Rather than increasing debt on Margaritas everytime you are out, then don't. Get your party IN this weekend with homemade margaritas! It's as easy as 1-2-3: For the Cointreau, lime juice and Tequila combination that is 1:2:3 ratio respectively. Shake, pour, sip!

Margaritas

If, for instance, like me, it gives you a stomachache thinking of how many cocktails you must have drunk in your lifetime you are now ready to join the band wagon of making margaritas at home. You could say that it's fantastically simple: it is perfect for a party, juicy, just a tad sweet and, I'm sure that people are going to feel a bit dizzy from the alcohol very quickly!

What goes in Margaritas

Here's what you need – it's easy as 1-2-3:

• 1 part of the Cointreau brand of liqueur or triple sec
• 2 parts lime juice
• 3 parts tequila

(To measure 'parts' simply take the using the same measurement device: a shot glass, a tablespoon, a mug or a bottle for every part, for each ingredient.)

No sugar! Cointreau is already sweet and infused cointreau is not really needed – margaritas are new and fresh spirits, they don't need to be artificially sweetened all the time!

What's Triple Sec?

Triple Sec can be described as an orange flavoured alcoholic syrup. The most popular brand of this liqueur is Cointreau it is produced in France. Triple Sec brands differ in sweetness and ratio of orange peel strength / flavor. Cointreau is less sweet than most, but has a clearer, better orange taste.

SKINNY Margaritas

Lime Margaritas have become really popular these days – and as far as the insanely sweet Margaritas that some restaurants offer, the Skinny Margaritas are light years ahead in terms of calorie content. It is not made with Cointreau; it comes with orange juice and agave syrup.

But here's what they don't tell you – Skinny Margaritas only possess 15 fewer calories than classic margaritas mixed rather traditionally with no sweetener.

So, you will need the following ingredients for the Skinny version – I've also placed the quantities for everything in the recipe card below. It is a delicious option though I find it don't prepare it as the low calorie option for original Margaritas!

at any type of the glass, but for the later differentiation we have the Skinny Margarita served in a tumbler with ice.

When to serve Margaritas – and what to serve it with!

Margaritas are one of the most popular cocktails within parties and anything socially related to Mexico! From a backyard Barbeque with friends, Nachos on Friday night to a Sunday Mexican Night!!!!

Begin a party with margaritas, chips and dip; the favorite: Guacamole or my famous Pig-Out Salsa that has individuals going nut-crackers over.

They're unbelievably gulpable – crisp not cloying which ain't retarded sugar-rush sweet so you don't get that depressed where all you can do is drink yourself to death. As per their size you can't taste the alcohol in it but over all they are pretty darn strong.

Plus they're convenient to make in large portions – just blend a jug and store in the refrigerator to serve as needed. That's how a man continues a celebration!

Ingredients

Margaritas:

• 45 ml / 1.5oz tequila
• 30 ml / 1 oz lime juice
• 15 ml / 0.5 oz Cointreau (or other Triple Sec) (Note 1)

Skinny Margaritas:

• 60 ml/ 2oz tequila
• 45 ml / 1.5 oz lime juice
• 30 ml / 1 oz orange juice
• 1 tsp light agave nectar (Note 2)

For serving / salt rim:

• 1 wedge of lime, and more for garnishing
• 1/4 cup coarse salt

Instructions

Salt rim:

1. And have the glasses preferably chilling in the refrigerator for approximately half an hour.
2. Place salt in small dish.
3. Pull rim around lime, wetting rim, and place rim down into salt.

Margarita (both versions):

1. Add liquids to the cocktail shaker with ice, shake 15 times- to properly cool it.
2. Pour cocktail from tall glass onto cocktail glass or milk tumbler. Ice in glass is optional.

Recipe Notes:

1. Triple sec is an orange flavored alcoholic beverage. The most popular brand is Cointreau.
2. Agave nectar is a natural sweetening agent which is low calorie compared to sugar and all the liquid sweetening products such as honey, it has approximately half the caloric value of honey. Nowadays can be found in large supermarkets (Australia: Coles/Woolies/Harris).
3. This big batch can be made in a jug and then refrigerated until it's ready to be served. Do not add ice – they will melt and water will weaken the smell. Of course, you can also utilize other non-melting ice solutions, such as, for example, artificial ice cubes (reusable ice cubes).
4. Ingredients for Margarita as seen above: 1/2 cup sugar, 1 cup fresh squeezed orange juice, 1 cup fresh lime juice, 11/2 cups tequila, coarse salt. Skinny Margarita - 148 calories with 11g carbs, it has more carbs because of the sugar in the orange juice!

Affogato – coffee, dessert and your after dinner drink all in one. This is what you get when you tell someone you are "Too full for dessert." There is no work needed here – just pour espresso coffee over vanilla gelato or ice cream, watch the melty irresistible swirls and start eating. The Italians are genius.

Affogato

When was your last affogato? In diners, it is the dessert I look forward to whenever I am served. Although I may well tell her 'I can't, I'm too full' affogato doesn't count because it's almost a liquid does it? In other words it is as if one takes a glass of water! (Yes, really, that's how my mind works – don't judge me!😂)

If you're just joining affogato, it's an Italian specialty involving hot espresso poured over gelato or ice cream with spirits as optional accompaniments. It is like coffee, dessert and an after dinner drink all in one extent. I love coffee that is hot and bitter and ice cream that is cold and creamy – couldn't be better. But that it has become so easy with a bonus, do it yourself entertainment fun factor? Brilliant!

