I’m sure there are a million recipe posts about Pesto that have that title. Hang on, just let me check, ok, not a million just 92,000.

As the super nerd buys a fresh bunch of basil every Saturday for his home made pizza (Friday fun night has now moved to Saturday sex slow night - sorry that really gives the connotations with the title of this blog - it’s ok we’re married and we have 1 year old son so you know there is no sex sleep funny stuff going on), anyway I tried freezing it to use the next week but basil really doesn’t like to be frozen. So I had to do something with it.

Bring on pesto. I can make it about 5 minutes, store it in the fridge and the oompa loompa loves it too. I feel like I’ve already outlined the love in this post, but for those who missed it let me put it this way. Impress your mate without spending time in the kitchen. This recipe is great for a quick feed before you go out for drinks or if you want to show off by just chucking a few ingredients together and making something tasty.

Pesto Pasta
One big handful of basil leaves
2 small cloves garlic
1/3 cup pine nuts
1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup parmesan
Pasta of choice

Method
Cook pasta according to instructions. It’s important to really make an effort with getting the pasta right as there is no heavy sauce to cover your mistakes! Put all other ingredients except for parmesan in a blender or pestle & mortar and blend until smooth. Stir in parmesan.

This makes enough pesto for about 6 people so you can probably store some in the fridge. Just make sure you pour a thin layer of olive oil over it otherwise it will go brown and yucky.

When your pasta is cooked, strain it and stir in pesto, start with a tablespoon and add more if you need to.

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There seems to be a real trend in home cooking these days and a resurgence of traditional dishes. Maybe because we were all scared witless that last year we were heading back into the great depression and longed to soothe ourselves with food our nanna used to cook.

Either way, I played my part by including this lasagna as a weekly staple in our menu. The super nerd loves lasagna, actually I’ve never met a man that didn’t like my lasagna, so ladies if you are looking to impress on a first date this is the dish for you. It’s not sexy like oysters and cavier, but remember girls, this is man food.

Serves 4, or 2 with excellent leftovers

Ingredients
500g lean mince beef
tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, sliced thinly
3 cloves garlic, chopped or squashed
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 glass red wine
2 400ml cans tomatoes (I like the whole roma tomatoes)
1 grated carrot

Instant lasagna sheets

White sauce
1/3 cup butter (a generous amount)
1/3 cup plain flour plus a tablespoon
4 cups milk

Hard cheese of choice - Parmesan or similar, cheddar will also do.

Preheat oven to 200C.

Make the spaghetti bolognese according to the instructions and then add the grated carrot at the end.

To make the white sauce, melt the butter over medium heat until melted. Add the flour to make a roux - basically just stir the flour into the melted butter until it’s all mixed. If your sauce is very runny add a bit more flour. Then add your milk. Now, the traditional Frenchie’s will tell you to add 1/2 a cup until the sauce thickens, then add another 1/2 cup until it thickens, then 1 cup blah blah blah…but really if you add all the milk at once and give it a good whisk it will turn out fine. It will take about 5 minutes to thicken and you will need to watch it and whisk often.

Ok, now layer and layer. In an ovenproof dish (roughly the same size as the sheets of lasagna you have) add a layer of bolognese, a layer of white sauce and a sheet of lasagna, then just continue until you are all out of one. I usually do about three layers and then remember I need extra white sauce for the top. I hope you have read ahead because you will need extra sauce too! The last layer is lasagna sheet, white sauce and then some hard cheese. You want to sprinkle your hard cheese so it will need to be grated or cut into thin bits.

All in the oven for about 35 minutes and then take it out and let it rest for about 10 minutes before you serve to your loved one…during which time you can open a bottle of wine, light some candles, put on some Ella Fitzgerald and let the smell arouse you…

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My geek used to live on Pizza Hut before he met me. He could easily go 5 nights a week ordering pizza. Obviously that had to change. Over the years we’ve created “Friday Fun Night”. This was intended to experiment with new recipes, but the only thing that we’ve experimented with is pizza. He still can’t live without pizza once a week, so if your beloved is a pizza junkie try this out for a special occasion.

When making your dough it always seems to rise better when it’s humid and hot. So a sticky day or night is perfect pizza making weather. If you can’t wait for warm weather make sure your house or at least kitchen is nice and toasty.

