A quick, tasty everyday pasta made with green asparagus, tomatoes, and olives for a stress-free supper.

120 g Pasta 300 g Green asparagus, trimmed and cut into chunks 2 tbsp Olive oil 1 Large clove of garlic, crushed Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 200 g Chopped can tomatoes 2 tbsp Black olives, pitted Parmesan for dusting Cilantro leaves for garnishing

1. Cook pasta in a pot of salted boiling water for about 8 minutes or according to package instructions until al dente.
2. Trim, rinse and cut the green asparagus into 2-inch chunks. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add in green asparagus chunks and crushed garlic, stirring occasionally, cook for 2-3 minutes.
3. Pour in chopped can tomatoes and pitted black olives. Stir to combine all the ingredients until incorporated and asparagus chunks are tender.
4. Drain the pasta and mix with sauce. Serve with chopped coriander leaves and grated Parmesan.

This is an comforting and delicious homemade pasta with browned ground beef filling. It's simply sauced with a roasted tomato sauce. If you're a fan of homemade pasta, take some time and make your dinner special.

Homemade Beef Ravioli with Roasted Tomato Sauce

adapted from Klassische italienische Küche von Julia della Croce

Roasted Tomato Sauce	Beef Ravioli
500 g Roma tomatoes 1 Yellow onion, chopped 6 Garlic cloves, peeled 2 tbsp Olive oil 1 tbsp Sugar Salt and pepper 1 tbsp Fresh thyme 200 ml White wine 2 tbsp Balsamic vinegar	300 g Pasta flour (or bread flour) 1/8 tsp Salt 4 Large eggs 1 tbsp Olive oil 200 g Ground beef 1 Shallot, minced 1 clove Garlic, minced 2 tbsp Parsley, chopped 1/4 tsp Salt 1 Egg white, beaten Parmesan, grated (optional) Chives, chopped (optional)

1. Preheat an oven to 200C/400F. Slice each tomato in half lengthwise and place on a sheet pan, cut side up. Roughly chop the onion and scatter the pieces around the tomatoes. Scatter the garlic cloves on top of the onion. Drizzle with olive oil, then season with the sugar, salt, pepper, and thyme.
2. Roast the vegetables for 30 minutes or until the tomatoes are soft. Remove from the oven and transfer the roasted tomatoes into a large saucepan. With an immersion blender process the tomatoes to the desired consistency. Bring the tomato sauce to a simmer. Add in white wine and balsamic vinegar. Simmer for a further 20 minutes.
3. Combine pasta flour and salt on a clean work surface and make a well in the center. Place 3 eggs and olive oil in the well, and incorporate the flour into the liquid ingredients until combined. Knead the dough vigorously until it becomes smooth and elastic.
4. Allow the dough to rest, covered with plastic wrap, for at least 1 hour before rolling it out. Flatten a manageable amount of dough (about the size of an orange) on a clean work surface dusted with flour. Cover the rest of the dough. Using a rolling pin, work from the center of the dough to the edges with a back-and-forth motion, rolling and stretching the dough. Continue rolling, turning the dough occasionally and dusting it with flour to prevent sticking and tearing, until the sheet is the desired thickness. Leave the dough sheets to dry for 10-15 minutes before cutting.
5. Cook ground meat, minced shallot and garlic in a skillet until meat is browned. Remove and strain off the fat. Stir in one egg, parsley and salt.
6. Cut the dough sheet into 8-cm wide strips and place spoonfuls of filling about 4cm apart on one strip. Brush the area between fillings with egg white and top with a second strip of dough. Form ravioli by pressing around each filling to form a seal. Dust with flour and cut into squares with a pastry wheel. Crimp the edges of the ravioli with a fork to ensure that they are sealed properly. Alternatively you can cut out the wraps using a 2-inch cookie cutter.
7. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the ravioli for 5 minutes in a rapidly boiling salted water. Drain and gently toss with the sauce. Sprinkle some grated Parmesan and chopped chives on top if desired. Serve immediately.

A really simple pasta dish with crunchy bitter radicchio, that’s balanced by the rich, earthy taste of roasted hazelnuts and luscious, fresh cream. Some chopped roasted nuts would be a nice addition sprinkled on top. Serve with some garlic bread for a complete meal.

