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!

 

Next up is a recipe friendly and safe even during pregnancy called Veggie Packed Tomato and Mascarpone Pasta by Laura of KneadWhine blog.Mascarpone cheese is such a brilliant comfort food and a funky pasta called  cavatappi give this veggie creation a new twist.She has worked in a red pepper into her sauce too which is an unusual and delicious addition.I love her photograph it makes me want to dive right into that plate!

Sudha Neelams well written blog post with a uniquely different and fascinating recipe for Armoniche Mushrooms on her blog titled  Spicy Quiry Serendipitous Blog uses a beautiful wavy pasta called Armoniche and delicious sounding cremini mushrooms.Sudha I love slipping into nostalgic bouts of happiness bought on by the rain too 🙂

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 fro 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.Sharrons 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 its 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 Rachels version is Gluten free -Brilliant!

Lemony Pasta with Broccoli and Chickpeas by Lisa of Lisa’s Kitchen – Food and Spice Blog is a lovely tangy wholesome vegetarian pasta salad recipe that can be served both warm and cold. Chickpeas is a very innovative choice for adding onto a pasta and with sundried tomatoes and all those warm spices in it it will make for a very tasty combination of flavours.

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!

Penne Pasta with Tomato and Basil Sauce by Tina of  The Spicy Pear blog.Before  I say anything I must say I am beseiged by prope envy I simply love the bowl in her photograph sighhhh… This simple and easy to make recipe is made fab by the addition of secret ingredient – a dash of worcestershire sauce! Brainwave I say!

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 radish – no not love just like but thats good enough I guess. Chris’s dish is dripping with delicousness and flavour and its a must try with all the gooey cheesy goodness and each distinct flavour layered into this fab bake.

Rocket and Mozzarella Faralle Salad by Jaqueline Meldrum of Tinned Tomatoes blog and creator of the #pastaplease challenge is a super quick ,easy to make in flat 15 minutes kinda thingy! It looks fabulously healthy and it is so with lots of veggies in with some gorgeous mozzarella ummm,made more tempting by Jacq’s brilliant food photos!

Aubergine Pasta Bake by Vanessa of Jibber Jabber UK blog is an easy wholesome meal with cheesy goodness and my fav veggies mushrooms and aubergines – baked – whats not to like ?!

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 fab 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 sinfuly good and tasty. I love who 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 fully 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.

Macaroni,Beans and Asparagus Sauce by Maria and Andrea of Oil and Life blog is a dead easy recipe using EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil – the theme for this months challenge being Olive Oil ,this of course seems apt.Another asparagus and pasta recipe this is uber healthy and green.

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 jsut 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.