Ingredients in Affogato

The recipe for affogato is simply a teaspoon of hot espresso (coffee), Ice cream or gelato and a half teaspoon for liquor (Frangelico, amaretto rum). A little more information on each of these below!

• Espresso – This is half cup of highly concentrated coffee. For espresso the measure is 30 milliliters or 1 ounce for a standard shot.
• Vanilla gelato or ice cream – This has to be traditional gelato but ice cream is just as tasty if not more to me! More important in the thestry, how ever, is theflavour. It was vanilla because it complements with coffee. Feel free to experiment!
• How much ice cream – A large(ish) scoop or two small(ish) scoops per one shot of coffee to make the combination between the two perfect. That is if using liquor I prefer two middle scoops as depicted in the picture above this text.
• Liquor (optional) – And to take your after dinner drink into this all-in-one dessert, pour a half shot of liquor! There are many types of liquor yogurts, but considered few popular today, such as Amaretto (almond flavour) and frangelico (hazelnut). Rum, sambuca and Kahlua are also typical of Italian restaurants and other readers recommended orange liquors, including Grand Marnier and Cointreau. Honestly speaking, one can even put anything that can perhaps improve the consummation of coffee along this list.

Optional extras

The basic affogato is espresso, gelato and in some cases, alcohol. But even today there are all sorts of optional extras even in restaurants. Well, change to your preference and enjoy affogato in your style! Here are some suggestions:

• Chocolate grated or shaved on the ice cream (I did this).
• Biscotti for dunking (I also did this!) – or Italian Almonds cookies (thanks to the reader who suggested!).
• Whipped cream
• Yogurt – I was put on top of the melted chocolate and then spread across the ice cream
• Opt – crushed or chopped nuts – and given that it is sometime associated with Middle Eastern cuisine pistachio and hazelnuts would be topical here.

Of course, I realized I've got hundreds of other ideas – share them in the comments so I can extend the list later!

How to make affogato

It makes me want to have more recipes with only so few steps!

1. Make hot espresso coffee using any of the available coffee making machines in the market. That is measuring thirty milliliters or one ounce for a single shot.
2. Pour a scoop or two of ice cream directly in the glass.
3. Pour over hot coffee. Or they can be busy watching how the ice cream swirls sink into the hot coffee!
4. If using liquor, pour that over the next. Eat!

PS I did the pour shot using a small beaker in order to do a neat pour for the photos. I actually don't use a beaker in real life and not in drawing either.

Serving – for DIY pour

From a practical point of view, as restaurants do, place the glass with just the ice cream in it and the espresso on the side. That way the eater can pour, then dig into the affogato before the ice cream fully melts.

Oh, and a side of biscotti for dunking would not go unaffected either… Recipe coming up soon. Never really satisfied with my biscotti efforts! It requires some effort that I would have to devote to it and right now, the project has my attention.

Share your affogato twists! Are you strictly traditional, basic, drink – coffee or are you vanilla gelato? Or do you care about toppings and what unique ice cream combination you are going to have next? I'll be damned if anyone will ever dictate to me how to consume my affogato – at least not in public anyways.

Ingredients

• 1 large or 2 small(ish) scoops of vanilla gelato or ice cream (Note 1)
• 1 shot – 30 ml, 1 oz hot espresso coffee (short black) Note 2
• 1 tbsp frangelico, amaretto or any liquor for preference (optional) – Note 3

Instructions

1. Place ice cream in a glass more appropriate for affogato consumption (Note 4).
2. Put aside the shot of espresso and liquor (if used).
3. After that, pour some hot espresso then liquor on top of ice cream. Guzzle coffee with swirls of creamy ice cream into one delightful beverage. Dig in immediately!

Recipe Notes:

1. Gelato is conventional, ice cream is completely fine. Vanilla is the most traditional single flavour and is incredible compatible with coffee flavour. Still, don't mind to use any favorite flavour our any flavour of your choice.
2. Espresso (short black) – The water must be hot enough to melt the ice cream (turn it into a soup) and must be strong enough to avoid a weak and tasteless soup Müller lens vinegar and ice cream [+]
3. Beverages – Kahlua, samba, rum and Bailey's are also liberally available. WORKING with TECHNOLOGY Use what you know works with coffee!
4. Glass – Fancy restaurants use shallow cocktail glasses which to me are useless and poontsy, primarily for aesthetic value. The glass should preferably be taller than it is wide, that goes without saying but the more usable width, the better you can dig in good naturedly Try and get one that's not too tall though, I find that eating out of a glass that has been designed for drinking out of is a little awkward.
5. Other ultimate add-ons (although not classically common, are no way impossible! 😉
   • Biscotti (Perfect for those who love taking their cookies with some tea!)
   • Chocolate shavings – to make it you need a microplane or potato peeler
   • Whipped cream
   • Milk chocolate – on ice cream
   • Nuts – pistacchio and hazelnut roughly chopped, on the theme
   • Lunch – no one slumps with half eaten melted affogato, right??

