Author: Notnick

Pasta al burro/ Pasta Bianco/ Poppys pasta

This is the quickest simplest pasta dish I know. White pasta or pasta in butter – can be made with olive oil, but I prefer the buttery version. I guess it depends if youre from northern or southern Italy. I’m not. In its simplest form, its cooked pasta in butter with parmigano sprinkled on top – but we can do better!

Cook a portion of pasta (c100g), drain and retain some of the pasta water.

In the empty pan, add a small knob of butter and a little crushed garlic (c1/2 a clove for 1 person) and mix til it is softened and smells less harsh.

Add the drained pasta back to the pan, and toss it in the butter & garlic. add another knob of butter, and a swig of pasta water and mix – the butter should mix to make a creamy sauce.

Add some grated parmagino and mix as it melts into the sauce. you may need another glug of pasta water if it looks claggy.

when it looks ‘right’ dump into a bowl and top with more parmagino and some black pepper. nom

Tahini & Date Syrup Baked Basque Cheesecake

I love tahini and date syrup mixed up with a pitta to dip – great breakfast or snack. I wanted to try that as a cheesecake.
I’ve never made basque cheesecake – so here we go – all new things together. Sort of made this up, with the help of 3 cookbooks and some chat gpt help. Version 1 here. it might need some work…

Ingredients

  • 600 g full-fat cream cheese (e.g. Philadelphia, at room temp)
  • 250 g double cream (heavy cream)
  • 150 g date syrup (plus extra for drizzling)
  • 100 g caster sugar (you can reduce to 75 g if you like it less sweet, since date syrup is rich)
  • 4 large eggs
  • 2 tbsp tahini (well stirred)
  • 20 g plain flour (about 2 tbsp, optional but helps set)
  • Pinch of salt

Method

  1. Prep oven & tin
    • Heat oven to 200°C (180°C fan) / 400°F.
    • Line a 20 cm (8-inch) springform tin with baking paper, letting it come up the sides in a rough way (Basque cheesecake should look rustic and crinkly).
  2. Beat cream cheese
    • In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese with sugar until smooth and creamy.
  3. Add tahini & date syrup
    • Mix in the tahini and date syrup until fully incorporated.
  4. Add eggs
    • Beat in eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl.
  5. Add cream & flour
    • Pour in the double cream and mix until smooth.
    • Sift in flour and salt, fold gently until just combined.
  6. Bake
    • Pour the batter into the lined tin.
    • Bake 45–50 minutes until the top is a deep golden brown and the centre still has a wobble. (needs 50 minutes – 55)
  7. Cool & serve
    • Let it cool in the tin to room temperature (it will sink and crack — perfect for Basque style).
    • Chill for at least 4 hours (or overnight) before slicing.
  8. Finish
    • Serve plain, or drizzle extra date syrup and a light swirl of tahini on top before serving.

Flavour Notes

  • The tahini gives a sesame richness that pairs beautifully with the caramel tones of date syrup.
  • The burnt top balances the sweetness, so it won’t taste overly sugary.
  • You can sprinkle with sesame seeds before baking if you’d like a nutty crust.

Entrecote sauce (for streak)

2 shallots, finely diced
1 clove garlic, chopped, crushed or sliced
4-5 anchovie fillets
1 heaped tsp dijon mustard
handful of Fresh Taragon
handful fresh flat-leaf parsley
butter
small tub (150ml) double cream
1 lemon, juiced
salt & pepper

Vaguely taken from various cafe paris entrecote sauce recipes found on the web, with my twist added (ie I tried making it, tweaked it, and got to this)

Saute the shallots in butter – until soft, bowning and shightly caremelised. Add the anchovie fillets and cook till soft. Add in the garlic – soften but don’t brown.

Add the mustard, cream and herbs and heat till hot but not boiling. Using a stick blender, blend to a green sauce. taste – add salt if needed. Finish with lemon juice to give some tang.

You can addd other things too – maybe some capers, or basil, or chervil – the point of the sauce is a big umami and salt hit of anchoivies – with a taragon and lemon coming in behind that to make it interesting!

Serve with steak – especially fillet. Nom.

Hanan’s Lamb & Chickpea Stew


2 red onions, fine dice
2 garlic cloves, minced
olive oil
800g lamb cut into large chunks
1.5 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp hot paprika
2 tsp sweet smoked paprika
Grated zest of 1 lemon
1 tbsp honey
1-1/2 cans chopped tomatoes
500ml chicken stock, hot
600g chickpeas, drained and rinsed
fresh coriander, chopped

Fry off the onions for 10 minutes until soft. Add the garlic for a further 2 minutes, then set aside.

Fry off the lamb chunks for 5-6 minutes until browned. Add the cumin and paprikas and fry for a few minutes. Add the onion & garlic back to the pan, along with the lemon zest, honey, tomatoes, stock and chickpeas.

Bring to the boil, then simmer for 20-25 minutes until the lamb is tender. Stir through the coriander and serve with couscous. Finish with chopped coriander.