Try not to be too grossed out by the name (or look!) of this dish as it is the perfect Halloween dish to get you in the mood for trick or treating or to quickly gobble down after! There is something about black spaghetti that just screams Halloween and so I just can't resist making it to mark the occasion. I love this dish as it takes no time to make – literally just as long as it takes for the pasta to cook – it tastes fantastic and has the perfect Halloween look to keep the children happy! Of course when Halloween has past this is still a fantastic meal which can be enjoyed minus the black spaghetti and with whole wheat or regular white spaghetti instead. We eat this dish a lot as it is the perfect quick and easy mid-week meal!

{Serves 4 easily doubled for a crowd}

400g black (squid ink) spaghetti

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2-3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1 long red chilli, finely chopped (de-seed for a milder child friendly dish)

1lb prawns, cleaned*

Juice of ½ lemon

Sprinkling of fresh parsley, finely chopped (optional)

Cook the pasta in a large pan of salted, boiling water for the time instructed on the packet. While the spaghetti is cooking heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a frying pan and gently cook the garlic and chilli until softened but not coloured. Add the prawns and toss well and cook until warmed through (or if using raw prawns until they have cooked properly). Squeeze over the lemon juice then take off the heat.

Drain the spaghetti reserving a tablespoon of the cooking water then add the spaghetti to the garlicky prawns. Add the reserved pasta water then mix well. Finish with the final tablespoon of olive oil to give a real 'glossy' look to the pasta then if using scatter over the parsley. Serve at once.

*For this particular dish I used small prawns since I thought they better resembled bugs(!) however ordinarily when I make this I use normal sized prawns. You can use either cooked or raw prawns for this dish, just make sure they have their shells off and have been cleaned. If you do use raw prawns they will require about 4 minutes to cook whereas the cooked prawns literally just need to be heated through.

**If you like you can miss out the prawns and have a super simple pasta supper of Garlic & Chilli Spaghetti – one of my favourites! 

People ask me all the time how I arrange my food when I photograph it. Most of the time I am thinking about how it is going to look, imagining different backgrounds with all kinds of plates, bowls and cutlery. I am thinking about the flowers or dry leaves or herbs I would love to use in my sets, the colors I would need and which of them would be fitting for that specific dish. This usually takes me about a couple of days, then, when I have it all clear in my mind, I proceed.

There are times as well, when I like to experiment( "ad hoc"), while I am cooking. Here is a perfect example: I am enjoying the preparation of a delicious nice, easy shot of  macaroni and shrimps. So I start with one bowl, and every time I would add more detail or move the objects around.

The result is my last photo where you can see when "less is more". For me it is a clean delicious picture of comforting and delectable food that looks mouthwatering without a lot of decorations.

Which one do you like best?



Comfort food makes you feel good, makes you feel at home, and puts you in the frame of mind to curl up on a sofa, in front of a roaring fire, with family, with friends, with a great book. It's what you want when you come in from the cold or when you've got a cold, or when you want to enjoy a cozy evening with loved ones.

Ingredients:

• 2 large eggs
• 1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk
• 1 tsp mustard
• salt
• pinch of cayenne pepper
• 8 oz shell macaroni (2 cups)
• 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 3 cups (12 oz) sharp cheddar, American, or Monterey Jack cheese, shredded 
• 1 lb. shrimp, cooked, shell off

Directions:

Mix eggs, one cup evaporated milk, mustard, salt, and cayenne pepper in bowl.

Meanwhile, bring 2 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add pasta and one teaspoon of salt and cook, stirring often, until al dente. Drain pasta and return to pot over low heat. Add butter and toss to melt.

Add egg mixture and three-quarters of cheese mixture to pasta and toss until thoroughly combined and cheese starts to melt. Then, gradually add remaining evaporated milk and remaining cheese, stirring constantly, until mixture is hot and creamy, about 5 minutes. Add cooked shrimp and cook a little more, about 2-3 minutes. Let stand to thicken if needed. Serve warm.

Sweet potatoes and yams: True sweet potatoes are tuberous vegetables with light to deep-red skins and pale yellow to orange flesh. The term yam is also incorrectly applied to sweet potatoes in US, most often when referring to the darker-skinned, orange-fleshed variety. In fact, true yams are a very large tuberous vegetable eaten in Africa and the Caribbean.

