Chorizo pasta
THERE is nothing like a quick and easy summer pasta dish and this is no different. Use a pasta that is small and bite-size but can hold some sauce. It makes it all the better.
WHAT YOU NEED
250g small bite-size pasta
Thick slices of smoked chorizo
1 red or orange pepper
2 courgettes
350g mushrooms
2 tbsp groundnut oil
350ml cream
WHAT TO DO
Cook you chosen pasta in boiling salted water until tender.
Meanwhile, slice the chorizo about 1cm thick, the peppers and courgettes into large chunks and chop the mushrooms into quarters.
Heat the oil in a large frying pan and add in the chorizo, cook for a few minutes then add the peppers and courgettes. Continue cooking and tossing the vegetables until they start to soften, finally adding the mushrooms.
Drain the pasta then add it to the chorizo and vegetables, then pour in the cream and bring to the boil. Season with a little salt and black pepper and eat with crusty bread and a nice glass of your favourite ……!
Perry roasted pears and whiskey cream
THIS succulent and very sophisticated dessert blends the flavour of pear and perry with a decadent whiskey cream. Light but very full in flavour.
WHAT YOU NEED
6 ripe pears, peeled
300ml perry
1 star anise
1 cinnamon stick
1 piece orange peel
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tbsp honey
150ml double cream
1 tbsp whiskey
WHAT TO DO
Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas Mark 4. Carefully scoop out the cores of the pears from the bottom of the fruit, taking care not to damage the outside – a corer is ideal. Coat the pears in the lemon juice and place upright in a baking dish.
Put the perry, honey, spices and orange peel in a small saucepan and slowly bring to the boil, pour the mixture over the pears.
Roast in the oven, basting occasionally, for 30 minutes or until tender. If the syrup starts to dry up during cooking, add a little hot water to the dish.
To make the whiskey cream, whip the double cream until thick and fold in the whiskey
Serve the pears warm, drizzled with the pan juices and accompanied by a generous spoonful of the whiskey cream.
