Jamies Classic Tomato Spaghetti

This was a very easy recipe to make and because Jamie gives several suggestions of things you could add to it, it would be a very good to have late at night as an easy meal.

ingredients

• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 fresh red chile
• A small bunch of fresh basil
• Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 pound dried spaghetti
• Olive oil
• 1 x 14-ounce can of diced tomatoes
• 4 ounces Parmesan cheese

This pasta sauce takes minutes to cook. What’s great about this recipe for beginner cooks is that once you’ve done it a few times you can add other simple ingredients to your basic tomato sauce to completely transform it. Check out the end of the recipe, where I’ve given you some ideas to get started.

To prepare your pasta
Peel and finely slice the garlic. Finely slice your chile (halve and seed it first if you don’t want the sauce too hot). Pick the basil leaves off the stalks and put to one side. Finely chop the stalks.

To cook your pasta
Bring a large pan of salted water to a boil, add the spaghetti and cook according to the package instructions. Meanwhile, put a large saucepan on a medium heat and add 2 good lugs of olive oil. Add the garlic, chile, and basil stalks and give them a stir. When the garlic begins to brown slightly, add most of the basil leaves and the canned tomatoes. Turn the heat up high and stir for a minute. Season with salt and pepper. Drain the spaghetti in a colander then transfer it to the pan of sauce and stir well. Taste and add more salt and pepper if you think it needs it. Divide the pasta between your bowls, or put it on the table in a large serving dish and let everyone help themselves. Roughly tear over the remaining basil leaves and grate over some Parmesan.

These can be added to your tomato sauce when it’s finished. Just stir in and warm through:
• Add a handful of baby spinach leaves to the sauce at the same time you add the pasta—when the leaves have wilted remove from the heat and serve with some crumbled goat’s cheese on top.
• A few handfuls of cooked shrimp and a handful of chopped arugula with the juice of ½ a lemon.
• A can of tuna drained and flaked into the sauce with ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon, some black olives and the juice of ½ a lemon.
• A handful of fresh or frozen peas and fava beans

 

Jamie's Chicken Fajitas

This was really nice, it made a very nice school lunch for the day after.

CHICKEN FAJITAS

1 red bell pepper
1 medium red onion
8 ounces skinless, boneless chicken breast fillets
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
A small pinch of ground cumin
2 limes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/16 teaspoon sea salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 x 8-inch flour tortillas
½ cup plain yogurt
2 ounces Cheddar cheese
For the salsa
½–1 fresh red chile, to your taste
15 ripe grape or cherry tomatoes
about ½ cup a small bunch of fresh cilantro
1/16 teaspoon sea salt
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 lime

Put your grill pan on a high heat. Halve and seed your bell pepper and cut it into thin strips. Peel, halve, and finely slice your onion. Slice your chicken lengthways into long strips roughly the same size as your bell pepper strips.

Put the bell peppers, onion, and chicken into a bowl with the paprika and cumin. Squeeze over the juice of half a lime, drizzle over a lug of olive oil, season with the salt and pepper and mix well. Put to one side to marinate for 5 minutes or so while you make your salsa.

Finely chop your chile. Roughly chop your tomatoes and the cilantro, stalks and all.

Put the chile and tomatoes into a second bowl with the salt and pepper and the juice of 1 lime. Then stir in your chopped cilantro.

Use a pair of tongs to put all the pieces of bell pepper, onion, and chicken into your preheated pan to cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until the chicken is golden and cooked through. As the pan will be really hot, keep turning the pieces of chicken and vegetables over so they don’t burn – you just want them to lightly chargrill to give you a lovely flavor. Give the pan a little love and attention and you'll be laughing.

To make the guacamole squeeze a handful of cherry tomatoes on to a board. Finely chop up the flesh with ½ -1 red chile and a handful of cilantro leaves, including the top part of the stalks.

Halve the avocado, leaving the side with the pit for another use. Then squeeze the one side of the avocado over a board so the flesh comes out of the skin. Discard the skin. Squeeze over the juice of 1 lime and chop everything together until fine. Taste and adjust the flavors if needed.

Warm your tortillas up in a microwave or a warm dry frying pan. Divide your warmed tortillas between your serving plates.

At the table, carefully help yourselves to the chicken and vegetables straight from the hot grill pan. Just be sure to put it down on top of something that won’t burn, like a chopping board.

Halve your remaining lime and squeeze the juices over the sizzling pan. Serve with bowls of plain yogurt and guacamole alongside your Cheddar, a grater, and your lovely fresh salsa. 

Jamie's Chicken and Leek Stroganoff

Made this is February and did not add it to the blog, it was very nice, however the sauce was very runny so if I made it again I think I would add less liquid. Personally I prefer thicker sauces, but if you do not than it does not matter.

Chicken and Leek Stroganoff

Sea Salt and freshly ground black pepper
150g long-grain or Basmati Rice
1 Large Leek
Big handful of Chestnut or Oyster Mushrooms  2 Chicken Breasts
Olive Oil
a knob of butter
A glass of white wine
A bunch of fresh parsley
285ml single cream
1 Lemon

1. Pour boiling water from the kettle into a large pan, place on a high heat and add a pinch of salt. Add your rice and bring to a boil, then turn the heat down slightly. Cook according to instructions on package.
2. Cut both ends of the leek, quarter lengthways, slice across thinly, then wash under running water. Slice the mushrooms. Slice the chicken breasts into finger-size pieces.
3. Put a large frying pan on high heat and add a good lug of olive oil and a pat of butter. Add the leek to the pan with the white wine, a small glass of water, and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Let it bubble away for 5 minutes covered loosely with a piece of aluminum foil. Meanwhile, finely chop the parsley.
4. Remove the foil and then add the chicken strips, most of the parsley, the cream, and the mushrooms. Stir, bring back to a boil, then turn the heat down to medium and simmer for 10 minutes.
5. Drain your rice. Just before serving cut your lemon in half and squeeze the juice of one half into the stroganoff. Season to taste.
6. Spoon some rice onto each plate and top with the stroganoff. Sprinkle with the remaining parsley. Serve with the other lemon half, cut into wedges

Jamie's Baked Camembert Pasta

Had this tonight and it was truly amazing and very yummy, easy and enjoyable! Try it as soon as possible.
Ingriedients
1 times 250g box of camembert cheese

• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 sprig of rosemary
• sea salt and pepper
• extra virgin olive oil
• 100g parmesan cheese
• 400g dried rigatoni
• 150g fresh spinach
  

Method
Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4. Leaving it in the box, score around the top of a 250g Camembert about ½cm in and cut off the top layer of skin. Finely slice a peeled garlic clove and poke it into the top of the cheese with a few fresh rosemary tips. Drizzle with a little olive oil then bake in the hot oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until gorgeous and oozy in the middle. Thread bite-sized pieces of stale bread onto stripped woody rosemary sprigs, drizzle them with olive oil and a tiny pinch of sea salt to help them crisp up then lay them on a tray and pop in the oven to cook with the Camembert. Finely chop a small handful dried cranberries and mixed nuts and put them in a little bowl. Once your bread skewers are golden and crisp and your cheese is oozy, put everything out on a board then dunk a bit of toasted bread in the gooey cheese and dip it in the cranberry and nuts

BEAUTIFUL AND YUMMY AS HEAVEN!!!