Spaghetti with zucchini, goats cheese, lemon and prosciutto

Last night I had a real hankering for pizza, but I had already had one restaurant meal this week so I decided to cook something instead. I had a look in the fridge and pantry and luckily had a bunch of yummy things available so I put together this completely delicious and satisfying pasta.

I received a small bottle of lemon oil at a doughnut masterclass at the Movida bakery. They use it along with lemon zest in the dough mixture. It gives a wonderfully fragrant lemon flavour, which is perfect at the moment as I have no lemons on my tree! You can find it here.

Spaghetti with zucchini, goats cheese, lemon and prosciutto (serves 2)

250g pasta

3-4 slices prosciutto

1-2 cloves garlic, crushed or sliced

3-4 small zucchinis

50g goats cheese (chèvre)

1/4c extra virgin olive oil

Lemon pressed extra virgin olive oil

Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Add a pinch of salt and then the pasta and stir around.

While the pasta is cooking heat a fry pan and cook the prosciutto until crisp. Set aside on some paper towel.

Using the same frypan turn the heat right down and add the olive oil and the garlic. 

Cut the zucchini into slices and add to the garlic oil. Only a couple of minutes until they go bright green.

Drain the pasta, pour over zucchini and oil, and then plate up. 

Drizzle over a little lemon oil, dollop half of the cheese on each plate and then crumble/chop up the prosciutto and put it on top. 

Creamy, crunchy, zesty!

This could easily be a vegetarian meal without the prosciutto, I only added it because there was an open packet in the fridge that needed to be used up. If you don't have chevre you could use a bit of feta. If you can't find the lemon oil, just add some lemon zest to the oil with the garlic and squeeze over some lemon juice prior to serving. 

Anzac Biscuits

This recipe is from my Great Aunt Be. Her brother (my grandfather) and husband both fought in the war. Her husband David was captured and held in a POW camp. Luckily he made it back alive, many were not so fortunate. I've seen photos from when he returned, emaciated, worn, aged beyond his years. I can't imagine what he must have gone through, what they all went through. That's what I think about every year when I make these biscuits. the sacrifices other people make and have made. I wish that we could have an Anzac day where we could celebrate the end of conflict in the world, but I doubt that will ever happen. For whatever reason people seem determined to fight and kill each other. 

I find it extraordinary that there were women all over the country making these biscuits in the 1940s and that more than 60 years later I put the same ingredients together and have the same smell filling my kitchen. It must have brought smiles to a lot of faces when the soldiers received these packages from home. 

Anzac Biscuits

125g plain flour

90g rolled oats

250g sugar (I use brown sugar)

90g dessicated coconut

125g butter

1tbs golden syrup

1tsp bi-carb soda

2tbs boiling water

Sift flour into a mixing bowl and stir in oats, sugar and coconut.

Melt butter and syrup in a saucepan.

Dissolve bi-carb soda in boiling water, and add to the butter and syrup mixture.

Stir melted mixture into dry ingredients with a wooden spoon.

Place tablespoons full of mixture well apart (I only put 6 on a standard cookie sheet) on greased baking trays and bake in a moderate oven at 160c for 25 mins (I only needed 10 mins for chewy, or 15 mins for crunchy) or until golden. 

Transfer biscuits to a wire cooling tray to cool to firm, then store in an air-tight bin.

This recipe yields about 18 big biscuits. You could easily use teaspoonfuls and get a lot more smaller biscuits, just make sure you adjust the cooking time. 

Pizza and Pasta Sauce

Last year for Christmas my Mum gave me a wonderful glazed-ceramic pizza stone. It's been sitting in the cupboard all summer because you really need to max out the oven temperature to get the best results. The leaves are changing and the temperature is finally beginning to drop! So I decided to make some little pizzas for dinner.

Last night I made a roast tomato pasta sauce and had plenty left over to use on the bases. I like to pack as many vegetables into my meals as possible. Growing up I considered carrot an essential ingredient in tomato sauce because that's how my Mum always made it. Roasting the tomatoes is a quick way to reduce the water content and bring out the sweetness. If I have the time I blanch and peel them and just cook the sauce on the stove for a few hours until it reduces and sweetens. I love garlic, normally i'd use 3-4 cloves in a pasta sauce but roasting it really mellows the flavour and I can use the whole bulb. A slow cooked flavour in half the time.

