Dried tomatoe and oregano spaghetti (vegan)

This pasta might not look all that appealing when you read the ingredients, but do yourself a favour and give it a try. It is really nice and quick and easy to prepare.

Ingredients: spaghetti
2 or 3 garlic cloves
olive oil
salt
a few tablespoons of water
4 or 5 dried tomatoes (you can buy them in a jar in oil, or if you have the dried version, soak them in some olive oil for till they are tender)



a full tablespoon of oregano (seems a lot but makes it taste great)
a tin of plum tomatoes (not triturado if you live in Spain)

Preparation:

Whilst you boil the water with salt for the spaghetti you take a frying pan and add a good splash of olive oil. Meanwhile, you have cut the tomatoes into pieces and either crushed the garlic or cut it into tiny pieces. When the water for the pasta is boiling you add the spaghetti.

Add both to the hot olive oil and stir immediately. The tomatoes and garlic can burn if you don't watch out and you don't want that so make sure you keep stirring. After a few minutes you add the dried oregano and you may add 1 or 2 tablespoons of water. After again a few minutes you add the tinned tomatoes and make sure they are cut into pieces. You can do this with a fork in the frying pan. Sprinkle with salt (to taste)

Leave on a low heat to reduce the sauce somewhat.

When the pasta is ready – al dente – you can add it to the sauce in the frying pan and mix well.

Serve and enjoy!

Grilled courgette

Ingredients:

courgette

garlic and parsley condiment

or fresh parsley and fresh garlic

salt

olive oil

Preparation:

Wash and cut the courgette into half a cm thick long slices.

Take a grill pan and brush or spray with some olive oil

When the grill pan is hot you put the slices in the pan and sprinkle with some salt and with the garlic and parsley condiment.

In Spain you can buy this in most supermarkets. If you prefer fresh then cut garlic into tiny cubes and fry them till golden brown in a pan, but make sure it doesn't burn and mix it when cold, with some freshly chopped parsley.

Grill on both sides. The courgette will remain slightly crispy.

Balsamic artichoke hearts

Ingredients:

1 tin or glass jar of artichoke hearts,

1 clove of garlic

salt

fresh basil (about 4 leaves)

balsamic vinegar

olive oil

 

Preparation:

cut the artichoke hearts into 4 pieces

take a clean jar and add about 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar

add a finely chopped clove of garlic

add the chopped basil and a little bit of salt

add about 3 or 4 tablespoons of olive oil

Now you add the artichoke hearts, put the lit on the jar and gently shake the jar, so that all the artichokes are covered with the dressing

Serve as a side dish

Raw mushroom tapa

Raw mushroom tapa
Ingredients:

• Baguette style sliced bread
• Clean mushrooms, very thinly sliced.
• Garlic
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Salt
  

Preparation
Toast the sliced bread and rub each slice with a clove of fresh garlic. Drizzle some extra virgin olive oil over the toasted bread and then sprinkle it with a little salt. Now you add some raw slices of mushrooms on the bread and your tapa is ready to eat.

Don’t let appearances fool you; this is actually a delicious surprise for your taste buds! DO TRY THIS AT HOME! Enjoy!

Ten minute summer pastas

Tomato pasta with basil and mozzarella

Ingredients:

Spaghetti serving 2
1 mozzarella cheese
About 8 Fresh basil leaves
1 big clove of garlic
Tinned plumb tomatoes
Salt
Pepper or cayenne pepper to taste
olive oil

Preparation:

Bring to boil a large pan with abundant water and salt
When the water boils you add pasta for two servings and cook till al dente. (just cooked, not overcooked)
Put about 2 or 3 tablespoons of olive oil into a frying pan.
When the oil is hot you can add the garlic and fry just for about 30 seconds, make sure the garlic doesn't burn
Add the tomatoes from the tin with its juice
and the salt and pepper to taste
Finally add the chopped basil leaves

When the pasta is cooked you add it to the frying pan and mix it with the sauce. Finally add some chopped pieces of mozzarella cheese on top of the pasta. Serve immediately.


summer pasta with tuna fish

Ingredients:
- pasta of your choice serving three (best not to use spaghetti)
- 1 mozzarella cheese
- approximately 150grams of tinned tuna fish (I prefer to use the one in olive oil)
- half a medium sized onion (red onions are a good choice)
- olive oil
- fresh tomatoes, 2 or 3 depending on the size.

Preparation:

Bring to boil a large pan with abundant water and salt
When the water boils you add pasta for two servings and cook till al dente. During the cooking time of the pasta you prepare the ingredients.
Chop, or slice the onion, chop the mozzarella in small cubes, cut the tomatoes in pieces and mix them with the tunafish and some oliveoil in a large bowl. If you like you can add some salt and pepper but this is not necessary. The tunafish and the onion give a nice taste to the pasta.

When the pasta is ready (al dente) you mixed it in with the cold ingredients. Serve immediately. This pasta is eaten luke warm, like a salad, and very delicious!

Bruschetta, an Italian starter

Bruschetta as an appetizer or as a snack, it is always a success! This starter, originally from Italy, is easy to prepare and very tasty! The ‘Bruschetta’ was already known in Central Italy as from the 15th century and today it is a standard item on most Italian menus. The basis of a bruschetta is a slice of bread, preferable a good quality, home-made style bread or a French baguette.

Bruschetta with tomato and oregano

Ingredients
• Good quality home-made style bread or French baguette
• 3 tomatoes
• 2 cloves of garlic
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Salt
• Oregano

Preparation
Toast de sliced bread and rub each slice with some raw garlic. Cut the tomatoes into small cubes and put some of the tomatoes on the sliced bread. Then sprinkle this with some salt to taste and oregano. Finally you drizzle some extra virgin olive oil over the top.



Traditional tomato basil bruschetta

Ingredients
• Good quality home-made style bread or French baguette
• 3 medium sized tomatoes
• 3 or 4 fresh basil leaves
• 1 clove of finely chopped garlic
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Salt

Preparation
Cut the tomatoes into small chunks. Cut or tear the fresh basil into small pieces and add this and the finely chopped garlic to the tomato. Then add a good splash of olive oil and salt to taste. Allow this to soak for about an hour. Serve on freshly toasted bread.


Bruschetta with olive paste

Ingrediënts
• Good quality home-made style bread or French baguette
• 100 grams pitted black olives cut into small pieces
• 3 mushrooms, cleaned and finely chopped
• Half of a small onion, finely chopped
• 1 or 2 finely chopped cloves of garlic
• Pepper and salt
• Extra virgin olive oil

Preparation
Heat about 3 table spoons of olive oil in a frying pan. Glaze the onion and the garlic. Add the olives and mushrooms and pepper and salt to taste. Simmer this on a low heat for approximately 5 minutes. Take off the heat and when cold you put it into a blender and mix until you have a smooth paste. Spread on the toasted bread.


Bruschetta with mortadella and ricotta mousse

Ingredients
• Good quality home-made style bread or French baguette
• 5 slices of mortadella
• 3 tablespoons of ricotta cheese
• Salt (optional)

Preparation
Mix all the ingredients in a blender until you have a smooth paste. Add some salt to taste (optional) Serve on freshly toasted bread.

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