Pastaaaaa

It's been a while. I've been writing my dissertation, having technology-related crises, and zero social life. To fit everything in, I've been making the ultimate student staple - pasta. But not just pasta with sauce-from-a-jar. Proper, interesting, healthy pasta. Here's a few:

Spaghetti with courgettes and prawns

1 serving spaghetti

1/2 pack king prawns

6 courgette ribbons

olive oil

1tbsp chopped parsley

juice of 1/2 lemon

salt and black pepper

Cook the pasta according to packet instructions.

Meanwhile, heat a little oil in a pan and fry the prawns with salt and pepper. 

When the pasta is cooked, add the lemon juice to the prawns and then the pasta, courgettes, and parsley. Use pasta tongs to distribute the ingredients evenly through the pasta and serve with salad.

Spaghetti with venison meatballs and garlic ciabatta

1 cup venison mince

1/2 tin of chopped tomatoes

fresh thyme

1 serving spaghetti

tomato puree

1 tsp sugar

salt and black pepper

olive oil

Season the mince and shape into balls. Heat a frying pan over a high heat and add a little oil. Fry the meatballs until brown on all sides (approx 3 mins).

Meanwhile, add the tomatoes, puree, sugar, thyme, and seasoning to a sauce pan and cook over a medium heat. When the meatballs are browned, add to the sauce to cook through.

Cook the spaghetti according to the packet instructions. Add the spaghetti to the sauce and serve. (Here I made double quantities of sauce so had to mix the pasta and sauce on my plate - it's much better to coat it in the pan though!)

For the garlic ciabatta:

1/2 ciabatta

1 tbsp softened salted butter

1 clove garlic

Oven at 190C. Make slices into the bread, but don't cut the whole way through. 

Crush or finely chop the garlic and add to the butter and mix well (I use a fork to mash them together). Carefully spread the butter between the slices of bread, trying not to tear it. Place on a baking sheet and bake until crisp and golden (approx 15 mins).

Angel hair pasta with feta, mint, and courgette (from Tessa Kiros)

1 portion angel hair/vermicelli

1/4 block of feta cheese, crumbled

6 courgette ribbons

1/2 tbsp mint leaves, chopped

juice of 1/2 lemon

1/2 clove garlic

olive oil

salt and black pepper

Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a frying pan and add the garlic. Cook for 1 minute before adding the courgette, mint, and lemon juice. Remove from the heat and add the pasta, cheese, and season. Use pasta tongs to mix together, and serve.

Lemony Tuna Steak with Chickpea and Courgette Salad

Saturday - Lemony Tuna Steak and Chickpea and Courgette Salad

Saturday was another day spent at the library. Yawn. I swear I have read far too much for this dissertation by now and by this point hadn't even written half of it!

Anyway, it was a beautiful day outside, and when I got home in the evening everyone was there, ready for a nice sit-down meal all together, so I needed something quick and easy to make. This summery special is not only quick and easy, but also super-healthy, and, as tuna is an oily fish, it's great brain-food too! I really like this with the simple flavours of the lemon and parsley bringing everything together, but you could introduce some garlic to the tuna when it's cooking for an extra hit.

1 tuna steak

juice of 1/2 lemon

2 tbsp parsley, chopped roughly

1 spring onion, sliced

a handful salad leaves

1/2 courgette in ribbons

1/3 cup chickpeas

olive oil

salt and black pepper

To make courgette ribbons, use a vegetable peeler to 'peel' very thin strips off the courgette lengthways.

In a bowl, combine the courgette ribbons, chickpeas, half the parsley, salad leaves, a teaspoon of lemon and a teaspoon of olive oil, and leave to one side.

Heat a frying pan over a high heat.

Brush the tuna on each side with a little oil and season both sides.

When the pan is hot, add the tuna and cook for 1 minute on each side. Add the remaining lemon juice and the spring onion and continue to cook until the tuna is almost entirely cooked through (it's nicest a little rare in the centre).

To serve, place the salad on the plate and the tuna on top. Sprinkle the onions on the tuna and salad and top with the remaining parsley.