Semi-dried Tomato Pesto Pasta with Shrimp

There's a reason it's called 'comfort food'. It's filling, it's delicious, and it's exactly what you need at the end of a hard day (or even, not-so-hard day).

This semi-dried Tomato Pesto Pasta with Shrimp is sure to bring a bit of comfort to those moments when cooking a nice meal is the last thing on your mind.

Here's what you need:
Following on from the Basil pesto base, with a slight twist...
1 1/2 cups picked basil leaves
1/2 cup of semi-dried tomatoes
3 cloves garlic
1/2 cup roasted walnuts
1/4 cup parmesan, grated
1 cup of quality extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper

250g Pasta (any long pasta will do, I'm using spaghettini)
2 handfuls of fresh shrimp, shelled and deveined

Here's what you do:
Take your pasta and boil it in salted water until aldente. There is no need to put oil in the water - a common misconception to prevent the pasta from sticking. If you want your pasta to not stick together, keep stirring the pasta in the water during the first five minutes of boiling.

Mix all the pesto ingredients together in a food processor and blend until smooth. Take 2-3 tablespoons and place into a mixing bowl. The rest of the pesto can be refrigerated for a few months - just ensure a layer of olive oil covers the top.

Before the pasta becomes aldente, using a sieve, parboil the shrimp in the boiling water then drain and toss into the mixing bowl with the pesto.

Once the pasta becomes aldente, mix it together in the mixing bowl with the pesto and shrimp. Tip: don't drain the pasta before mixing. Using a pair of tongs, quickly remove the pasta from the water straight into the mixing bowl. The residual water helps make the pasta creamier in texture.

Pluck a few basil leaves and serve with alongside a light and fruity Pinot Noir from New Zealand!

Mash Potatoes

The humble mash potatoes can sound quite boring, but with a few variations it can be a stunning side dish (even DT should be able to cook this one!).

Here's what you need:
- 1 kg of Desiree potatoes
- 1 cup of thickened cream
- 125g butter
- salt and pepper to taste

Here's what you do:
Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil (large enough to fit all the potatoes in and enough water to just cover them). Peel and dice the potatoes to about 2.5cm chunks/cubes.

When the water is boiling put the potatoes in. A trick to avoid splashing is to make sure that the point of entry is low. Bring the pot down to a gentle simmer and leave for approx 20 minutes or until the potatoes soft (check with a sharp knife).

Drain the potatoes and begin the mashing process. Once half mashed add the cream and butter. Continue mashing until a smooth consistency is reached. If the mash is too dry add some more cream or milk (if you're wanting it to be a bit lighter in calories!).

Suggested variations:
Now here's the fun bit! Mash potatoes now come into a world of their own once they have been varied slightly. Here are my two favourite variations.

Herbed (pictured above) - add some rosemary and dried parsley to the mix. This will give the mash a nice little boost and this is great with steaks and other red meats.

Multi-coloured mash (pictured below) - get some cherry tomatoes (the 'grape' varieties are also great for this variation) and baby spinach leaves. Prick the cherry tomatoes and drop them in boiling water for 20 seconds. Peel the tomatoes and slice them in half. Rip up the baby spinach and together with the peeled tomatoes add them to the mash to make a stunning side dish for any meal.

Have a go and let me know how it turns out!

The tomato mash served with Kangaroo steaks and salad.

Honey Mustard Chicken Drumsticks

So it's a Sunday evening after a day out at Church, we're both feeling pretty tired and looking forward to our day off tomorrow. What to have for dinner?

I stumbled on this recipe in the 'Best Ever Three & Four Ingredient Cookbook', and since we had the ingredients ready I figured, "Why not?"

What you need (to serve 2):

• 4 Chicken drumsticks (thighs or breast are also good)
• 2 Tbsp wholegrain mustard
• 2 Tbsp honey
• salt & pepper to taste
  

Here's what you do:
Mix the mustard and honey together and add salt and pepper to taste. Brush the chicken drumsticks liberally leaving about one third of the mixture remaining. Pop into a pre-heated oven at 200 Degrees Celsius and cook for about 25-30 minutes. You will need to turn the drumsticks occasionally and re-coat them using the remaining mixture.

I served this dish (as above) with Italian Herbed Potatoes (from a ready packet mix), honey carrots and roasted Roma tomatoes.

Very nice!