Sweet potatoes contain more beta-carotene than carrots plus vitamin C and fiber. In contrast, true yams have no beta-carotene.


Ingredients: 

• 1 medium sweet potato (about 8 ounces), scrubbed 
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil 
• 1 tsp orange zest 
• 1/4 tsp salt 
• freshly ground pepper 
• 1 tsp thyme 

Directions:

Heat the oven to 325°F and arrange a rack in the middle.

Slice the sweet potato into very thin rounds using a mandoline slicer.



Mix together olive oil and orange zest in a small bowl. Brush two baking sheets with half of oil mixture. Place potato slices on sheets in a single layer and brush tops with remaining oil. Sprinkle with thyme, salt and freshly ground pepper. For one medium sweet potato you will need two-three baking sheets.



Bake one sheet at a time until the edges of the chips curl up, the centers are just golden brown, and the tops are dry to the touch, about 20 minutes. Place the baking sheet on a wire rack and let the chips cool until crisp, about 3 minutes. Using your hands, carefully transfer the chips to a serving dish. Repeat with the second sheet.

I never cooked an apple dumpling before. But there is a first time for everything.
I got my inspiration from the Williams-Sonoma catalog, but the recipe I did not like.
So, I created something special for my family, based on my collection of cooking books and my imagination.
I hope you like to try it. It is very homey dessert, full of flavors. Good for a cool autumn evening, any holiday, or every day menu. Enjoy!



Pate brisee from Michel Roax book "Pastry, savory and sweet"

This dough is more delicate, crumbly, and lighter than tart dough.

Ingredients for pate brisee:

•  1 3/4 cups (250g) all-purpose flour
•  2/3 cup (150g) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces and softened
•  1 teaspoon (6g) salt
•  pinch of superfine sugar
•  1 medium egg
•  1 tablespoon (15ml) cold milk

Direction for pate brisee:
Heap the flour on a counter and make a well. Put in the butter, salt, sugar, and eggs. Using your finger-tips, mix and cream these ingredients together.
Little by little, draw in the flour, working the dough delicately until it has a grainy texture.
Add the milk and incorporate gently with your finger-tips until the dough begins to hold together.
Using the palm of your hand, work the dough by pushing it away from you 4 or 5 times until smooth. Roll it into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill until ready to use.
Pate brisee  will keep perfectly in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a week or up to 3 months in the freezer.



Caramel Sauce from Claudia Fleming book "The Last Course"

Ingredients for caramel sauce: 

• 2 cups sugar
• ¼ cup light corn syrup
• ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
• ½ cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons crème fraiche

Direction for caramel sauce:
To prepare the caramel sauce, place ½ cup water in a large saucepan. Add the sugar and corn syrup and cook the mixture over medium-high heat, swirling the pan occasionally, until you have a dark amber caramel about 10 minutes. Carefully whisk in the butter, cream, and crème fraiche ( the mixture will hiss and bubble up so stand back), whisking until smooth. (The caramel can be made up to 5 days ahead and refrigerated.)



Ingredients for apple dumplings:

• pate brisee, tart dough
• 4 medium golden delicious apples
• 4 tbsp light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup diced mixed dry fruit (resins, apricots, cranberries)
• 2 tbsp butter, room temperature
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• lemon zest from one lemon
• 1 egg, lightly beaten with 1 tsp. water
• caramel sauce for serving

Direction for apple dumplings: 
Preheat oven to 350 F.
In small bowl, mix dried fruit, butter, lemon zest, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Peel apples. With melon baller, remove cores but do not go all the way through to bottom. Stuff dried fruit mixture into apples.
Remove dough  from the refrigerator and let stand for 5 minutes. Divide the disk into 4 equal pieces. Working in batches, on a floured surface, roll out a piece of dough 1/8 inch thick and about 8 inches square. Place an apple in the center of the dough square. Pull the dough around the apple and gently tie the corners together. Press to shape; seal edges. Repeat the process with the remaining dough and apples.
Transfer the wrapped apples to a baking sheet and brush the dough with the egg mixture. Bake until the dough is golden brown and cooked through, about 40-50 minutes. Remove the apple dumplings from the oven and let cool slightly. Serve with warmed caramel sauce.