Parma ham & melon

Every now and then I feel like eating something simple and tasty. Something that does not take hours to prepare and does not need a long list of ingredients. Sure, sophisticated or a bit more special food is great - I am a big fan of trying new things and experimenting with ingredients which I have to google to find out what they are and how do they look like. However, sometimes simplicity is the key to food. And this brings me to todays recipe. I even don't know whether it is correct to call it a recipe as it basically involves eating two ingredients together... Nevertheless it is undoubtedly one of my all time favourites. It is one of those universal recipes that you can have any time of the day just by yourself or serve it as canapés or a starter at a dinner party - just organise the melon and ham in a fancy way and voila! It has always been a big crowd pleaser so you can't go wrong with serving this. Also, there are endless ways of serving this dish - melon wedges, cubes, slices and the bit lazy ones amongst us (or ones under time constraints) can even buy ready-to-eat melon pieces and serve it up with the ham.

I am still amazed how good this combination of sweet melon and salty Parma tastes like. It's perfect combination for a refreshing summer dish and adds a nice dose of sun into my day whenever I have it. For a more sophisticated take on the recipe, drizzle with some good quality balsamic vinegar and for a more filling dish, serve rocket on the side and increase the quantities.

Ingredients
(Serves 1)
- 200g melon, sliced
- 90g Parma ham
- Fresh black pepper to serve
- Balsamic vinegar, to serve (optional)
- Olive oil, to serve (optional)

Directions
Peel the melon and slice into pieces. Place the melon slices onto a plate and top them off with Parma ham. Drizzle some balsamic vinegar and olive oil on top if you wish and serve with freshly ground pepper.

Crispy apricot pork

I have to admit that it is quite difficult these days to find nice and quick recipes, which do not require you to go out and buy a whole new spice cupboard. I've made these pork chops quite a few times and both my dad and my other half have given big thumbs up. Last time we had it I was even told that it is ok to make it more often than just twice a year.  I love to fact that they are so easy and quick to make and that the result is really delicious.

The juicy pork chops go so well with the semi-sweet apricot jam. This recipe actually made me into a big apricot jam fan - it's perfect with pancakes and for spreading on toast. The combination of those two is really delicious and they compliment each other well. Pork makes a nice neutral base and the jam adds the spark to this recipe. And the home made breadcrumbs are like a cherry on top. They are so fluffy and golden and slightly crispy on top... Mmmm.... Basically this is a great mix of different tastes and textures that compliment each other so well. Quick and easy to make and can be served with anything - from rice and potatoes to just a simple salad or steamed vegetables. Have it for a a quick lunch or serve at a nice dinner - easy to make for many people as all you have to do is to chuck it in the oven.

Ingredients
(Serves 2)
- 2 bone in pork loin chops
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp apricot jam
- 1 slice of wholegrain bread
- Salt
- Pepper
- Green salad, to serve

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 210C. Pat the pork dry and place on baking tray covered with baking parchment. Generously season both pork chops with salt and pepper and then spread 1 tbsp of apricot jam on the top of both pork chops.

Put the slice of bread into a food processor and pulse until breadcrumbs form, add the tablespoon of olive oil and pulse again until the olive oil evenly covers all the crumbs. Then divide the breadcrumbs between the port chops and gently pat them into the apricot jam. Bake for 18 minutes until the pork is cooked throughout and the breadcrumbs are nice and golden.

Wash and prepare the green salad and place it on the plate. When the pork is ready, add it and serve immediately.

Feel free to serve the pork with other vegetables and potatoes, however I think that as the pork is quite heavy on its own, it goes well with a light salad or some steamed vegetables.

Recipe from marthastewart.com

Penne carbonara

Firstly, I would like to apologise for having such a big gap between this post and the last one. I had a minor technical problem, which, thankfully, has been sorted out.

Carbonara sauce was the second pasta sauce I ever tried (Bolognese was obviously the first) and I fell in love with the moment I tasted it! I wasn't very good at cooking savoury dishes few years back and as I loved the sauce so much I resorted into using a ready made powder (shame on me!). As my skills in the kitchen developed I decided to try out the sauce from scratch. When I found out how easy it actually was to make the sauce I actually felt ashamed that I didn't try making it before -  I was so sure that something so delicious definitely required hours of complicated cooking, but I obviously was proven wrong.

I consider pasta carbonara a real treat as it manages to combine loads of good things into one dish - pasta, cream, bacon and Parmesan cheese, but it obviously isn't the healthiest of the options. This dish might have a 'treat' status for me, but regardless of that fact it is so simple and fast to make - it all takes basically as long as it takes for the pasta to cook. I really needed something to lift my mood a bit after spending a long day at university and since my sister is staying over there was no better excuse not to treat us to a nice home cooked pasta. This has undoubtedly been one of my favourite recipes for quite a few years now and I'm sure that once you've tried it you realise why :)

Ingredients
(Serves 2)
- 200g Penne (or any other pasta; I used wholegrain)
- 4 bacon rashers
- 2 eggs
- 25g Parmesan cheese (plus more for serving)
- 160ml cream

Directions
Bring a pot of water to boil and add salt. Then add the pasta and cook it until al dente.