Roasted Tomato Pasta Sauce
1kg ripe tomatoes
1 red capsicum
1 bulb garlic
1 small zucchini
2 carrots
1 onion

Halve or quarter the tomatoes, slice capsicums and cut the top off a bulb of garlic. Place on a baking tray that's lightly brushed with olive, drizzle a little oil on the garlic. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Roast in a hot oven for about 30 mins, or until the juices are caramelising on the tray. While that happens dice the onion and soften in a saucepan with some olive oil. Once that's done add dice the carrots and cook for 1-2 minutes, then dice and add the zucchini. Stir around for a minute then remove from the heat. Once the tomatoes are done put them in a blender with the onion mix, or blend with a stick mixer, until smooth. Return to the saucepan and heat through. Season to taste. Great on pasta or on pizzas!

Pizza Dough
(from jamieoliver.com)
I made a half batch since it's just the two of us, it was more than enough. It made 6 small pizzas.

500g strong white bread flour
1 tsp salt
1 sachet yeast (7g)
1 tbs sugar
2 tbs olive oil
325 ml luke warm water

I use my kitchen aid for most kneading because I'm lazy and it's very effective. Put the flour in the bowl, add the salt. In a small jug pour in the warm water, add the sugar, then the yeast. Once it starts to foam (5 mins) pour the water mix plus the oil into the bowl of the mixer. Using the dough hook mix for 4-5 minutes until the mixture comes together and forms a smooth, springy dough. Cover the bowl with a tea towel and put it in a warm place to rise for half an hour (I put it on the stove since the oven is heating up). Once it's doubled in size punch it down and divide into 6 small balls. Roll out using a rolling pin, or stretch out using your hands. I put fine semolina on the bench to stop it sticking and it gives the bases a but of crunch.

Top with whatever you like. Tonight I made:
Mushrooms and turkey
Spinach, garlic, chilli and lemon juice
Proscuitto
Sweet potato, pine nuts and chevre
Broccoli, lemon juice and chilli

I used the tomato sauce as a base on all of them and topped all but the sweet potato with mozzarella. Sometimes I use a bit of parmesan, sometimes bocconcini although it can make the bases a bit soggy. I like to crush a few cloves of garlic and steep in olive oil which can be sprinkled over the pizzas before they go in the oven.

On the pizza stone they take about 5 minutes until the cheese melts and goes golden and the bases crisp up. You could just as easily use a baking tray, that has heated up in the oven.

What are your favourite pizza toppings?

Brown Rice Salad

Last year at the film festival I had a delicious brown rice salad from Mr Close who were running the festival cafe. They did a wonderful job providing tasty, nutritious meals and had a different selection every day. It made a pleasant change from the usual popcorn and choctops. Don't get me wrong I love me some choctops and popcorn, but seeing 15 films in 2 weeks is taxing enough without cramming myself full of salty, sugary treats every single session.

Last week while scrolling through my phone I found a list of ingredients, that I noted down for later use: brown rice, capsicum, pistachios, chilli and parsley. Tonight I decided to give my own version a go using things I had in the fridge and pantry. I love the nutty, wholesome flavour of the brown rice and the sweetness of the figs and pomegranate. Yes, there are two types of capsicum! I had a jar of roast red peppers I wanted to finish off, but also a couple of fresh ones in the fridge. The soft sweet roasted ones have a slight vinegar flavour, while the fresh ones retain their crunch, only being cooked for a few minutes.

You could easily use pistachios or pine nuts, sub some soft apricots for the figs, add some pumpkin or blanched green bean, whatever is in season.

Brown Rice Salad
2 cups brown rice
2-3 cloves of garlic, crushed
1-2 teaspoons chilli flakes
2 capsicum, small cubes
2 small zucchini, small cubes
1 roasted red capsicum
5-6 dried figs (Soft and Juicy ones are great)
1/2 cup almonds, roughly chopped
seeds of one pomegranate
2 -3 springs of mint leaves, finely chopped
Optional: chia seeds and sesame seeds

Cook the rice according to the directions on the packet. While that's happening heat some olive oil in a fry pan over medium heat and add the garlic and chilli. Once it's warmed through add the capsicum and cook for a couple of minutes, then add the zucchini and cook until slightly softened. Mix through the figs, roasted capsicum and almonds and turn off heat. Once rice has cooked place in a large bowl, add vegetables, pomegranate and mint. Sprinkle with chia and sesame seeds if you like.

Stephan is mad for protein, so I grilled some chicken to go with it. There's enough left over for lunches tomorrow!