Nutrition per serving, based on 1/2 cup of ice cream which, admittedly, may be a bit on the large side.

A glass of this strawberry frozen delight – the Frozen Strawberry Daiquiri – is made from a lot of fresh, frozen strawberries. When there's no ice to take away the intensity of the flavor, and it is so smooth; it is the consistency of a slush. Three drinks danger – not that there isn't a good measure of alcohol in this but you can't taste it.

What goes in Strawberry Daiquiris: berries – strawberries, alcohol – white rum (Bacardi, Havana Club), citrus – lime and sweetener – sugar syrup. This way you will not need ice at all, so freeze your strawberries.

Frozen Strawberry Daiquiri

Strawberry Daiquiris are everything that comes to mind when I think of cocktails:

• The great part is dangerously drinkable even if it contains a good measure of rum.
• looks as nice and beautiful as it also smells and tastes.
• appears rather appealing, particularly when you achieve that perfect texture as to get a handsome little heap, but a spoonful – not to frozen to resemble sorbet.
• it's refreshing…. and boozy….

The added bonus here however is that it's made with a high proportion of fresh strawberries which as we all know contain loads of healthy antioxidants so just maybe the bad in this cocktail negates the good! 😂

The best frozen strawberry daiquiris do not contain ice – it water down the taste of the drink!

Frozen Strawberry Daiquiris: ingredients

Here's what you need for Frozen Strawberry Daiquiris:

• New strawberries – almost all are frozen and some few are fresh. If you only use frozen, it turns into sorbet type and need to be eaten with spoon, but it doesn't make any difference with me. But still I prefer to use both frozen and fresh ones ͼ
• White rum – I use Bacardi but you can use Havana club, Appleton, Cruz etc. Bacardi is a mid shelf quality of white rum. It's mainly made out of strawberries so it's perfect for using any good value or mid level white rum for this cocktail recipe. Personally I do not offer premium brands for flavoured drinks, it feels like a waste of good money, doesn't it?.
• Lime – cannot skip that, when speaking about a real daiquiri.
• Sugar syrup: In a mere cooking of equal quantities of water and white sugar until dissolved. Do not added ordinary sugar that is not in syrup form because since this is a cold drink the sugar doesn't dissolve. It's usually kept in the fridge at my house at ALL times – well you never know when a cocktail emergency may happen, right? RIGHT?

What kind of alcohol is put in a daiquiri?

Frozen Strawberry Daiquiris contain white rum, and rum is not opaque as mostly believed; rather it is clear. I use Bacardi which is a mid-priced rum brand that can be purchased almost any corner of the globe. But as for rum, you will do any, ranging from Havana Club, Appleton, Cruz among others. Bacardi is white rum in mid shelf quality position.

I have found it wise to use middle range wine for blended drinks because I do not find it appropriate to use high class wine.

Make it alcohol free!

In fact, you don't have to use white rum; try using apple juice instead. The layers of flavour developed in the fruit juice will top this cocktail something extra something that the rum will bring. If you just wash them you will just get a drink that looks like a Strawberry smoothie – yum though it will definitely not have the cocktail feel liquor adds to cocktails.

How to prepare Frozen Strawberry Daiquiris

Dump and blitz!

Note: The frozen strawberries should best be mixed in a powerful blender or a Nutribullet type blender to get a slushie consistency.

Actually, when you compare the Frozen Strawberry Daiquiri above with the one in the video below, they seem the same. It's more like a slushy that when you slurp it you taste the slush not the icy cold of a sorbet that needs a spoon to be consumed (who eats cocktails????). It should be drinkable – but it should be slightly mounded at first then diminish!

When to serve Frozen Strawberry Daiquiris

Make this strawberry daiquiri recipe for:

• arrangements with friends during warm balmy days;
• sipping poolside;
• those moments when you hoard strawberries because you saw a sale and couldn't help it (guilty!);
• tropical BBQ's; and
• dinners with the girls indeed!

Ingredients

• 250g/ 8 oz frozen strawberries with their leaves minimize
• 60g/ 2 oz fresh strawberries decapitated (4 strawberries, Note 1)
• 30 ml / 1 oz sugar syrup spaces (Note 2)
• 60 ml / 2 oz lime juice fresh
• 120ml / 4 ounces white rum (Note 3)

Garnish options:

• Fresh strawberries having a slit in the base of the fruit.
• Lime slices

Instructions

1. Put all the ingredients into a blender or Nutribullet as this is definitely easier for preparation.
2. Blitzing continues until all the strawberries get blitzed.
3. First, you taste and adjust sweet with more syrup and sour with lime and if you're feeling adventurous, with some alcohol too.
4. Pour into glasses (as shown in the video as to the consistency) and serve with additional fresh strawberries.

Recipe Notes:

1. To get that slushy form of the strawberries, that I prefer, I blend it with both fresh strawberries and frozen strawberries. If you only use frozen, it feels more like sorbet you have to consume with a spoon!
2. Sugar Syrup – equal parts white sugar and water, boil in the saucepan until the sugar has dissolved. Spread into jar and cool before used. OR user any other favourite liquid syrup of the consumer.
3. White rum; Bacardi preferred but Havana Club or another of choice may also be used
4. VARIATION - for this variation, replace 90 ml / 3 oz of white rum with 30 ml / 1 oz of Cointreau. Gives it just that little hint of the tropical flavours that you never knew you needed! I do this often.

