Pasta & Rice recipes

Angelhair Haystacks with Crab

Treat your friends and family to this crab and pasta flavour extravaganza.

Apricot and Chestnut Rice

Artichoke and Tomato Pasta Sauce

This is a delicious and very convenient sauce to serve over cooked pasta. Pass around freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Artichoke Sauce for Pasta

An impressive but easily made vegetable sauce with the flavour of Italy, this is a good one to serve with pasta.

Asian Crabmeat Rice

Use Thai fragrant rice for this party dish and team it up with roast chicken.

Bacon and Avocado Kedgeree

Kedgeree originated in India and was adopted by Victorians as a breakfast dish. This bacon and avocado kedgeree is a variation on the tradi…

Baked Rice

Serve this vegetarian oven bake with mixed salad greens and a simple dressing of 3 parts olive oil, 1 part fresh lemon juice, a pinch of su…

Barley Risotto with Coconut Milk and Peas

The barley risotto is very nice to serve as a supper dish with lots of feta crumbled over. It is also an excellent side dish with roast chi…

Basmati Rice with Spinach

For this dish, the basmati rice should be freshly cooked. Serve with a favourite curry.

Beetroot Risotto

Serve the beetroot risotto with grilled steak and a glass of red wine.

Blue Cheese Sauce for Pasta

Serve this sauce with gnocchi, tagliatelle or linguine.

Bulgur Wheat with Red Pepper

The bulgur wheat is cooked on the stove top with onions and red pepper and is a good side dish with roast chicken.

Button Mushroom Noodles

This dish has a wonderful nutty taste and for a vegetarian option, you can leave out the smoked bacon.

Calabrian Pasta

The finest broccoli is grown in the toe of Italy, in Calabria. This exciting way if serving pasta with broccoli and fried pine nuts, sultan…

Calves Liver with Onion Risotto

Risotto is one of my favourite comfort foods and topped with a slice of calves’ liver it makes a wonderful supper dish.

Cob and Tomato Risotto

I had leftover steamed cob fish in my refrigerator and my son suggested that we add it to the tomato risotto we planed to cook for the even…

Coconut Rice

The best rice I’ve ever tasted.

Cous Cous with Fresh Dates

The fresh dates add a delightful sweetness to the cous cous. It is a fabulous side to serve with roast chicken.

Cous Cous with Grilled Vegetable Salad

Serve this colourful salad, drizzled with a spicy tomato dressing at room temperature. This is great with barbeque chicken on a summer day.

Crab Linguine

Here is a idea for a store cupboard standby that takes 20 minutes to prepare. The subtle flavour of the crab and the sweet bite of the Thai…

Fettuccine Alla Romana

A deliciously creamy, colourful dish, the way it is served in Rome. Super for a quick lunch. Buon appetito!

Fig and Chilli Tagliatelle

I picked up a tray of lovely fresh black figs at the market the other day and went home to try a recipe I found in one of my old food magaz…

Fried Rice with Shrimp

Home-delivered rice from a Chinese restaurant is one thing (and sometimes very welcome), but this is altogether different. Don’t underestim…

Goats Cheese and Onion Sauce for Pasta

Green Pea Risotto

Green pea risotto is a classic Italian dish called risi e bisi (reezy-eh-beezy) and it is very simple to make. Enjoy as a first course or h…

Green Rice

Use long grain rice to prepare this rice dish that goes very well with the Margarita-braised chicken (see recipe index). I add the fresh he…

Honeycomb

Hot Stuffed Vine Leaves

Popular in every country in the Middle East, stuffed vine leaves – dolma - are a most intriguing and delightful delicacy. Hot dolma are gen…

Indian Party Rice

Israeli Cous Cous with Spinach and Feta Cheese

Israeli cous cous is tiny pearls of semolina pasta also known as “Acini di pepe” in Italian. You will find it in Mediterranean food shops.…

Lamb Biryani

Biryanis are probably the most exotic meat dishes prepared in India. This lamb biryani is a masterpiece of rice, lentils, potatoes and frie…

Leek Lemon and Bay Leaf Risotto

Nothing beats a comforting bowl of creamy risotto at the end of a busy day. I love the subtle bay leaf and the sharp lemon taste in this re…

Lemon Risotto with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

Ah, risotto! I’ve varied a bit from the classic preparation of risotto and added cream cheese at the end of the cooking time. This resulted…

Linguine with Uncooked Puttanesca Sauce

Macaroni Cheese

Serve a generous dish of macaroni cheese with roast lamb and lightly cooked spring greens.