While the pasta is cooking, cut the bacon into small cubes and fry it. Then place the bacon pieces on a kitchen paper to dry off the excessive fat. In a medium saucepan, whisk together eggs, cream and the parmesan. Place the mixture on the hob and heat up, whisking constantly to avoid clumps. When the sauce starts to thicken add the bacon and mix until nicely combined.

When the pasta is ready, drain it and add into the sauce. Mix well, divide between two bowls and serve immediately with some freshly ground pepper and a generous sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.

Recipe from a book "Pastaraamat"

Strawberry & Parma ham salad

I just realised that it has been 10 days since my last post! I guess I was so wrong when I thought that the moment summer holiday arrives I will start posting something every day - babysitting my baby brother and visiting grandmothers seems to have taken all my free time so far. But nevertheless, I managed to prepare a delicious salad, which we had for lunch, but it could very well be served as a light dinner. I really love Parma ham (Parma ham with melon is one of my favourite) and this time my father had managed to get hold of freshly cut Parma - it was heavenly just on its own. But, instead of enjoying it on its own, I decided to incorporate it into a simple salad. It was really interesting to choose the rest of the ingredients based simply on the criteria that they would have to go nicely with Parma. Resisting the temptation to incorporate melon, I decided to choose a bit more interesting ingredients. Rocket is nice and peppery and therefore perfect as a base (if you prefer any other salad green, feel free to use something else) for this salad and the sweetness and juiciness of the strawberries nicely balances that. The Parma ham is quite salty already, so I did not add any additional salt to the dish. To make the salad a bit more sophisticated I added the almonds, with give it a really nice finishing touch. To sum it up - this is a healthy, tasty and quick salad that is perfect for those hot summer days when you are craving something tasty but light.

Ingredients
(Serves 1)
- 25g rocket
- 50g Parma ham
- 50g strawberries
- 1 tbs flaked almonds
- Freshly ground pepper, to serve
- Balsamic vinegar, to serve
- Olive oil, to serve (optional)

Directions
Place the rocket in a bowl / on a plate. Shred the parma ham into small pieces and scatter over the rocket. Then either halve or quarter the strawberries, depending on their size and then place them on top of the salad. Finally, add the flaked almonds, some fresh pepper and drizzle over with some balsamic vinegar and serve immediately.

If you wish, you can also drizzle the salad with some olive oil, in addition to balsamic vinegar, but I didn't as I prefer to have salads without or with minimum dressing.

Nectarine & Serrano ham salad

As promised - a summery and light, but at the same time very flavourful, recipe. I am a huge fan of cold meats - especially dried ham - and it is no problem for me to finish off a big pack of Parma ham by myself as a snack. The salad I initially wanted to make required Parma ham, but unfortunately I was a bit too lazy to drive to the city and they only had Serrano ham, which is like the Spanish alternative, so I gave the ham a go ... And the result was gorgeous (I would not post something that doesn't taste good). Filling but light, fresh and fruity - exactly what one wants from a summer salad.

Ingredients
(Serves 1)
- 25g rocket
- 1 ripe nectarines
- 3 slices Serrano ham
- Balsamic vinegar, to serve
- Freshly ground pepper, to serve

Directions
Place the rocket on a plate. Chop up the nectarines and tear the Serrano ham into small slices. Place the ham on top of the rocket and sprinkle with the nectarine slices. Drizzle over with some balsamic vinegar and freshly ground pepper and serve immediately.

Warm feta & pasta salad

I really love pasta - I'm pretty sure that if I could, I would happily live on pasta for the rest of my life. However, unlike some lucky people, I can't afford to eat pasta all the time - there is not enough time for me to spend in the gym to burn it off. However, to be honest, unless you sink the pasta in cream based sauce, pasta can be quite healthy, just go for the wholemeal version. I find salads with pasta a great way to enjoy the Italian delight, without having to feel guilty about it.

This warm salad is great for a quick mid-week meal or when you have pasta cravings that need to be satisfied. It is really flavourful and I absolutely love how the feta melts a bit and covers the hot pasta, resulting in a really creamy salad. Also, the saltiness of feta couples perfectly with the mild taste of spinach and the basil adds a nice Italian sense to the dish.

Ingredients
(Serves 1)
- 75g wholewheat fusilli
- 75g cherry tomatoes, halved
- 75g Greek feta, cubed
- 50g baby spinach (or other leafy green)
- 50g roast ham, cubed
- 4 basil leaves

Directions
Boil the pasta in salted water. In the meantime, place the halved tomatoes, cubed ham, baby spinach (torn into small pieces) and basil leaves (torn into small pieces) into a bow. Top it with cubed feta.

When the pasta is cooked, drain it and immediately place on top of the feta. Mix well and serve immediately.

Recipe from a book "Salatid 2"