Pasta Please Challenge April’14 Round Up

Last month I hosted my first ever food challenge linky called Pasta Please created by Jacqueline Meldrum of Tinned Toms Blog. The theme was ”Olive Oil” In the past month I have infused 2 large bottles of good quality olive oil with various herbs, garlic and chilli and used this oil for cooking, especially for Italian recipes it gives your dishes a new level of good taste.

Thanks to all bloggers who linked up and Thanks to Jacqueline for kindly letting me host #PastaPlease for April’ 2014.

The first entry was from Corina of searchingforspice blog. Her –Tagliatelle with Chorizo, Garlic and Sundried Tomatoes is a delightful pasta dish made using various bits of leftovers. I am always impressed with what can be made by salvaging leftovers which we may otherwise be inclined to chuck. I love chorizo and it pairs very well with pasta. The way she has described the juicy tomatoes bursting when you bite into them is enough to make me want to make my own pasta using her recipe!

Fusilli with Baked Eggplant and Marinara Sauce by Ridhi of Drizzling Delicacies Blog which is a meat-free and eggless recipe blog is an easy recipe which uses baked eggplant in a thick and delicious tomato sauce.I love using fusilli and penne pasta which are great for scooping off the sauce. And olives in a veggies pasta must add a definite crunch and saltiness that is so good on the palate.

 Easy Entertaining: Stuffed Pasta Shells by Katie of Feeding Boys Blog is a Gennaro Contaldo recipe – a cheesy mix of ricotta, parmesan and mozzarella then baked with a tomato and basil sauce, for the Good Food Channel website that was part of the Spring photoshoot Katie cooked for. This one is fab for impressing guests on a weekend and giving the impression of having slaved for hours. I love such recipes! Conchiglioni rigati (large pasta shells) being shovelled into the mouth with melted cheese and other goodness is so so…. tempting …Ummm.Sharron’s image is to die for too!

Chicken Riggies: A Utica, New York Pasta Speciality by Rachel at The Crispy Cook Blog is one of the most intriguing entry in the link-up simply because it is made using very saucy, spicy chicken with rigatoni (the “riggies” part) and chopped hot red peppers. This recipe is native to the Italian-American community in Utica, NY and Rachel’s version is Gluten-free -Brilliant!

Red Peppers in Pasta Bake, Stuffed and in Soup by Johanna of Green Gourmet Giraffe Blog or triple G as I am going to remember her blog from loves green and dreams of being tall and graceful as a giraffe 🙂 She lives in Australia and has hosted the #PastaPlease challenge before. This was the first pasta bake of the 2 which linked up to the challenge. I love the main 3 ingredients in this bake – Angel hair pasta, red peppers and mozzarella cheese. Also, I had never heard of Tofu Bacon before I read through Jo’s post. While reading through her about me section I notice that all the foods she dislikes I like very, very much especially eggs and mangoes and GASP……Fresh Coriander and ermmmm very spicy food! Well dislikes aside Johanna’s blog is a treasure trove of veggie recipes and I ended up reading many of her posts!

Extremely Delicious Vegetable Lasagne by Chris of Cooking around the world blog came into the linky just when I was wondering why hasn’t any lasagne recipe made an appearance! This veggie recipe has a secret ingredient too – Radish, I have no shame in admitting I like a radish – no not love just like but that’s good enough I guess. Chris’s dish is dripping with deliciousness and flavour and its a must try with all the gooey cheesy goodness and each distinct flavour layered into this fab bake.

Farfalle with Sicilian Pesto by Torta di Rose is what I was hoping to see in the linky because it has pesto with anchovies whizzed through the food processor, I am a fan of anchovies ever since I was kid, growing up reading Enid Blyton and all the seniors at Malory Towers asking the junior students to make them some anchovy on toast ahhh good old days. Rose’s photo is magazine quality awesome I think and kudos to her for writing her blog in Italian and English!

Gnocchi with Asparagus, Sage & Prosciutto by Louisa Foti of Eat your Veg blog made me realise the sheer variety that exists in the types of pasta. Gnocchi is that type of pasta which is so sinfully good and tasty. I love when Louisa says ”The heady pairing of lemon and sage work really very well with the slight salty tang from the slithers of prosciutto”. Louisa’s blog is full of family-friendly recipes and in most of her posts, her 2 adorable kids are seen ‘helping’ her cook :).A recipe apt for the Asparagus season this is packed with goodness.

Spicy Chorizo Pasta with loads of veggie goodness – last but not the least an entry by yours truly this was my attempt to get a ton of greens into OH’S tummy without the cribbing and using chorizo in a tasty sauce to mask the veggies. The things I have to rest to just to get him to eat all his greens, well well well.

I hope all of you had as much fun cooking and sharing your recipes with me and Jacqueline as we had hosting the #Pasta Please challenge for April’2014 with all of you.

Hope you liked my first ever round up too.