Tequila Sunrise cocktail! Containing tequila, orange juice and grenadine, which is responsible for red hue of a cocktail and very reminiscent of summer! This is one of the most delicious tequila cocktails; it's perfect for summertime and quite potent!

Tequila Sunrise

Why does it have the name Tequila Sunrise, when the cocktail looks like Sunsets in most cases when probably it is the right time to consume these ?? Hahaha 🍹

Regardless of the name, this has got to be one of the most ordered Tequila Cocktails in existence next to margaritas. Well, orange and tequila is ever popular and it's quite a wonderful cocktail that anybody could take, even if the person dislikes taking tequila because in fact, the tequila component is not even tasted.

What goes in a Tequila Sunrise

Here's what you need for this deceptively potential cocktail:

• Tequila – have a spirits featuring a mid-decade choice, which in Aussies is approximately forty-four to fifty U.S dollars. Save the best for the ones that can be consumed neat! I use Jose Cuervo which in the range of the mid- top Mexican tequila.
• Orange juice – the fresher the better because it is always better than canned juice. Do not drink sweet reconstituted fruit juice with many sugars added to it.
• Grenadine syrup – a non alcoholic red sugar syrup made from concentrated pomegranate juice. This is what makes Tequila Sunrise red – you'll find out how shortly!

What makes Tequila Sunrise red?

The symbolic red sunrise is obtained just by adding Grenadine in it. Due to its dense consistency or being a thick syrup it immediately settles at the bottom once added into the tequila–orange juice.

To get the 'cleanest' sunrise effect i.e. red at the base retaining the orange colour on the top, pour the syrup down the side of the glass with the back of the teaspoon kept vertical.

If not, pour it down the inside of the glass from the bottle in its drippings.

Don't simply pour it centrally in the glass – if you do this, the syrup stains the orange juice even more.

Garnishes

And here's what is traditionally used to garnish Tequila Sunrises:

• Orange slices
• Maraschino Cherries – bought in Dan Murphys store in Australia! If you can't get hold of these, find the plain glace cherries available in your baking section of supermarkets: they will not have the stems but they are glossy!

Potency

The juice made of the ratio 1:2 of tequila and orange juice. As one type of what is known as "long drinks" a cocktail with larger volume than for instance a whisky with ice which is a 'short drink' Tequila Sunrises do not come bundled with a lot of alcohol power.

Yet one can effortlessly consume prodigious amounts of these beverages because they are flavorful and the Feel Good Factor is powerful enough to effectively mask the sensation of alcohol on your palate.

When to serve Tequila Sunrise

Prepare Tequila Sunrises in summer when planning pool parties, for any more tropical based events and parties or indeed any occasion where you want to put the fun factor up a notch with a beautiful brightly coloured drink!

It is a proper drink to take that does not contain a strong alcohol component, therefore it is ideal to take during barbecue parties especially on hot summer holidays (when your body is already dehydrated compounded with high alcohol content is something we all wish to avoid!).

What to serve for nibbles

As for nibbles to serve on the side, here are a few suggestions:

Ingredients

• 45 ml / 1.5oz tequila
• 90ml / 3 oz orange juice
• 15 ml /0.5 oz Grenadine syrup

Garnishes

• Orange slices
• Maraschino cherry

Instructions

1. Take two glasses, one large glass and two dashes of tequila and orange juice. For the glass side simply multiply up the recipe as needed for your glass side (1 to 3 ratio of tequila to OJ).
2. Mix, then fill with ice.
3. Pour grenadine, in heavy streams, along the side of the glass with the back of a spoon tilted downwards facing the bottom of the glass (refer to the video). Do not mix!
4. Cherry on top and a little twist of orange. Serve immediately!

Recipe Notes:

• Tequila - avoid a cheap brand of tequila and using it you should be able to get one which costs about $40 to $50 in Australia. Save the best for consumption neat! There are usually four categories of tequila but I opted to go for Jose Cuervo which is a top-mid range Mexican tequila.
• Orange juice – the less concentrate the better! This is the sweet reconstituted type which most of the time is processed, full of sugar.
• Grenadine syrup – it is a non alcoholic, non bitter red sugar syrup prepared from concentrated Pomegranate juice. This is what makes Tequila Sunrise red – see video!
• Maraschino Cherries - available in Dan Murphys stores in Australia! If you can't find them, you could just use the regular glace cherries that are available in your supermarket's baking section; they do not have the stem but they'll do the job.

Espresso martini is what you cook for nightcap or when you are getting ready for a night out with your friends but you don't want to be left out because you have taken a siesta. Strong enough as a cocktail but dangerously easy to drink when given a good shot of bourbon, this coffee cocktail is made with espresso, vodka and Kahlua.

Espresso Martini

So, being a person who loves coffee to the shameless degree – this definitely goes to my list of top favorite cocktails. It's best for when I need a boost in spirits during events I attend; mainly social functions. I have it at fancy meals to pair with dessert or instead of dessert.