This makes 2 medium-family sized pizzas.

Dough Ingredients
1 teaspoon dried yeast
1/2 cup olive oil
1 cup warm water
1/2 tbs honey
Approx. 2-3 cups 00 flour (the Italian 00 flour really makes the best bases)

Tomato Spread
3 tomatoes de-seeded (just cut in half and squeeze out the seeds)
1/2 handful fresh basil
Handful grated pizza cheese (mozzarella, parmesan etc)

Toppings
Fresh pineapple
Ham or prosciutto
Buffalo mozzarella
Anything else that takes your fancy - but keep it simple

Method
Mix all of the dough ingredients together except for the flour. Leave for about 10 minutes for the yeast to activate. There should be bubbles on the surface. Add one cup of flour and mix well. Continue to add half a cup of flour at a time. Keep mixing between adding flour. You want to stop adding flour when your dough has the consistency of being sticking, but not too sticky that is sticks to your fingers if you press it. You might not need all of the flour or you might need more. If you stuff it up and it starts crumbling and looks dry, add a bit of water to try to get it right.

Once you are happy with the dough you need to get it out of your bowl and onto a floured bench. Take out all of your frustrations for the day by pounding it for a few minutes. Then put it into a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a damp tea towel and put somewhere warm. You need to leave it for at least 1 hour, but really the longer you leave it the better. If you can manage 6 hours super!

Whilst waiting for your dough, put the tomatoes and basil together in a blender to create a paste. Then just wait, perhaps you want to listen to some Perry Como to get you in the mood for an Italian feast.

Once your dough is ready divide it in half. Roll out one half into a medium sized pizza base. Before you start rolling you want to put your oven on to really hot (around 220C). Pre-cook your pizza base for a couple of minutes with no topping on it.

Then take it out of the oven, spread it with the tomato paste, sprinkle on some cheese and place your toppings in an artistic fashion. Break up bits of buffalo mozzarella and place these on top. Then put your pizza into the oven. We cook one at a time in the top shelf, as the bottom shelf doesn’t get hot enough. Pizzas take about 5-10 minutes each depending on the strength of your oven.

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One of my new years resolutions is to waste less food. Usually with a roast chicken I’d use the carcass to make stock, but as my beloved thinks my risotto is boring, I’ve had to find new uses for my leftover roast chicken. Enter the easy Monday night meal.

Ingredients
1/2 left over roast chicken
1 cup couscous
handful of mint leaves
handful of basil leaves
1 lemon
2 shallots, sliced
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 zucchini/courgette shaved (use a peeler)

Pour 1 cup hot water over the couscous and leave for 5 minutes. In the meantime shred your chicken, zest your lemon and squeeze the juice. Mix lemon juice with vinegar and olive oil. Throw together mint and basil leaves, chicken, shallots, zucchini and lemon zest. Once 5 minutes have passed break up couscous with a fork and dress with vinegar and olive oil. Then mix with the remaining ingredients and that’s it. Dinner in under 15 minutes. Plenty of time for nookie.

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This is a really easy mid-week meal that’s impressive. It takes you to Morocco and the Middle East, so I suggest you put on that Middle Eastern music whilst cooking for your beloved. Serve them some mint tea while they wait for dinner or a lovely glass of white.

Ingredients
2 large chicken thigh or small breast fillets
1 onion finely sliced
2 gloves garlic finely sliced
2 tsp ras el hanout (or substitute for a mixture of tumeric, corriander and cumin)
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp freshly grated ginger
1 tsp ground tumeric
400g can tomatoes
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 can chickpeas
1/2 large eggplant sliced into chunks
6 dates finely sliced
1 lemon finely sliced
1 cup couscous
2 tsp honey
fresh coriander

