Sauteed Brussells and Bacon with Farfalle

The humble brussel sprout is never given much credit. Its one of those loved and hated vegetables, of which I am firmly placed in the 'love' team. They are like little baby cabbages that were grown possibly as early as the 13th century in what is now Belgium. They also contain sulforaphane, a phytochemical under basic research for its potential anticancer properties - although has less sulforaphane than its brassica brother, broccoli.

Although in the UK, they are mostly boiled (probably why people don't like them much), the best ways to cook them is to either roast them or shred them and stir fry, which brings out a lovely flavour. They pair beautifully with bacon and parmesan so here we have a lovely pasta meal with those delicious flavours.

Ingredients:             (Serves 3-4)

130g streaky bacon
1 onion, sliced
1 clove garlic, chopped
200g brussel sprouts, shredded
1 tbsp. olive oil
180g farfalle pasta
50g pine nuts
parmesan, to finish

Method:

Grill the bacon until crisp. The best way to do this is to dab at any fat with kitchen paper every few minutes while it is cooking. Remove and set to one side on some more kitchen paper.

Put the pasta on to boil in a large pan of boiling water.

Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan and add the onion and garlic. Cook over a medium heat for 2 minutes and then add the sprouts. Stir fry for about 4 minutes and then add 3 tablespoons of the water from the pasta. Cover and let steam for 2 minutes. (alternatively, you could add a few tablespoons of white wine).

Drain the pasta and add to the sprouts, along with the pine nuts. Stir well. Just before serving, crumble in the bacon and combine.

Serve with a generous shaving of parmesan (use a potato peeler to get nice shavings) and serve hot. Delicious!

Nutty, Chewy, Choc Chip Flapjacks

Flapjacks are an old childhood favourite of mine and I can recall the smell of the house while my mother baked them. Known as flapjacks in the UK, they would likely be called granola bars, or cereal bars in some other countries.

They can vary quite a bit in terms of healthiness, this recipe is for the sweet toothed among us! Every bite is a mix of textures and flavours; of chocolate, crunchy nuts and chewy oats with raisins. I used a 9 x 9" tray to bake these in, but in all honesty I should have used one about 12 x 12 as they came out rather large! Not that I'm complaining....

Ingredients:

300g butter
4 tbsp golden syrup
340g golden caster sugar
200ml condensed milk
400g porridge oats
200g hazelnuts, roughly chopped
150g raisins (or currants)
100g white chocolate chips

Method:

Grease and then line a 12 x 12 inch tray (or close to). Set the oven to 170 C.

In a heavy based saucepan, melt the butter with the sugar and syrup on a low heat. When melted, take off the heat and stir in the condensed milk. Add the remaining ingredients and stir through well.

Tip mixture into the prepared tray and smooth out the top with a spatula. Pop in the oven for about 20 minutes, until starting to go golden brown. Leave to cool to room temperature and then cut into squares.

Serve with tea or coffee.. or grab one as you are running out the door to work! Either way, enjoy!