The food looks so appetizing that I'd order it all night long except for the fact that I attempt to be moderate about my coffee intake and therefore, I only order at most two!

What you need

This is what you need for an espresso martini: espresso coffee, vodka and Kahlua!

What is Kahlua?

Kahlua is a coffee-flavored liqueur from Mexico. It is sweet and the syrup formation is rather slimy. That means that the best substitute for Kahlua is another brand of coffee liqueur. I've seen some at my local liquor store and I'm sure Aldi has an imitation on the cheap!

They do not know which is which between Kahlua and Baileys often than not. The difference is that Baileys Irish Cream is made from Irish whiskey and cream and this drink has pale brown creamy shine. On the same note, Kahlua has a dark brown colour, the colour of coffee; the same as the colour of the bottle.

How many milligrams of alcohol is in an Espresso Martini?

It has a rather steep alcoholic level – 60 ml/ 2 oz total of Vodka and Kahlua which is equivalent to 2 standard drinks.

In spite of the fact that it contains a good whack of alcohol it is easy to drink because the true nature of the alcohol does not manifest itself because of the coffee taste.

How to make it

Here is how you make an espresso martini. All you have to do is shake with ice in a cocktail shaker, and that is it!

KEY TIP! Many people recommend that coffee should be cooled before its use; otherwise its use will result in melting of ice and its consequent dilution.

What is essential to make an espresso martini frothy?

For the pretty famous signature frothy layer on top of your Espresso Martini you need to use real espresso coffee made in a proper coffee machine to get the nice crema (a kind of froth on the espresso). So when it comes to using instant coffee granules, you won't get a similar result even with a French Press or similar no matter how much you shake your cocktail shaker.

HOT TIP! If you don't have a suitable coffee maker, just add egg white. It doesn't affect the taste and consistency of the cocktail but if after shaking drink, expect to have the best froth on the top. You need the foam to have the coffee beans float on it, or to be broken by the tossing in the cup.

When and what to accompany Espresso Martini

Turn this into an after dinner drink by garnishing it with caramel popcorn (or Christmas Popcorn Candy if it's the holidays) or plates of chocolate covered strawberries that people can munch on.

For those who can't get enough of coffee then order Tiramisu which is everybody's most loved Italian coffee flavored dessert. Or try it with a Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting – because chocolate and coffee = love deal!

Ingredients

• 40ml / 1 1/3oz Vodka
• 20ml (2/3 oz) Kahlua
• 20ml (2/3 oz) espresso coffee, lukewarm
• 3 coffee beans, garnish

Instructions

1. Combine the ingredients and put the mixture in a cocktail shaker. Mode: Shake.
2. Invert the cocktail shaker ten times then pour the content in a cocktail glass while there is a tip of the shaker. Remove interior foam if needed, scraping it out of the shaker.
3. Sprinkle with 3 coffee beans and serve it fresh.

Recipe Notes:

TIPS:

• Minimize carrying cases by cooling the coffee so that it does not melt the ice = will not water down drink flavor
• Espresso coffee made from a proper coffee machine = a nice layer of crema on the coffee = nice layer of foam on the top of Espresso Martini
• Foam not possible with coffee granules of production Espresso Martini, French Press coffee, or similar. Need a proper machine!
• No coffee machine? Cheat! If you pour 1/2 egg white into it and shake, it will create a great foam layer, but you won't be able to taste it!
• Required foam under the vending coffee beans!

Recipe source: Absolut vodka producers company, Absolut Drinks

Any vegetable, together with pasta and tuna, makes it such an easy and quick meal to prepare whenever you have depleted your stocks. Canned tuna recipe skeptics – you have to read this; it's high time to trust our instincts! This really is seriously delicious, very frugal and incredibly swift which means that it takes a mere 15 minutes from start to finish.

Yes indeed – yes – canned tuna can be downright delicious!

I can't really imagine the words "tasty meal" and "canned tuna" together in the same context. Reminiscences of low wage bare surviving university times and low calorie diets, rushed tuna and rice meals, tasteless tuna salads, tunnel Tuna sandwiches soaked in mayo.

Still, you can prepare canned tuna to be enjoyable!!! A few moments of consideration, some ideas on how to accomplish the task, a tiny amount of work and a whole lot of enthusiasm for there being a delicious meal waiting for you at the end.

Today's reward in question? Tuna pasta. Squeezed lemon juice, few drops of capers and dressing it up with the tuna's own oil. You never thought that a canned tuna pasta can be so tasty!!!

Isolation and identification of ingredients that are found in canned tuna pasta

No capers? Chop pickles instead. No lemon? Add a dash of vinegar. No anchovies? Still worth making! By using the oil from the cans of tuna, we get a really good (free) flavour boost. Just a little bit of anchovies will enhance it even more!

• Canned tuna: Tuna in oil is the go here! From the can of tuna we take the oil to fry the garlic until it turns golden brown in color. No tuna in oil? It's ok! It is done so simply; just replace the olive oil for the liquid and pour the contents of the can of tuna onto the sauce.
• Anchovies: Yes, anchovies – in everything! Ground first then cooked in oil until tender and the taste of fish is gone and all you get is a burst of delicious flavours in that dish.
• Capers: For that sour zing to the recipe! I like to use baby capers. If all you have are large ones, it's best to tear them into even larger pieces, a rough chop would do.
• Lemon: For sour to make it juicy and zest to make lemon flavor. It really does lift the dish so I hope you have it!
• Garlic, crushed; Paprika; Chilli flakes / red pepper flakes: Basic stuff for a hint of warm. This isn't a spicy pasta.
• Parsley: For freshness. Not critical.