Method
Preheat oven to 175. Heat some olive oil on medium low in a tagine or something that will you can use on your stove and in your oven. Add onions and stir for a few minutes. Meanwhile, cover the chicken in the ras el hanout. Add the chicken to the tagine with the garlic. Turn the chicken until it is browned on all sides. Add the ginger, cumin and tumeric and combine. Stir for a minute until the smell transports you to another country. Then add can tomatoes and chicken stock. Turn the heat to medium. Combine well. Add lemons, chickpeas, eggplant and dates. Your tagine should be nearly boiling now. Once it starts to bubble put the lid on and transfer to the oven. Cook for 30 - 45 mins depending on size of chicken. Ten minutes before it’s ready pour one cup of boiling water over couscous. Leave for 10 mins then fluff with a fork. Stir the honey into the tagine and server over couscous. Sprinkle with chopped coriander and serve to your loved one…

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These are very quick and nutritious. Perfect for a light snack or a starter, or in my case, to get your other half to eat vegetables. You might not look so sexy with sauce and noodles dripping down your face, but you could always get your date to lick it off…

Ingredients
1/2 carrot, cut into matchsticks
1/2 cucumber, peeled and cut into matchsticks
1/2 capsicum, cut into matchsticks
2 shallots, cut into matchsticks
8 mint leaves
1/4 cup coriander leaves
50g vermicelli noodles
4 rice paper sheets
Dipping Sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
4 tablespoons Hoi Sin sauce
1 tablespoon warm water

Serves 2

Method
Cover vermicelli noodles with boiling water and leave for 5-7 minutes. Drain and run under cold water until cool. Drain again.
Soak a tea towel in cold water and place on a plate.
Soak a rice paper sheet in warm water in a large circular bowl for about 30 seconds. Place on the wet tea towel. Arrange some of the vermicelli noodles at the bottom end of the rice paper. Place your carrot, cucumber, capsicum and shallots on top. Gently place the coriander down one side and neatly place the two mint leaves up the side. To roll either fold in both of the edges and then roll, or just fold up one edge (to leave the top open) and roll tightly. Cover with the wet tea towel and keep them all covered and in the fridge until you are ready to serve. The closer you can prepare them to serving time the better.

To make the sauce, mix the sugar and water in a bowl until the sugar has dissolved. Then add the remaining ingredients and mix well.

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OK, after some time not posting, I’ve vamped up my blog in the hope of posting more recipes. I haven’t not been cooking, our digital camera died earlier this year and we’ve been a bit busy. So far this year I’ve:

• Got married
• Had a honeymoon
• Went to England
• Moved house
• Tried to sell my car (anyone want a sexy Peugeot 206??) Sold!
  
• Still been running my business, writing for Flying Solo
• Got knocked up so, have merged my business with husband to form new company (he gets to do all the work)

Oh, am also about to launch an Australian online shopping directory as I spend far too much looking for new places to spend my money online.

Anyway with the moving house comes a new kitchen, and with the marriage came a video camera, so once I figure out how to download the videos to Linux I might start posting instructional videos instead. I’m talking about cooking videos of course!

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If you’re in a new relationship, the aim is to appear interesting to your partner. One way to fake interesting is to cook exotic food. The Three Pee Curry is just your ticket. If you’re very desperate, get some leis and drape them around your living room and you could get some paper umbrellas and whip up some cocktails.

This is a fusion curry, it’s part Indian, part Thai and part Tropical (insert whichever tropical country takes your fancy - personally I always call it the Tropical Hawaiian Curry).

Ingredients
400gm raw green prawns, leave tails on
1/2 small pumpkin, skinned cut into 2cm cubes
1/2 pineapple or small tin of pineapple pieces
1/2 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic crushed
1 tsp tumeric
1 tsp ground corinader
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp red curry paste
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp palm sugar
1 tsp lemongrass, chopped
1 can coconut cream
Jasmine rice
Coriander to serve

Heat roughly 1 tbsp of oil over low heat in a pan and add your onions. Cook until soft and starting to change colour. Add garlic and cook for one minute. Add all of the spices and red curry paste, stir and cook for another minute. Add the can of coconut cream then add the fish sauce, palm sugar and lemongrass and stir. Add in your pumpkin cubes and reduce heat to a simmer for roughly 10-15 mins. If your curry sauce starts to dry out at some water. Meanwhile you can get the rice ready by steaming or boiling or whatever method you use.

Test the pumpkin to see if it’s cooked. If it is add the prawns and pineapple with any pineapple juice and turn up the heat. You want to cook the prawns quickly, so mid- high heat is best. Stir and watch. When they have changed colour and curled up they are cooked - it should take around three minutes.

