TOMATO, ALMOND & BASIL PESTO PASTA

This deliciously quick pesto pasta recipe is sadly not one of my own. My favourite cooking magazine, Feast, published this recipe in its March 2015 edition. Unfortunately, the magazine is no longer in business. I was devastated to hear of this, as I learnt so much of what I know about cooking through pouring over my monthly Feast fix. Over the 30 editions of the magazine in my possession, the eating traditions and recipes of almost every single culture of the world was brought to light. I intend to treasure this incredible magazine through replicating its diverse recipes every so often on my blog. Thankyou for all you taught me Feast magazine, you truly instilled in me a deep love and respect for good food. 

Ingredients

• 400g gluten-free pasta (any type of pasta, however spaghetti works well)
• 60g almonds, roughly chopped
• 400g tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 1 cup densely packed basil, roughly chopped
• 50g feta
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley or chives (chives must be roughly chopped)
• 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Cooking 

1. Bring a large saucepan of boiling and lightly salted water to the boil. Once boiled add the pasta and cook until pasta is to your liking. Drain pasta in a colander over cold running water, keeping 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid. 

2. Meanwhile, put all the remaining ingredients in a food processor and process until the ingredients make a textured paste. 

3. Return the pasta to the saucepan over low heat and pour in the reserved cooking liquid. Add the paste and stir well to combine. Season with ground black pepper and serve with extra basil leaves, if desired. 

Serves / 4 

Total Preparation time / 10 minutes 

Total Cooking time / 15 minutes 

x Emily 

SUGO ALLA BOLOGNESE / BOLOGNESE SAUCE

Another recipe as promised from the Iuliano family, available in the April edition of the SBS Feast magazine. I must stress that I did adapt their beautiful traditional recipe, to omit the pork ribs and minced pork. The 1 cup of basil and chilli made this Bolognese shine, as each bite was more aromatic than the last. You could replace the chives with parsley and the chilli powder with finely chopped red chilies if you prefer. Another superb Italian dish that was polished off in my home at warp speed considering that only 2 of us live there. Thankyou Feast magazine for adding culture and depth to my cooking and to many readers all across Australia!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 leek, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 kilogram extra lean beef mince
• 1 cup fresh basil, roughly chopped, plus extra to serve 
• 1/4 cup fresh chives, finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons chilli powder
• 2 x 700ml passata (tomato puree)

COOKING 

1. Heat oil in a large, deep frying pan over medium heat. Add leek and garlic and cook for 2 minutes or until leek is slightly transparent but not burnt. Add mince and cook for 6-7 minutes or until browned, breaking up any lumps in the meat with a strong spatula. Add basil, chives and chilli powder and stir well to combine with the meat. Add the passata and bring to the boil. When boiled, reduce the heat to medium-low and cover, cooking for 30 minutes or until the bolognese has thickened and the mince is tender. Season with sea salt & ground black pepper and remove from heat and serve on top of gluten-free pasta sprinkled with extra basil leaves, if you desire. 

Serves / 8 

Total Preparation time / 10 minutes 

Total Cooking time / 45 minutes 

x Emily