Vegetable Pastitsio

I  made this pasta dish last night after a bit of a scrabble around in the fridge. I had some vegetables lying around in the salad tray and was thinking of making some minestrone soup. But nobody wanted soup! I also had some bits of cheese - mozarella, gorgonzola and a tub of half used marscapone from the weekend. So I decided maybe some pasta was in order. So... here is my recipe which I think is rather good.

3 red onions peeled and cut into half moons
3 leeks washed and cut into 1 inch slices
3 courgettes cut into 1 inch chunks
2 bulbs of fennel - trimmed and quartered
1x500g punnet of cherry tomatoes
olive oil
fresh thyme and rosemary sprigs
salt and pepper
500g penne pasta
6 slices prosciutto cut into strips
2 tablespoons marscarpone cheese
6 oz buffalo mozarella torn into chunks
6 oz gorgonzola in chunks

Preheat the oven to Gas 7/200 degrees centigrade.

Place all the prepared vegetables in large roasting tin and sprinkle with about 3 tablespoons of olive oil to lubricate all the vegetables well. Season with salt and pepper and add the fresh thyme and rosemary sprigs.
Place the tray of vegetables in the oven and roast for about 30 minutes until soft.
Remove from the oven.
Place a large pan of salted boiling water on the heat and add the pasta. Cook for about 10 minutes until the pasta is al dente.
Drain the pasta and add to the vegetables. Add the prosciutto and the cheeses. Stir the whole lot together to amalgamate the vegetables with the pasta and cheese.
Return to the oven and bake for another 30 minutes until bubbling.
Serve with simple green salad.

Chicken and Mushroom Pie

The summer is over and the chilly weather calls for some warming and comforting dishes. What better than a home made pie. This was my daughters request for dinner...

Serves 6

8 chicken thighs
1tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
2 sprigs fresh thyme
knob of butter
3 leeks washed well and sliced thinly
250g button mushrooms
1 tbsp plain flour
small glass white wine ( about 5 floz/150ml)
chicken stock -( about 5floz/150ml)
single cream ( 5 floz/150ml)
small bunch parsley finely chopped
good quality puff pastry
1 beaten egg to glaze

Preheat the oven to  Gas 7/220 degrees centigrade. Place the chicken thighs in a roasting tin and drizzle with the olive oil, salt and pepper and the fresh thyme. Roast in the oven for about 30 minutes. Allow to cool.

Melt the butter and add the sliced leeks. Fry gently for about 2 minutes. Sprinkle with the flour and cook for a minute to incorporate the flour. Stir in the wine and stock to make a thick sauce. Stir in the cream and add the mushrooms. Simmer for a couple of minutes. Set aside.

Cut the chicken into bite size pieces discarding the skin and bones. Stir the chicken into the sauce together with the cooking juices from the roasting tin.. Season and stir in the chopped parsley. Pour the mixture into the pie dish.

Roll out the pastry to fit the top of your pie dish. Brush the edges of the dish with beaten egg. Cover the pie dish with the pastry and trim the edges. Cut a cross in the top of the pastry to allow the steam to escape.

Brush the top of the pie with the beaten egg and put back in the oven for about 30 minutes.