Serve the three pee curry on top of the jasmine rice and top with coriander. Sitting it next to your tropical Hawaiian punch and you’re exotic!

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This is my “Burgh…it’s really cold and I want to snuggle up to someone sexy when I’m finished”… Cheesy au gratin is dead sexy, it’s a warm and comforting dish that should put anyone at ease, especially those of you who think fennel is pretentious.

So on the menu tonight we have redfish, which I think is also known as red emporer in the UK, in a dill and fennel marinade with cauliflower and broccoli gratin and roast pumpkin and potatoes.

Ingredients
400g redfish fillets
bunch of dill, chopped
1 small fennel bulb, chopped
juice of 1/2 lemon
roughly 3 tablespoons olive oil
1 heaped teaspoon dijionaise (spell!)
2 large potatoes peeled and cut into small chunks
1/4 whole pumpkin peeled and cut into chunks
1/4 head cauliflower
1/2 head broccoli
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon flour
1 1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup grated tasty cheddar

Method
Heat oven to 180. Put the potatoes on to boil in a pot of water, once boiling leave them for 5 mins then drain really well. Once drained shake the potatoes in the pot to “rough them up” - yes you want them to look disshelved. Heat an oven tray in your oven with a dash of olive oil for about 3 mins then add your roughed up potatoes and pumpkin.

Meanwhile boil some water in another pot for your cauliflower and broccoli and prepare your marinade for the fish. Mix fennel, dill, dijionaise, olive oil, lemon juice and a good bit of ground pepper and salt. Add fish fillets and put in the fridge. I know, you’re saying “lemon juice cooks fish” but the redfish seems to cope with it, and the olive oil does water it down. Just make sure you don’t leave it marinating longer than an hour.

OK, after that mouthful, your broccoli and cauliflower should now be cooked. They only take a few minutes after your water has started boiling. Drain and put into an oven dish. Melt butter in a small pot, add flour and stir like there is no tomorrow. I cheat and use a whisk. When these have made a nice roux, add the milk and keep whisking over heat (mid-heat). This will thicken after about 5 mins then add cheese until it melts. Pour over cauliflower and broccoli and add to the oven.

You should also add the marinated fish to the oven now too in its own tray…if you are so lucky to have an oven that can fit three shelves…give it all 10-15 mins and that’s it. A yummy hot cool night meal…since it’s a cold night I give you permission to serve with a nice bottle of red, even though it goes against the rules, something like a Merlot would be yummy, then you can cuddle your loved one in front of the fire…

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If your fella is English, like mine, he loves a good curry and constantly complains about the lack of good Indian curries in Australia. As a special treat I’ll cook him an ‘English’ curry.

You have to love a good creamy, fat full dish. Some of you may think I’ve ruined it by sneaking in eggplants, but I’m trying to increase our vegetable intake and didn’t fancy cooking a side dish. You can’t take any shortcuts with the fat in this dish. The ghee gives it the butter taste. It’s all or nothing…

This will serve 4.

Ingredients
2 single chicken breasts (about 800g) chopped into 2cm cubes
4 cloves garlic
3cm ginger
a handful of cashews
1 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon chilli
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamon
1 tin (400g) tomatoes
2 tablespoons cream
1/2 cup coconut cream
3 tablespoons ghee
1 onion, sliced
2 skinny eggplant, sliced
corriander for garnish
boiled rice for serving

Method
Put everything up to and including the coconut cream into the blender and blend until smooth. Add to a plastic bowl with your chopped chicken. Cover in put in the fridge for at least half an hour, if not an hour.

After your marination time, heat ghee in heavy based pan (or big fry pan). Add onion and eggplant and fry on low heat for about 5 - 10 minutes. Add the giant bowl of marinated chicken and keep on low heat. You’ll want to stir it around for the first 5 minutes to encourage the chicken to change colour, after that put a lid on it and keep it simmering on very low heat. Cook for roughly another 15-20 minutes.

Meanwhile cook your rice. When all is ready serve the butter chicken on steamed rice with corriander sprinkled over the top. Take your special treat one step further and serve with a can of Carling lager.

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