have been giving most of my attention to gluten free cooking these days and have not been updating my cakes page as often as I should be. 

Although most of the time, these orders are for ordinary cakes using ordinary flour, I regularly spare some time to experiment with gluten free flours and substitutes, just out of curiosity. Ordinary or gluten-free, cakes will never go to waste in my house as both my dad and my partner are huge sweet-addicts and will eat anything they find on the kitchen top so I can experiment as much as I want to really, they'd still eat the final product even if it's not to their liking.

One of my favourite cakes is Carrot Cake and I have quite a good recipe for the gluten-free version of this (to follow soon). I make this quite often as I always seem to have a ridiculous amount of carrots in the fridge. I recently came across the below recipe for spiced carrot muffins and thought of giving it a try as an alternative to the usual carrot cake. The result, insanely delicious!

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Ingredients: 

- 300g Gluten Free Self-Raising Flour
- ½ tsp xanthan gum 
- 1 tsp ground mixed spice 
- 140g light brown sugar 
- 40g sunflower seeds
- 175g grated carrots 
- finely grated rind and juice of 1 small orange
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 150ml milk 
- 100ml sunflower oil 
- 1 tsp vanilla extract 




Method: 

Preheat the oven too 200 degrees. Place 12 large paper cases in a deep muffin tin. 

Sift the flour, xanthan gum and mixed spice into a large bowl, Stir in the sugar with 25g of the sunflower seeds, carrots and orange rind. 

In a separate bowl, lightly beat together the orange juice, eggs, milk, oil and vanilla with a fork and stir in to the dry ingredients, mixing to make a rough batter. 

Spoon the batter into the muffin cases and sprinkle with the remaining sunflower seeds, Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes or until well risen and golden brown. Serve warm. 

Easy Leek & Potato Soup

Potage Bonne Femme, more commonly known to us as Leek and Potato Soup, is such an easy soup to make and another of my favourites during the winter months. What’s more, it is quite healthy since leeks are rich in vitamin C, potassium, calcium and phosphorus.  Moreover, just like leeks, potatoes contain vitamin C and potassium too, plus five out of the eight B vitamins.

You may think I am trying to fool you by saying this soup is healthy, especially considering the fact that it has quite a bit of butter in it. However, the below recipe is the one I use for special occasions when I have guests over or simply want something satisfying if my in desperate need of some comfort food. Of course, the beauty of cooking is that all recipes can be tweaked and there are means and ways of making a healthier version. 

For example, you could leave out the butter and use low fat cooking spray. You could also omit the double cream and add stock instead. Alternatively, you could even substitute the double cream for something healthier instead such as single cream, skimmed milk, stock or by simply adding water.

Chances are you will like this soup so much that you will make it again and again. Here are a few ideas on how to make the same soup base, but adding that something extra to create a new variation of the same soup:

• You could add some spice to the vegetables before pouring in the stock, such as 1 tsp of cumin or ½ tsp crushed coriander seeds.
• You might prefer to fry some bacon rashers, crumble and add on top of the soup before serving.
• You  could add a large bunch of chopped parsley to the soup before blending.
• You may opt to add chopped blanched spinach to the soup before blending or any other green leaf such as rocket leaves, etc.
• Alternatively, you could add 50g of any blue cheese such as Stilton or Gorgonzola before blending - my personal favourite.

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Ingredients:

- 25g butter

- 1 small onion, chopped

- 2 leeks, white part only, chopped

- ½ clove garlic, crushed

- 100g potatoes, peeled and chopped

- 350 ml chicken stock

- 110 ml double cream

- 1 tbsp. chives, roughly chopped

- 50g blue cheese (optional)

- salt & pepper

Method:

Melt the butter in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add the onion, leek and garlic and let sweat over a low heat for 12-15 minutes or until soft.

Add the potatoes and stock and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and leave to simmer, covered for about 20 minutes. Once the potatoes are soft, remove from heat. Allow to cool a little before blending in a food processor, or using a hand blender. If you would like to try the Leek, Potato and Blue Cheese version of the soup, then add the blue cheese to the pot just before blending.

Return the soup to the saucepan and bring to boil gently. Stir in the double cream (or healthier option such as stock or skimmed milk if desired). Season well with salt and pepper and re-heat as necessary without boiling.

Serving recommendation: Serve hot, garnished with chives and with a buttered slice of gluten free bread or home-made French baguette topped with grated cheese.