How to make canned tuna pasta

1. Start setting the pasta boiling then move to preparing the ingredients for the sauce.
2. Boil pasta in salted water according the packet instruction but for 1 minute less.
3. Reserve about 1 cup of pasta cooking water right before draining the pasta.
4. Squeeze all the remaining oil inside the tuna can(s) and place the pot back on the stove with medium heat on.
5. First brown the garlic for one minute followed by the anchovies and chilli flakes.
6. Add the pasta, capers and 1/3 cup of reserved pasta water. Turn with two spatulas for 2 minutes.
7. Turn off the heat. Stir in tuna, parsley, lemon zest, juice, salt and pepper. Stir it carefully while it is cooking to prevent the tuna from breaking into many small pieces that are very fine.

TIP: Not all can tuna is created equal. A tin of quality canned tuna steep will cost more than home brand canola oil and cost a fraction of a decent fruity olive oil. But also, ever simple – premium canned tuna on crusty breads with the oil from the can poured over it is such a delight. I hope you try it one day. 🙂

Beef pasta cooked in a sugary garlic tomato creamy sauce with Italian seasoning. An easy homemade comfort food that's also single pot cooking!

Creamy Tomato Beef Pasta One Pot

One-pot pasta recipes are quite selective. Today's my only use case for it is saucy pastas. With less saucy pastas such as Puttanesca or pesto pasta, it just doesn't work properly, because there is not enough liquid to really cook the pasta thoroughly.

So any one pot pasta recipe you'll find on my blog is oozing with sauce, because there ya have it, therefore.

Never has anyone complained, I've never heard of it. Everybody loves sauce! 🙂

Today I am sharing a creamy tomato sauce beef pasta. That's basically a Bolognese with Italian seasonings and a cupboard stainless steel full of cream. Total crowd pleaser!

This One Pot Beef Pasta Ingredients

This all came after my one pot pasta sauciness post (nothing will surprise you when you see the name) the cardinal rule of cooking one pot pasta recipes is to ensure the pasta requires liquid to absorb it and so much of it! Liquid picked up by cooked dried pasta is two and a half times that amount. Today we use 4 cups of stock and 1 can of tomato for 360g/12ozs of pasta.

• Beef mince: I used 90% lean beef mince (ground beef), but any fat % will be just fine. Most people use 80/20. The fattier the beef, the beefier the flavor.
• Chicken stock/broth: The cooking liquid of choice. Tastier than water! If it's on sale, I stock up on the liquid cartons since I use them in my cooking all the time.
• Pasta: I used spirals (fusilli) but other similar sized short pasta will also do just fine. Don't use really small pastas like risoni or orzo.
• Cream: 3/4 cup, stirred in at the very end turns a regular tomato sauce into a creamy tomato sauce.
• Garlic and onion: Essential flavor base.
• Canned tomato: Adds extra tomato flavor and slightly thickens the sauce.
• Italian herbs: For seasoning! Use a store-bought mix or a combination of oregano, basil, and parsley.
• Red pepper flakes: Optional, for a tiny bit of warmth.

1 Pot Creamy Tomato Beef Pasta Recipe

1. Sauté the garlic and onion, then cook the beef until it's no longer red.
2. Add Italian herbs and cook for 30 seconds to toast the seasoning.
3. Add tomato paste and stir for a minute.
4. Pour in stock, canned tomato, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Stir well, then add the pasta.
5. Bring liquid to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes until pasta is just cooked. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking.
6. Stir in cream and simmer for another minute.
7. Remove from stove, give a good stir, and ladle into bowls.
8. Sprinkle with parmesan and parsley if desired, and enjoy!

As you pull that sucker off the stove, don't worry how saucy it is... that's what you want. Pasta absorbs liquid quickly, so by the time you serve it, it will have gone from just a little too soupy to the perfect level of ooziness.

YUM. That is 100% me in that food. It's not fancy. It's fuss-free to make. It's hearty and cozy and easy, and rustic, and full of flavor.

It's a fish pasta cooked in a richly flavoured fish ragu pasta sauce. This is a great way to extend fish and cook it with outrageously delicious big, bold Italian Calabrian spices!

Calabrian Fish Ragu Pasta

The name of today's recipe needs explaining.

I don't feel like I'm being completely honest if I call it a ragu if it's not slow-cooked for hours like my Shredded Beef Ragu, but it's stewy and braisy and stinks of beautiful depth of flavour without having been slow-cooked for hours. NEWS FLASH: it doesn't have to be slow-cooked for hours to call anything a ragu.

What about the Calabrian bit of the name? It's because the seasoning is inspired by the flavours of Calabria: particularly nduja, the intensely flavoured salami paste from the region that's becoming increasingly popular in the foodie world, and chillies. Loaded onto pizza with dollops of dipping sauce; stuffed into focaccias, it's got big, bold flavors without even needing to use much.