Reginette with Radicchio and Hazelnut Cream Sauce

Inspire by Robyn Cooks and All Recipes

• 100 g Reginette
• 1 Radicchio, rinsed and sliced
• 40 g Ground hazelnuts, toasted
• 30 g Butter
• 120 ml Low-fat cream
• 1 tsp Brandy
• Salt and freshly mulled black pepper

1. Cook the reginette in in a large saucepan of rapidly boiling salted water until al dente, about 9 minutes.
2. In the meantime, toast the ground hazelnut in a small skillet over medium-high heat for a couple of minutes, stirring constantly. Lower heat, then add the butter, stir until melted, then add the cream and brandy. Stir to combine, and cook until thickened, 5 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
3. To serve, pile some radicchio into the bottom of a rimmed soup bowl, then top with reginette. Spoon the sauce over the top. Serve immediately.

It’s a shame that many people (my husband included) are averse to this appealingly rich purple bulb, that has been considered beneficial to the digestive system, as a cancer preventative, and a tonic of blood. It is a nutritious vegetable with many health-giving and healing properties. Aside from bringing immeasurable good to human health, the sweet, earthy and velvety beet makes attractive, colourful and delicious dishes.

Sweet, spicy and satisfyingly crunchy...could those chips convince your husband to eat beets who passionately dislikes them?

Brown Rice Salad with Beetroot and Herbs

Salad	Dressing
250 g Brown rice 350 g Roasted beetroot, chopped into chunks 2 tbsp Spring onions, finely sliced 1 tbsp Fresh tarragon, finely chopped 2-3 tbsp Fresh dill, roughly chopped	3 tbsp Freshly squeezed orange juice 1-2 tbsp White balsamic vinegar 2 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Cook the brown rice according to the packet instructions. It takes about minutes. Drain and rinse under cold running water. Drain really well and tip into a large bowl.
2. Stir the spring onions, chopped tarragon, dill and beetroot though the rice. Mix together the dressing ingredients and taste to check the seasoning. Stir the dressing through the salad. Pile the rice salad on a large serving dish and garnish with some roughly chopped dill. Serve immediately.

Oven Roasted Beetroot Chips

• 3 Medium beetroots, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp Olive oil
• Pinch of chilli powder
• Sea salt to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 170C/340F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Clean, dry and peel the beetroots. Using a mandolin or a sharp knife, slice them into wafer-thin crisps.
2. Toss in a bowl with olive oil, chilli powder and salt. Arrange on the baking sheet in a single layer. Roast 45 minutes to 1 hour, turning halfway through, until crisp. Check often to make sure they don't burn. Spread out on paper towel until cool and crisp. Sprinkle with additional chilli powder and salt if necessary.

This pasta is REALLY simple, fast, and delicious, too, just like most of Italian recipes. It perfectly combines the delicious flavours with balanced nutrition and since the sauce can be prepared ahead of time, this is ideal for those who haven't much time to cook, but are unwilling to compromise on a bottled sauce.
Adapted from Taste

• 120 g Pitted green olives
• 2 Garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 1/2 bunch Mint, leaves picked
• 1/2 bunch Flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked
• 1/3 cup Grated Parmesan, plus extra shavings to serve
• 100 ml Olive oil
• Freshly mulled black pepper
• 400 g Spaghetti
• Some radicchio, shredded

1. Rinse and drain olives, then pulse in a food processor with garlic, herbs, cheese and oil until roughly chopped, not smooth. Season with pepper.
2. Cook pasta in a large pan of boiling salted water for about 10 minutes or until al dente. Drain, then return pasta to pan.
3. Add the pesto and shredded radicchio. Toss gently to combine. Serve with extra cheese shavings.

This is easy to fix and soooooooooo tasty! Linguine can be used in place of spaghetti and the vegetables, like carrots, and peas can be incorporated into the filling. Now open a bottle of Valpolicella Classico and enjoy your pasta!
Recipe adapted from Essen und Trinken

• 200 g Spaghetti
• 3 tbsp Parmesan, grated
• 2 tbsp Breadcrumbs
• 2 Large eggs
• 3 tbsp Whipping cream
• 1 Tomato, diced
• 50 g Prosciutto, diced
• 125 g Fresh Mozzarella cheese, diced
• 3 tbsp Chives, chopped
• Salt and pepper
• Tomato sauce to serve

1. Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain pasta. Return to same pot and toss with grated Parmesan and breadcrumbs.
2. Use a fork to stick into the spaghetti and bring up a heaping forkful. Turn and twist the pasta to form a nest. Repeat until you have 8 nests. Place them on a baking tray lined with paper. At the same time, preheat the oven to 200C/400F.
3. Stir together the eggs and cream until just blended. Season to taste. Add in diced tomatoes, Prosciutto, Mozzarella, and chopped chives. Divide the mixture and spoon them in the center of each nest. Bake the spaghetti nests on second rack from the bottom of the oven for 15-18 minutes.