Note: Refrigerate for up to two days. If freezing do not add cream.

Gluten Free Foccaccia

Having been brought up on the small island of Malta, I have spent pretty much all my life surrounded by Mediterranean cuisine, mostly based on Italian food. Apart from the obvious love for pasta and pizza, the variations of both are also highly desirable. 

I am quite often praised for the dips I bring along to parties or get together's. In fact, whenever I ask a friend if they would like me to bring anything along, I'm always demanded: Bring dips! 

I have quite a few recipes for gluten free dips (recipes to follow soon), but not being a fan of raw vegetables, at first I found it quite hard to find an alternative for dipping. I personally love dips and would hate to have to sit and watch my friends dipping away and not be able to join them. 

As an alternative, I started to make home made foccaccia. This versatile Italian style loaf, richly flavoured with olive oil, is crisp on top with a light, airy crumb. It is a great served with dips when entertaining friends and can also be served alone as a starter or as finger food. 

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Ingredients: 

- 450g gluten free white bread flour mix
- 2 tsp xanthan gum
- 2 tsp fast action dried yeast
- 2 tsp caster sugar 
- 1 tsp salt 
- 6 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for greasing 
- sprinkle of rosemary, ideally fresh
- finely diced onion
- course sea salt, to sprinkle 

Method: 

Sift the flour, xanthan gum, yeast, sugar and salt into a large bowl. Add 300ml of lukewarm water and 3 tablespoons of oil to the flour and mix to a slightly sticky dough. Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Return to the bowl, cover with a damp cloth and leave to prove in a warm place for about one hour, or until doubled in size. 

Lightly grease a baking tray. Tip the dough onto a floured surface, knead lightly, and roll out to roughly the same shape as the tray. Lift the dough into the tray and push in to the corners, or sides if using a round tray (I usually use a pizza tray). Cover with oiled cling film and leave to rise in a warm place for 30 minutes or until doubled in size again. 

In the meantime, preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Firmly press the surface of the dough with your fingertips to give a dimpled effect. Scatter the rosemary and onion on top and drizzle with the remaining olive oil. Sprinkle with the ground sea salt and bake for 30 minutes or until the top is pale golden brown. 

Recommendation: For extra flavour you can also sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese or crumbled feta cheese. 

Breakfast Cereal Bars

Having breakfast was never really part of my routine. As I grew older however, having constantly read about breakfast being the most important meal of the day, I made it a point to always have something small to start off the day. Preferring to spend 5 extra minutes in bed rather than making breakfast, more often than not, I usually just grab a banana or a yoghurt on my way out the door to work. 

Cereal bars were always an easy option, until of course I was diagnosed as a coeliac with very limited choice for breakfast cereals and no gluten free cereal bars on the market back then. Although eventually these did make it to Malta, I recently came across the below recipes and now prefer to make my own cereal bars. 

The below recipe is so simple and easy to follow and only takes a couple of minutes to prepare. I usually spare a couple of minutes on a Sunday morning to making these bars in preparation for the week of work ahead. Admittedly, I was a bit skeptical on whether the bars would turn out quite as nice as those shop bought. Much to my surprise, these taste even better!

                                                        
                                                       
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Ingredients: 

- 100g butter, plus extra for greasing 
- 25g soft, light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons golden syrup 
- 1 tablespoon honey 
- 125g corn flakes 
- 50g quinoa
- 75 g dried cranberries
- 50g sultanas 
- 25g sunflower seeds 
- 25 g sesame seeds, 
- 25g linseeds
- 40g unsweetened desiccated coconut
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten



Method: 

Grease an 11inch x 8inch baking tray. Heat oven to 180 degrees. 

In a bowl, beat together the butter, sugar, syrup and honey until creamy. Add all the remaining dry ingredients to the mixture and fold in. Beat 2 eggs and add to the mixture, mixing well until combined. 

Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin, leveling the surface with the back of a tablespoon. Place in the pre-heated oven and bake for 35 minutes until deep golden brown. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin. 

Once cooled, turn out onto a wooden board and carefully cut into 16 fingers using a serrated knife. 

Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days. 

Caramalised Sweet Potatoes

Not only are sweet potatoes readily available and delicious, they are also extremely rich in vitamins, iron and potassium and so provide excellent nutritional value. 