Mexican Rice and Black Beans

Use medium grained rice to prepare this dish. It yields a tender, starchy, slightly creamy kernel that is ideal for saucy rice dishes. Team…

Midweek Jambalaya

Need some inspiration for a no fuss midweek supper treat? Try this easy jambalaya recipe and serve with a tossed salad and crusty bread.

Mozzarella Stuffed Rice Balls

These delicious crisp golden balls, stuffed with melting mozzarella and basil leaves are a good way to use up leftover risotto, but worth m…

Mushroom Barley Risotto

This recipe for creamy mushroom barley risotto is a real winner. Serve it with grilled rib eye steak and a splash of chilli oil.

Nasi Goreng

Nasi Goreng is a classic Indonesian rice dish. Adding crisp, shredded iceberg lettuce gives it a refreshing lift.

Nasturtium Flower Pasta with Goats Cheese

Nasturtium flowers have a sweet, peppery flavour. Add their mustard-hot leaves to green salads for extra pep and ere is a good idea for a t…

Orzo Pilaf

I like to serve this pilaf with any delicious stew instead of the usual plain rice or mashed potatoes. It rings a nice change.

Pasta Al Forno

Here is a great recipe for a typical Sicilian Pasta A Forno from the kitchen of Nunzia, a Sicilian lady who runs a cooking school near Mach…

Pasta Spirals with Hazelnut and Coriander Sauce

This is a variation on pesto sauce, giving a smooth herby flavour of coriander. To remove the skins from the hazelnuts, place them in a 180…

Pasta with Basil and Cherry Tomatoes

This pasta preserves all the favourite pesto flavours without having to put everything in the food processor. A great result with lots of t…

Pasta with Caramelised Onions

Here is an idea for a rich, sweet pasta dish that is particularly good served as a side dish to grilled lamb or chicken.

Pasta with Fresh Tomatoes and Goats Cheese

When meat sauce won’t do, a summery sauce of fresh cherry tomatoes and creamy goat cheese will delight the family and not break the budget!

Pasta with Salmon and Cream Sauce

This is an elegant dish that illustrates the versatility of pasta. It is not particularly Italian, but the subtle flavours combine to make…

Peanut Sesame Noodles

Pear and Parmesan Risotto

One of the best things about risotto is that it can be made with practically any kind of flavouring ingredients: vegetables, meats, cheese…

Pearl Barley Salad with Pine Nuts

The toasted pine nuts give the dish such a good crunch. With the added flavour of cherry tomatoes, black olives and feta cheese this is qui…

Pearled Whole Wheat with Pecans

Serve pearled whole wheat or wheat berries as it is also known, as an alternative to rice with a favourite stew.

Penne a La Vodka

This delicious tomato based pasta is more American-Italian than Italian-American and the vodka adds a nice spiciness to the dish. You can a…

Penne Alla Carbonara with Babymarrow

Carbonara is a legendary roman pasta dish. Here is a version includes sautéed baby marrows – it is meat free yet every bit as delicious as…

Penne with Baby Marrow and Tomato Cream Sauce

I’m always trying something new with pasta. This dish just happened and I hope you will try it.

Pomegranate Coscous

Porcini Polenta

Potato Gnocchi

Here is a fool proof recipe for delicious soft pillows of potato gnocchi. Be sure to rice the potatoes when they are still hot and mix with…

Potato Gnocchi with Rocket

Freshly made gnocchi, as Maria showed me to prepare in her kitchen, tossed in a creamy rocket sauce, is ultimate pleasure.

Prawn and Asparagus Risotto

Use arborio rice to achieve the proper soupy-soft texture of a perfect risotto. Serve the risotto with warm Italian bread and a mixed green…

Prawn and Pea Risotto

Pumpkin Risotto

For a perfect result, you must stand over and stir risotto continuously as it cooks, but the result is well worth the effort.