Therefore, as you'd expect, this is a fish pasta that is packed with flavour. I love that it is exotic and restaurant-y but somehow inexpensive and easy!

What's in this Fish Ragu Pasta

1. THE FISH

The importance of the spice mix for fish is key to this pasta. We mentioned earlier that this fish pasta has the flavours of the seasoning used on nduja, an Italian type of salami. So, use fennel and paprika with a hint of spiciness. Makes me think 'bold'.

BEST FISH FOR THIS PASTA

This recipe can be used with any firm white fish fillets (skinless and boneless). Here are some suggestions: John or Silver dory, barramundi, bream, tilapia, pollock, cod, flathead, perch, ling, bass, basa, hake, hoki, monkfish (pricey there, which I save for other uses... like this recipe). If using frozen, thaw thoroughly and pat dry; if using canned, drain, break into pieces, and pat dry.

I recommend avoiding:

• Fish that dry out easily when cooked, e.g. swordfish, tuna, bonito, kingfish, marlin.
• Delicate and thin filleted fish such as flounders, sole, plaice, turbot, whiting. This type of cooking isn't really what the texture of the flesh is cut out for.
• Oily fish – Sardines and mackerel. Flavours don't quite match and are a bit too overwhelming.

THE CALABRIAN SPICES

Toasted and ground, for maximum flavour impact, whole fennel and black peppercorns. But if I really didn't think it was worth it, I wouldn't ask you to make the effort to toast and grind. It is! But, if it's all you have, there are substitutions in the recipe notes for substitute ground fennel and ground pepper.

Other spices (Nutmeg, paprika, chilli flakes (red pepper flakes). If you require there to be less spiciness, you can dial back the chilli.

2. IN THE PASTA AND THE SAUCE

• Any long strand thinnish pasta is ideal here. I use fettuccine.
• Tomato passata – Pureed, strained pure tomatoes from Mutti, etc., labelled 'tomato puree' in the US. These days, it's easily available in Australian supermarkets alongside pasta sauces. Canned tomato costs about the same.
• Tomato paste - To give the sauce some tomatoey flavour and to thicken it.
• Garlic – Because, garlic. Savoury recipes rarely happen around here without garlic.
• Garnishes – parsley and parmesan. I know that parmesan isn't really traditional for Italian fish and seafood pastas. But, it works. We're not looking for lots of parmesan cheesiness. It just adds saltiness.

3. PANGRATTATO

Pangrattato is an Italian breadcrumb topping sold by the chunk once and gives an addictive crunch and flavor to pasta accompanied by salads. This fish ragu is particularly good with it, it gives great texture and is a real contrast with the soft fish.

Use a denser bread like sourdough, ciabatta etc which are structured and when toasted really go crunch. Lightweight sandwich bread is just too delicate and just becomes powder when it hits the crunch... :( BUT if it's all sandwich bread, then do it! You could also replace with panko breadcrumbs.

How to make fish ragu

There are things I've said earlier about this being a ragu, but this doesn't need to be slow-cooked for hours! In fact, if you can multi-task you will have this on the table in less than 20 minutes although they don't tell you that in the video. 🙂

1. PANGRATTATO FIRST

First get the pangrattato in the oven. Bake the bread in a 180°C / 350°F (160°C fan-forced) oven for 10 minutes, or until crisp all the way through, tossing in a little bit of olive oil and a touch more salt in the middle of sticking it in the oven.

2. CALABRIAN SPICED FISH NEXT

We toast the spices and coat the fish in the yummy flavours...

1. Toast the fennel and black peppercorns for a couple of minutes until they smell fragrant—you can see the fennel lightly browned as you do so. It's a large deep skillet, the kind that works well when you toss the pasta with the sauce. This stage requires no oil.
2. You can grind the spices using a grinder, or in a mortar and pestle.
3. Meanwhile, coat the fish with the ground fennel and peppercorns, nutmeg, chilli flakes, sugar, salt and olive oil and tomato paste.
4. When it is coated, set aside while doing the other ingredients. No need to marinate.

3. MAKING THE PASTA

Since the pasta sauce cooks about the same time as the pasta, you can prepare both at the same time.

1. Cook pasta according to packet directions, minus a minute. Al dente is what it should be — cooked through but still a little firm. When tossed with pasta sauce, it will still soften up more as that pasta cooks through more.
2. Scoop out about 1 1/2 cups of pasta cooking water. We will need this for the pasta tossing at the end.
3. Cook fish – Sauté the garlic until golden, then add the fish (scrape out every bit of the paste!) and cook for 2 minutes.
4. Add the tomato passata and simmer for 5 minutes.
5. Add reserved pasta cooking water and simmer for a further 2 minutes. The pasta cooking water has starch in it which makes the sauce thicken so it clings to the pasta strand.
6. Toss with pasta – Then add the pasta and most of the parsley. Toss, still on the stove, for 1 minute or until the pasta strands are stained red and all the fish ragu is clinging to the pasta strands rather than pooled in the pan.
7. If the pasta gets too thick (excessively enthusiastic tossing, heat too high are typical causes), just add a splash of extra pasta cooking water to thin it out and give it another good toss!

Now, it's ready for serving. Twirl into bowls and cover liberally with a shower of the crunchy pangrattato and finish with parmesan!