Sweet potato is said to be one of the oldest vegetables known to mankind. It has bulk to keep your tummy full for hours, which is great news for someone like me who seems to get peckish quite soon after eating! Moreover, the nutritional value of a sweet potato makes the calories sooo worth eating, especially since they are in fact fat free! - Yep!! You read correctly! The fiber alone in the sweet potato is enough to make worth eating! 

Sweet potatoes taste amazing and make a great change to ordinary potatoes, what's more? They're also the healthier option! Like ordinary potatoes, they are versatile and can be cooked in so many ways. 

The below recipe adds a bit of a twist to the taste which I find absolutely delicious! It's a great alternative especially when hosting dinner parties. 

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Ingredients: 

- 450g sweet potatoes, washed
- 55g butter, plus extra for greasing 
- 55g brown sugar
- 1 tbsp maple syrup or honey 
- 2 tbsp orange juice 
- 55g pineapple pieces (optional)
- pinch of ground cinnamon
- pinch of nutmeg 
- salt

Method: 

Bring a large saucepan of lightly salted water to the boil. Add the sweet potatoes to the water and bring to the boil. Cook for about 20 minutes or until tender. Remove from the heart and drain well. Leave to cool slightly, then peel. (Alternatively, you could peel before if you wish to, this way the potatoes will cook a little bit quicker). 

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Grease an oven proof dish. Thickly slice the sweet potatoes and arrange in a single overlapping layer in the dish. Cut the butter into cubes and place on top of the potatoes. 

Sprinkle with the sugar and orange juice. Add the pineapple pieces (if using) and spices. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, basting occasionally until golden brown. 

Remove from the oven and serve hot, straight from the dish. 

Traditional Maltese Baked Rice

Rice is another one of my favourite foods. There are many varieties of rice including basmati, long grain, sticky, brown, arborio, luckily for me all of which are gluten free. Rice is the staple food in most of the countries and it is an important cereal crop that feeds more than half the world's population. Rice is a great energy source and is extremely beneficial for health as it does not contain any harmful fats or cholesterol. 

"Ross fil-forn" is a traditional Maltese dish and all time favourite. It's primary ingredient is of course rice, mixed into a tomato based sauce and baked in the oven. I remember both my grandma and my mother making this dish quite often when I was growing up, and I have no doubt that the recipe will continue to be passed on to many more future generations. It is one of the most popular recipes from our little island Malta and can be found in most traditional Maltese restaurants. 

Not only is the dish simple to make, it is rich in Mediterranean flavour. There are quite a few different methods of making this dish, but through trial and error I have found the below to be the best. I usually serve this dish hot, however it is quite common for the locals to serve this dish cold at picnics or at the beach - either way, still tasty!

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Ingredients: 

- 1 onion, diced
- 1 jar chopped tomatoes
- 1 tsp tomato paste 
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 can corned beef
- 2 cups of cooked rice 
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 2 eggs, hard boiled & diced
- grated Parmesan cheese
- salt & pepper 
- chicken cube 
- vegetable oil, to drizzle





Method: 

Fry the diced onion in a pot until soft. Add the tomato sauce and 1 tsp tomato paste. Add salt, sugar and the chicken cube and bring to the boil. Once boiling, add the corned beef and cook for a few minutes, until the corned beef has 'dissolved' in the sauce. Season according to taste. 

Add the cooked rice and allow to simmer until reduced slightly. Stir occassionally in order to prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom. Mix in the beaten eggs and grated cheese and place half the rice mixture in an oven proof dish. Add a layer of diced hard boiled eggs and sprinkle of grated Parmesan cheese. Pour the remaining rice mixture into the dish. Drizzle with olive oil and bake in the oven for 40 minutes, or until the top has browned. Serve warm. 

Should you have any mixture remaining, pour this into individual moulds or into a cupcake tray. This makes the dish more appealing to children. The baked rice can be frozen for later use. 

Pesto & Parmesan Bread Loaf

Bread is typically made from grains such as wheat that contain gluten. Wheat gluten contributes to the elasticity of dough and is thus an important component of bread. Xanthan gum is an excellent substitute when making gluten free bread. It helps the dough bind together and adds elasticity, making bread less crumbly and easier to handle. 

Polenta is another important food for coeliacs. It is a traditional corn-based dish that originated in Northen Italy and is great for making bread loafs. 

Apart from the ordinary classic white loaf or multi-grain loaf, I thought it would be a little bit interesting to try and add some extra ingredients in order to give the bread that extra bit of flavour. 

