Courgette & Feta penne

Dear friends, first of all I'd like to apologise (again) for disappearing from my blog for a bit. But believe it or not, this time I have a decent excuse - I've been very busy moving from one continent to another and in addition to all the errands I've had to run I started the last bit of my legal education last Monday so my days have been full of trying to get everything ready. Also, I won't have internet at home until late October so it's quite tricky to get the posts up in the library without getting evil looks for not studying, so I finally found out where the closest public library is and signed up for that. But enough of the excuses and on to the food.

Last week I had a very dear friend of mine over from Estonia with her boyfriend so eating together took priority over making them wait until I take the photos for my blog, with the exception of our last dinner together. To finish the week off we decided it would be a great idea to have pasta, especially as we'd had chicken, fish and beef during the previous days. And as the autumn has arrived properly we opted for a very hearty dish - the moment I opened my pasta cookbook and found a pasta recipe with courgette in it that I had bookmarked ages ago we had to look no further, especially as courgettes are in season at the moment. 

One of the big perks of cooking from scratch at home is that the house (or flat in my case) is filled with divine aromas. Most of the stuff that I've made, especially the cakes, leave the flat smelling nice but I have to admit that this dish probably created the best smell I've ever had whilst cooking something savoury. Firstly the sizzling courgettes in olive oil, then the aromas of garlic (you either love it or hate it) and to top it all of some lovely white wine (I used Pinot Grigio). After it was done simmering for 10 minutes of so the whole flat smelled so lovely - very hearty and autumn like. Now add to that slightly salty Feta, aged parmesan and some wholemeal pasta and what you get is an amazing (and quick!) dinner to help you get through those cold and dark autumn nights. Serve with a glass of crispy white wine and you're all set for a lovely evening at home.

Ingredients
(Serves 3-4)
- 300g wholewheat pasta (I used Penne)
- 2 smallish courgettes
- 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- Salt
- Black pepper
- 100ml white wine (I used Pinot Grigio)
- 200g Feta
- Fresh basil, to serve
- Parmesan cheese, grated, to serve
- Garlic bread, to serve

Directions
Firstly wash and slice the courgettes. Then heat the oil in the pan and fry the courgette on both sides until golden brown. Add crushed garlic and fry for another couple of minutes, then season with salt and pepper. Add the wine and simmer for 10 minutes. In the meantime cook the pasta in salted water, strain it and place back in the pot. Chop up the Feta and basil and add to the pasta. When the courgettes are done add them in as well, then mix well and serve with a generous amount of Parmesan.

Recipe inspired by the Penne suvekōrvitsa ja Ricottaga in "Pastaraamat"

Red lentil, chickpea and chilli soup

I have to confess that I really thought that I could escape the autumn feeling by spending my last two weeks of summer holiday in Singapore. But I was so wrong - for the past couple of days the weather has been horrible. It literally has been pouring down rain all the time (not to mention the occasional thunder in the mornings) and I haven't seen the sun in days. I guess my plan to get a nice and glowing tan before heading back to the UK has failed miserably. The reason that I'm talking about the weather is that for some weird reason plays a huge part in what I decide to make for dinner. Salads just don't seem to fit the bill for those grey and rainy days and I think that stews are a bit too wintery so that's left me with lovely soups. They warm you up, they're not too heavy and they're so-so tasty.

After having my usual tomato soup and butternut squash soup I really felt that it was time to try out something new for a change. I flicked through some of my Good Food magazines and found this soup. I obviously couldn't locate the right magazine when I wanted to make it again but thankfully it was up on their website. As I said, I've made it twice already as it was a huge hit with my other half - he loves that it is really filling and slightly spicy (the second batch came out a bit too spicy for me but the Greek yogurt helped to balance it out for me). For me this soup was a nice change from the usual smooth puree soups as I left it a bit chunky and the chickpeas really went well with the rest of the soup.

A lovely Middle-Eastern flavoured soup that is guaranteed to keep you full and tingle your tastebuds. And as I've discovered, nothing goes nicer with soups than some lovely toasted bread!

Ingredients
(Serves 4)
- 2 tsp cumin seeds
- Large pinch of chilli flakes
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 red onion, chopped
- 140g red split lentils
- 850ml vegetable stock
- 400g can of chopped tomatoes
- 1/2 a can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- Small bunch of coriander, roughly chopped (plus some for serving)
- 4 tbsp Greek yogurt, to serve

Directions
First dry-fry the cumin seeds and chilli flakes until fragrant. Then add the oil and onion and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the lentils, stock and tomatoes and bring to the boil. Simmer it for 15 minutes.

Blend the soup into a rough puree, pour back into the pot and add the chickpeas. Heat gently, season well and stir in the coriander. Serve with a generous dollop of Greek yogurt. Enjoy!

Recipe from BBC Good Food