Keep your mouth full! { spaghetti and baby shrimps}

Let's start the week with another great recipe! This is one is extra easy-breezy and it combines two of my favorite ingredients seafood and pasta. I use spaghetti No. 6 which I cook according to cooking instuctions and then rinse under running cold water. I always do that because it halts the cooking process right there on the spot, plus it removes most of the surface starch which I personally don't like to taste at all! Now, to the sauce, which is what gives life to the dish. In a heated pan slightly covered with olive oil I add a clove of garlic and wait until it turns a bit brown, then I remove the garlic and add a yellow pepper sliced into squares. When the pepper is softened I add a few cherry tomatoes crushed and a few minutes later my baby shrimps. The shrimps are already bathed in fresh water which has a few lemon wedges. The shrimps cook very fast (about ten minutes max) and I want my tomatoes to be slightly cooked in order to keep their freshness. In that time, a thin layer of tomato sauce is built which is enough for the rest of the ingredients. I add fresh ground pepper and sea salt along with oregano and a handful of chopped parsley and give it a last stir. I remove the pan from heat and toss the pasta in. A lot of grated cheese on top and I can hardly resist for another minute!


ALL IMAGES SOPHIA DIAMANTOPOULOU

Keep your mouth full! {rigatoni with anchovies}

I can't say that I like to compromise when it comes to taste. I love food so much and if my meal is bland usually it ruins my day. That said, I have to admit that I can be lazy too so I need to prepare meals quickly and easily. I enjoy pasta quite a lot and I try to bring a new flavor almost each time I make it. For the above dish I used rigatoni. I always drain my pasta under cool water and then I use a bit of warm olive oil to coat them for extra flavor. Yummy! For the sauce I used 2-3 fillets of anchovies and a tablespoon of capers along with a clove of garlic, finely sliced, in a warm skillet. I made sure the skillet was coated with olive oil (again!), just a few drops is enough. When half way cooked, I added a few cherry tomatoes and when those were ready I removed the skillet from the heat. I combined the pasta with the sause, springled fresh parsley over it and served in a large plate with lots of cheece and black pepper! Food for the soul! 

Keep your mouth full!

Don't get me wrong. I love preparing fancy food! I do most of the time. But when time is stretched thin or work keeps adding up the answer can only be a quick but satisfying meal! This food is not only practical is nutricious too, which we all strive to have in our daily routine(everyone keeps telling us this!). So, let's move on to the recipe; you only need a can of herring (I had this stuff from Ikea but I guess any could do), some plain cooked rice (usually  leftovers are welcome too) and fresh cherry tomatoes. Put them in a large plate add a dash of olive oil and your preferred herbs (for me that is oregano) and presto! meal is ready!  

IMAGES BY SOPHIA DIAMANTOPOULOU

Maggie's cakes

Edible creations of art... That's what Maggie's Cakes are, or else what happens when a ballerina becomes pastry chef. Take a moment to visit her beautiful creations at Maggie Austin Cake!


IMAGE FROM MAGGIEAUSTINCAKE

Manger a Paris!

It's been quiet, for a couple of days around here, now we're back on track! I shall propose to take it back from where we left it and that means only one thing; Paris, oh la,la, la! I was enjoying Paris so much I thought of prolonging our visit a bit longer!  Strolling around Paris opens up our appetite so it's about time to visit one of the hot spots the town has to offer. The famous restaurant Derrière. The name comes from its location, right at the back of the 404 and Andy Wahloo -restaurant and fellow bar consquently. Customers would like to choose where they want to sit, whether it’s in the lounge, dining room, bedroom or boudoir. The food is French, simple and wholesome, made with the finest quality products. A place that resembles an eclectic home rather than a restaurant and introduces a new "art de la table". The ingenious man behind this endeavour is Mourad Mazouz aka the Momo. Mourad opened his first bistro Au Bascou in Paris in 1988, since then each new culinary launch of his has been bound up with success! 

ALL IMAGES FROM DERRIERE-RESTO

Eat sweet

I don't know about you but, I'm not easily impressed with sweet recipes. When it comes to sweet I satisfy myself with the old good way; a generous bite of chocolate(any kind) and that's about it. But when I came across this recipe while reading desire to inspire blog something inside urge me to try it! And...heaven help me!!! If you were ever to cook once in your life or if this is something you do everyday, rush over to Not quite Nigella and get the recipe. The best thing I've read in cooking recently!

Friday's food -weekend's joy!

Macaroni pie (serves 10), a traditional recipe that my grandma used to make and now my mom does and hopefully one day I will! This time I only took the pictures and enjoyed its full taste with the rest of the family!

• ingredients:

250gr of pasta made from durum wheat semolina
2 cups fresh milk
7 whole eggs
2 cups feta cheese
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup parmezan cheese
1 pack of french pastry
2 spoons of unsalted butter
3 spoons of virgin olive oil and fresh gound pepper

• execution: Bring to boil a large pot of water and add the pasta with a pinch of salt. Let it shimmer for 13 minutes and drain afterwards under cold water. In a large bowl beat the eggs for a minute or so.Add the pasta and crumble all different kinds of cheese on top. Continue by adding the milk and the olive oil with one spoon of the butter. Don't forget to add pepper to suit your taste! Mix all the ingredients together. Preheat the oven at 250C. Use a big round baking tray and cover all surfaces with the remaining butter. Lay one sheet of french pastry on the bottom of the tray and make sure that the edges of the sheet fold on the sides up. Transfer the mixture on the tray and cover with the other sheet by overlapping the edges. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden at 250C and then cover with some baking sheet and let it bake for another 20 minutes at 180C. Use a fork to pinch, when ready the fork will come out dry!