I came across many different recipes but this one caught my attention. Although very particular in taste, I have to admit I quite enjoyed this and will definitely be making it again soon. 

Note: This loaf is admittedly quite heavy therefore I only usually take one slice at a time, mostly as a side dish to salad or soup. 

Recommendation: If you are not a fan of pesto then you can use the same recipe but eliminate the pesto altogether. 

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Ingredients: 

- Vegetable oil, for oiling
- 200g polenta 
- 100g rice flour 
- 50g powdered milk 
- pinch of salt 
- 7g fast-action dried yeast 
- 2 tsp caster sugar 
- 2 tsp xanthan gum 
- 3 eggs, beaten 
- 2 tbsp pesto 
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh herbs 
- 450 ml lukewarm water 
- 3 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese 




Method: 

Oil and line a 900g loaf tin. 

Sift together the polenta, flour, milk powder and salt in a large bowl and stir well to combine. Stir in the yeast, sugar and xanthan gum. 

In a separate bowl beat together the eggs, pesto and herbs. Add the lukewarm water and mix. Add the dry ingredients and combine to form a smooth mixture. Beat for 5 minutes then stir in the Parmesan cheese. 

Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin, cover with a clean damp cloth and leave to prove in a warm place for about 30 minutes or until the mixture has ridden to the top of the tin. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 180 degrees. 

Once the dough has risen place in the oven for about 45 minutes or until the load is brown and sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom. Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool. 

Tarragon Lemon Chicken & Boulangère Potatoes

Chicken is probably the one food I could not live without, and luckily for me, it is a natural product, full of protein, with no gluten in it :)! The good thing about chicken is that there are so many ways of cooking it, roast, baked, grilled, fried, and whichever way you may choose to cook it, it's simply delicious... unless of course you dry it out! 

I cook chicken at least twice a week. Usually for Sunday lunch, for myself (as my partner is a huge meat lover so he gets an alternative option) and of course every Tuesday, when my brother and his wife come over for dinner. Some of my friends insist that I am the fussiest eater they've met... clearly they have not spent much time with my brother, who practically lives on chicken. What's more, he is obsessed with potatoes with the ratio of intake probably being about 1 bite of chicken per every 10 potatoes. So, every Tuesday, it's chicken and potato dinner all round, no questions asked!

Obviously, I try to change the recipes every week so as to not give everyone else reason to complain for having chicken every single time we meet up. Sometimes, Chinese stir fry, sometimes roast, sometimes bbq-grilled - so far I have never failed to satisfy the families rumbling bellies. Impressive what different flavours and textures each marinade can result in. 

The below recipe received quite a bit of praise. It is simple to follow, quick to prepare and very rich in flavour.  It is a great dish to serve for Sunday lunch with a side of salad and some fresh bread. 

                                      

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Ingredients: 

For the potatoes: 
- 450g potatoes, thinly sliced 
- 2 onions, finely sliced
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 50g butter, diced
- 300ml vegetable stock 
- chopped parsley 
- sea salt & ground black pepper

For the chicken: 
- 90g unsalted butter 
- 2 tbsp chopped chives
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
- 2 tbsp lemon juice 
- ½ tsp dried tarragon leave 
- ¼ tsp paprika 
- 4 chicken breasts 
- salt & pepper 

Method:

Preheat the over to 180 degrees. Grease the base and sides of an ovenproof dish. Line the dish with some of the sliced potatoes. Scatter some of the onions and garlic powder on top. Layer up the remaining potatoes and onions, seasoning between each layer. 

Push the potatoes down into the dish and top with cubed butter. Pour the stock over and bake in the oven for an hour, covering after 40 minutes if the top starts to brown. 

Whilst the potatoes are baking, place 90g unsalted butter in a small pan over low heat, stirring until melted. Add the chives, coriander, lemon juice, tarragon and paprika. Remove from heat. Place chicken breasts in a bowl. Pour butter & herb mixture over the chicken breasts and coat evenly. Season with salt and pepper. 

Heat a griddle pan and grill the chicken breasts slowly until tender and golden, turning and basting frequently with remaining butter mixture. 

Once potatoes are ready, plate up and sprinkle with parsley and plenty of salt and pepper. You may choose to serve this with a salad on the side.

Note: If you want to add something a little bit extra for flavour, sprinkle some grated cheese over the top of the potatoes before baking.