The Second Round!

After last week's efforts, it was nice to have a go at something a little less complex. This round included Pregnant Jools's Pasta, Crunchy Chicory & Watercress Salad and Little Frangipane Tarts. Before I get into the details, let me just say this: Yum.

This week involved a lot less of the specialty deli foods and spices and had more readily available ingredients. The only thing I had real difficulty tracking down was the chicory. It is not popular in Australia, apparently, and I went to two different supermarkets and four different green grocers just trying to find it. Eventually I located the elusive vegie under it's alias of Witlof. But for all of that searching and effort I can honestly say... I'm not a fan.

Don't get me wrong - half the idea of this whole challenge was to try new things, and I fully intend to continue embracing that. I'm not sure if I just picked a bad lot of chicory, or if it is not in season, or if there was some variable involved that can be altered next time to make it taste better - but it was just way too bitter for me. It has a strange, almost metallic taste to it which I'm sure could be used to an advantage in some way, but it just didn't do it for me. I found that the lemon juice and a bit of olive oil helped to take it down a notch, but it was too overpowering. It even cast a shadow on the rocket, and that's saying something! Flipping through the cookbook I have noticed that it makes several more appearances throughout the recipes. I can't say I'm thrilled with that, but I figure trying it with different dressings and in different formats can't hurt.

But aside from that, this week was a roaring success. Dear housemate had her sister come over for dinner this week, and another friend of ours joined in as well. The pasta was greatly enjoyed by all, which is surprising because I thought they might object to the spice. Making the pasta itself was beyond easy, you just throw everything into a food processer and there's half the work done. The recipe calls for sausage meat to be used, which I found interesting because I've only ever eaten sausages in their intended form - cooked on the BBQ and served on a slice of Tip Top with a smattering of tomato sauce. But it works really well and gives the whole sauce just enough richness so that you feel satisfied without overeating.

The tarts were the real stars though. Dear housemate happily took charge of this part of the meal and what resulted were the most delicious little desserts you'll ever taste. They took all of five minutes to prepare and were just the right amount of sweet to enjoy after a filling meal.
We have decided that the tarts and pasta will become a more permanent fixture on our everyday menus, given that they were so delicious and so simple to make. Last week felt a little bit scattered and it was borderline stressful for me trying to make sure I had all of the measurements right. I don't know if it was the recipes themselves or just my own attitude this week, but the whole process seemed to be a lot calmer and more enjoyable.

My only advice would be to make sure you have the water boiled and ready for the pasta by the time the sausage mixture hits the pan - because once that starts cooking and you get a smell of it you'll be starrrrving for it.

Bon Appetit!