A delightful combination of eggplants, canned tomatoes and spinach taglierini make this pasta dish a delicious and satisfying main course meal, and you won't even miss the meat.

• 250 g Spinach taglierini or linguini
• 2 Large aubergine
• 8 tbsp Olive oil
• 2 clove Garlic, crushed
• 2/3 can Crushed canned tomatoes
• 1/4 tsp Crushed dried chillies
• 1/4 tsp Dried oregano
• 1 handful Chopped spring onions (or basil leaves)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Cut off the tops and bases of each eggplant and cut across into two. Cut each piece lengthways into thick sticks. Place into a colander and sprinkle them with one teaspoon of salt. Place the colander over a bowl and leave the eggplants for 40 minutes to disgorge some of their juices. Pat the eggplants dry with kitchen paper to remove the salt and excess juices.
2. Heat 6 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large frying pan. Add in the aubergine pieces and fry, turning occasionally, until golden-brown all over. Remove with a slotted spoon and place onto a plate lined with kitchen paper to drain.
3. Fill a large pot with enough water and bring to the boil. Add the salt, then the spinach taglierini and cook according to packet instructions, or until al dente. Shortly before the pasta is ready, add the remaining olive oil and the garlic to the frying pan and return it to the heat.
4. As soon as the garlic begins to sizzle, add the crushed chillies, dried oregano and the tomatoes and cook over a high heat for 2-3 minutes. Add the eggplants and season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add in chopped spring onions or basil leaves and mix well.
5. Drain the cooked spinach taglierini and divide into 2-3 bowls. Spoon the eggplant mixture over. Serve right away with some shaved Parmesan cheese if desired.

Ramsons is also known as "wild garlic" due to its pungent garlic odour, or "bear's garlic" as the brown bears after hibernation, seek it out to cleanse their system. Ramsons has similar medicinal properties to those of the garlic. It is therefore especially valuable for a spring cleaning and waste removal course of treatment. They can be used as salad, as a vegetable, in soup, or as an ingredient for pesto in lieu of basil.

	Ramsons Pesto
250 g Wholewheat spaghetti 10 Cherry tomatoes, halved 10 Bocconcini, optional A handful of baby greens Freshly ground black pepper	80 g Ramsons leaves, chopped 60 g Almond, chopped 80 g Parmesan-Reggiano, grated 130 ml Olive oil Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. Add only enough chopped almonds to the skillet so they lie in a single layer. Turn heat on to medium and toast, stirring occasionally until the nuts are fragrant. Remove from heat and cool.
2. Rinse, dry and chop the ramsons. In a food processor, pulse toasted almonds and ramsons a few times. Slowly add the olive oil in a constant stream while the food processor is on, stopping to scrape down sides of container. Add the grated cheese and pulse again until blended. Add a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. If you have a mortar and pestle, do use them to pound the ingredients.
3. To store the pesto, simply place them in a jar and allow the oil to rise to the top. If it doesn't add a little oil to seal the top. It will keep fresh in the refrigerator for about a week.
4. Cook pasta to al dente according to package directions. Drain in colander and transfer to a mixing bowl. Add in pesto (about 1/2 cup) and gently toss to coat thoroughly. If pesto is too thick, you can add a tablespoon of the pasta water to thin it a little.
5. When pesto is mixed in, add cherry tomatoes, bocconcini if used, baby greens and season with freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Rice salads are easy, delectable and infinitely versatile. This curry rice salad is prepared mainly with Basmati rice, peas, pan-seared walleye fillet tossed with curry powder and olive oil, and finished off with papaya. It's perfect for a lunchbox, a picnic, and even great as a side to a summer BBQ party.