Risotto Alla Milanese

Use Arborio rice when cooking a risotto. Because of the high starch content, the grains swell to about three times their original size duri…

Sadza Fries

In Zimbabwe they refer to mieliepap as sadza. From there the name for these delicious fries made from leftover mieliepap. Sadza fries are g…

Saffron Paella

This is a perfect dish for entertaining as it’s cooked and served in one pan. If you don’t have a paella pan, you can use a large frying pa…

Sage and Onion Rice

This is quick and simple to prepare and adds a special touch to everyday fare. Serve with apple cider chicken.

Sage Butter and Garlic Breadcrumb Spaghetti

Sausage Pasta Sauce

Removed from their skins, sausages make a great instant base for a meaty pasta sauce. I’ve used Italian sausages, spiced with fennel, but a…

Seafood Potjie Vendee

My friends Patrick and Gill treated friends and family to a magnificent seafood potjie on a recent visit to Brem Sur Mer in the Vendee dist…

Seeded Rice with Fresh Herbs

Shao Mai

Shao Mai are Chinese “open faced” dumplings steamed until tender with the succulent moist pork filling exposed, so that the eye can appreci…

Smoked Mussel and Pasta Salad

This colourful salad is crammed full of delicious ingredients. An unusual dressing of pureed roasted red pepper, olive oil and garlic gives…

Spagetti Viareggina

This is a delicious pasta, with a rich concentrated flavour. Use fresh clams if available (don’t forget to soak them well to get rid of the…

Spaghetti Genovese

A satisfying vegetarian pasta dish is the perfect solution when the family is hungry and wants something quick and tasty.

Spaghetti with Anchovies

Anchovy fillets melted in olive oil make a very good sauce to toss with spaghetti. Add lots of fresh flat leaved parsley and Sunday evening…

Spaghetti with Botarga

Botarga is the dry cured roe of grey mullet, an expensive delicacy from Southern Italy. I first tasted this lip smacking food in Italy and…

Spaghetti with Chicken Liver Sauce

This sauce is best spooned over rather than mixed in with the spaghetti. Don’t over cook the chicken livers and serve freshly grated Parmes…

Spaghetti with Lemon

Pasta lovers will not be able to get enough of this simple, but very tasty, spaghetti dish.

Spaghetti with Spring Onion Sauce

This is a delicious vegetarian pasta that is ready to serve in 30 minutes. It is perfect for a quick family supper.

Spicy Sausage Sauce

Packed with plenty of spices, this comforting sauce transforms even the dullest sausages into a delicious meaty pasta topping.

Spinach and Ricotta Gnocchi

These are the lightest, most tender and delicious gnocchi – my favourite! Take good care to make sure the spinach is dry before combining w…

Super Fried Rice

I love the flavour that the fresh tomatoes and basil give this version of fried rice. I stir the ham-vegetable mixture and the scrambled eg…

Tagliatelle with Crème Fraiche and Rocket

Tagliolini with White Pepper

This is a very modest way of serving freshly made tagliolini, but without a doubt one of the tastiest. Sprinkle the dish with chopped flat…

Thai Fried Noodles

This dish is called Phad Thai and is traditionally served with spring onions, brown sugar and chopped peanuts on the side.

Thai Spicy Chilli Prawns

Cook these appetizing prawns in a cast-iron or heavy-based pan for the best results. Serve as a starter with mixed salad greens and sliced…

Three Mushroom Risotto

Serve risotto as a main course or with highly flavoured fish or lamb. The dried porcini mushrooms that I have added, gives a rich, deep tas…

Tomato and Rosemary Risotto

Traditional Lasagne

My son's flat mate, young Josh, treated us to traditional lasagne last night. The béchamel was perfectly creamy with lots of cheddar cheese…

Tuscan Kale and Tomato Risotto

I picked up some lovely organically grown Tuscan kale at the farmers market and was inspired to cook up a big pot of risotto. I added some…

Vegetable and Chickpea Couscous

Couscous has a wonderful soft grainy texture. Use quick-cook couscous and combine it with chickpeas and vegetables. It is a perfect side di…

Vietnamese Banh Xeo with Two Dipping Sauces

This crunchy, crispy rice pancake banh xeo is a crowd-pleaser that deserves to share the Vietnamese food spotlight with pho. This authentic…

Yellow Rice

It is the grated carrots and a touch of saffron that gives this rice dish an attractive light yellow colour and a subtle flavour. Serve wit…