• 125 g Basmati rice
• 75 g Frozen peas
• 2 tsp Curry powder
• 1 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tsp Lime juice
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 180 g Walleye fillet, pan-seared
• 1 tsp Butter
• 50 g Carrot, diced
• 1/3 Red onion, chopped
• 1 Papaya

1. Cook rice following packet directions. Add the peas 2 minutes before the end of cooking. Drain. Rinse under cold water. Drain well. Place in a large serving bowl. Add the curry powder, olive oil, lime juice, salt and freshly ground black pepper. Gently stir to combine.
2. Season the fish with salt and pepper. Melt the butter in a non-stick pan over medium heat. Cook the walleye fillet until golden brown. Remove fish and cut into half-inch pieces. Dice the carrot and red onion.
3. Add the fish, carrot, and red onion to the rice. Halve the papaya lengthwise and remove the seeds. Scoop out some flesh and add into the rice salad. Fill the papaya shells with rice salad or just serve them in a bowl.

Risotto is really delicious at any time of the day and the addition of beetroot makes this pretty much a super-food, as beetroot are a rich source of potent antioxidants and nutrients. Next time I am going to scatter some

• 200 g Cooked beetroot
• 1 tbsp Olive oil
• 1 Shallot, finely chopped
• 1 clove Garlic, minced
• 130 g Risotto rice
• 80 ml White wine
• 400 ml Hot vegetable stock
• 2 tbsp Parmesan, finely grated
• Handful of arugula

1. Puree half of the cooked beetroot and cut another half into small pieces. Ser aside. Heat the olive oil in a pan. Tip in shallot and garlic, then stir until translucent. Stir in rice until well-coated with oil. Pour in the white wine and beetroot puree. Simmer until all is absorbed.
2. Pour in a third of the hot vegetable stock and set the timer to 18 mins. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the stock has been absorbed, then add half the rest of the stock and continue cooking and stirring until that has been absorbed.
3. Add in the rest of the stock, stir, then simmer until cooked. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in most of the Parmesan, arugula and the diced beetroot through the risotto. Serve with Parmesan and arugula scattered on top.

This is rather a simple, modest, yet very flavourful, filling and soul-satisfying risotto dish that's quick and easy to make. From vegetables, fruit to meat, poultry, and seafood, the variations are endless, just like pasta. Get yourself a glass of Valpolicella Classico Superiore or Pinot Grigio if you prefer white, and enjoy!
Recipe adapted from Essen und Trinken

• 1 Onion, finely diced
• 3 tbsp Olive oil
• 150 g Risotto rice
• 1 clove Garlic, minced
• 50 ml White wine
• Salt and black pepper
• 200 g Salmon steak
• 500 ml Vegetable stock, hot
• 2 tbsp Chopped dill
• 2 tbsp Green peas
• 2 tbsp Creme fraiche

1. Heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet on medium heat. Add in the diced onion and stir until tender. Add in risotto rice and minced garlic. Stir until rice becomes translucent. Pour in the white wine. Simmer until the wine is absorbed.
2. Cut the salmon into inch-sized dices. Season with salt and pepper. Heat one tablespoon of oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add in diced salmon and cook until lightly golden.
3. Season the risotto with salt and pepper. When the wine is all absorbed, add half of the hot stock and keep stirring, until that has been absorbed. Pour in the rest of stock, stirring frequently until the rice is cooked al dente. This will take 20 minutes or more.
4. Add in chopped dill, green peas and creme fraiche. When the rice is cooked, gently stir the pan-fried diced salmon into the risotto, and cook for a further 1-2 minutes to heat through. Season, to taste, with salt and black pepper and serve.

The red wine gives the pasta an unique deep purple colour and a sublime, earthy flavour complemented by a handful of rich, peppery arugula and sharp, nutty Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Adapted from Food Network

• 200 g Spaghetti
• 350 ml South African Pinotage
• 1 tsp Sugar
• 2 tbsp Olive oil
• 2 clove Garlic, sliced
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 2 tbsp Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated
• 50 g Arugula

1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the spaghetti, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. The pasta will finish cooking in the red wine. Drain the pasta and set aside.
2. Add the pinotage and sugar to the pasta pot. Bring it to a boil over high heat and cook until reduced by half, about 5-8 minutes. Add in spaghetti and cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the red wine is absorbed and the spaghetti is al dente, about 3 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add in olive oil, reduce the heat to medium-low and stir in garlic until golden. Turn the heat off. Add in pasta, arugula, salt and pepper, toss gently and transfer to serving plates. Sprinkle with the cheese and serve.

Thank you, Elisabeth at Food and Thrift Finds, and Joudie at Moodfood Blog, for sharing this one lovely blog award with me. And I also want to express my sincere appreciation to Gina at What's for Dinner across State Lines, and Alisha at The Ardent Epicure for thinking of me in the "Tag Game".