Matters of serving fish ragu

As with any pasta, this fish ragu is best served and eaten piping hot and fresh, straight out of the pan while the pasta is sticky and slippery and saucy. As it sits around, the pasta continues to absorb the liquid, drying it out so it's thick and stodgy.

So, whenever you are making any pasta, be sure to have the hungry hoards at the table, ready to twirl and slurp the moment you bring the pasta bowls to the table, for maximum enjoyment!

Really hope you love this as much as I do. The fish ragu is divine as it is. But with that crunchy pangrattato? It's sheer perfection. Enjoy! – Nagi x

Without the chilli, it's the kind of tomato pasta you get everywhere, and boring.

"It's something else with the chilli!" - Nagi Maehashi from RecipeTin Eats, quoted in today's recipe video 🙂

Penne all'Arrabbiata

I'm not sure that any one-line description of today's recipe will travel beyond my corner of the internet. That is my articulate description of the greatness that is Penne all'Arrabbiata, but that is my take.

Interestingly simple with a good kick of chilli and a respectable level of garlic. The Italians know simple pastas when they see 'em!

"Arrabbiata" means "angry" in Italian. It's said that this pasta is inspired by its fiery nature!

But fear not. You know? This might be spicy pasta, but fundamentally it's a great tomato pasta, and you can absolutely make it as spicy as you want to. Or not. Easy to do, just make the sauce with less chilli at first. Simmer the required time and taste. If you're feeling bold, add more…

Penne all'Arrabbiata Ingredients

There are two types of arrabbiata sauce – the first one made with fresh chillies and the second with dried ones. Obviously, dried is more convenient but I really like the extra flavour fresh chilli adds to the sauce and have combined both. Two of my go-to Italian recipe sources also use fresh chillis, and you've used fresh chillis here too.

You can double up on either option too!

Chilli

• The larger the chilli, the less spicy they are! That means cayenne peppers aren't super spicy.
• I don't mind the extra zing of spiciness, which is mostly in the seeds. Just keep those in for an extra zing of spiciness. Either de-seed or leave the seeds in.
• Use fresh or dried chillies (as shown in the photo above — which is why I do fresh chillies and dried).
• Feel brave? Instead use Bird's Eye or Thai chillies! Cayenne peppers are milder than these and pack more spiciness.
• Dried red chillis – Warm earthiness is something fresh chillis do not hold. The toasty flavour and spiciness come out when it's sautéed with garlic.

Pasta Variety

Pasta is pretty easy to sub with most combinations working just fine. We traditionally used penne, but ziti is a very good replacement (penne with a smooth surface). And, really, you can use this with any short or long pasta.

Tomatoes

Whole peeled tomatoes (canned) and mash them up with a fork. Authentic recipes use canned crushed tomatoes. To make life easier on the fly, I use crushed tomatoes!

Sourness note: Not all canned tomatoes are the same! Sour economical brands are more common. With ½ teaspoon of sugar, take the edge off.

Other Ingredients

• Garlic – 3 cloves! When it comes to Arrabiata sauce, I like it to have a good garlicky flavour.
• Parmesan – For serving.
• Parsley – For optional garnish.

How to Make Arrabbiata Sauce

15 minutes has to be enough for this simple pasta sauce to begin to break down the tomatoes and allow the flavours to meld. Don't skip it – you're going to miss flavour!

1. Finely mince cayenne pepper with the seeds in. (See further ingredient notes on seeds and spiciness)
2. Cook garlic and chilli: Heat oil to medium and stir in garlic, cook for 10 seconds just so it's hot. Then add cayenne and chilli flakes and cook for 1 minute once garlic is light golden.
3. Simmer: Add tomato, salt, and pepper. Then rinse out the tomato cans with a little water and add that in as well. Simmer the sauce for 15 minutes until thickened.
4. Cook pasta: While your sauce cooks, cook the pasta according to packet directions in salted pasta cooking water. Just before draining, stir the pot big (to mix the starch* in your pasta) and then scoop 1 cup of the water away. Then drain the pasta.
5. Add pasta: In the sauce with 1/2 cup of pasta cooking water. Leave the pasta on the stove and toss continuously until the sauce coats and is no longer pooled in the bottom of the pot. If needed (usually, if you wait too long to drain the pasta water!!), use extra pasta cooking water to loosen.
6. Serve: Dinnertime! If using, divide between bowls and serve immediately with parmesan and parsley.

* Cooking pasta with the starch in its water helps the pasta sauce 'glue' better to the pasta.

This is a cosy chicken risoni (orzo) that's a complete one pot meal: Creamy tomato parmesan sauce with swirls of spinach and pops of nutty chickpeas with juicy pan seared chicken breast, topped liberally with crispy salami bits. It's lengthy to describe the dish. The making part is not!

This: One pan creamy tomato chicken risoni with crispy salami

There was a stick of salami left in the refrigerator and I was looking at it and I was like, Alright, I'll just make something with this. Yes, I ended up going to the grocery store for the chicken and baby spinach and risoni, but that's not the point! She declares insistently 😂

It's that I always feel like salami is an undersung cooking ingredient and I wanted to incorporate it into a dinner. If you take the time to think about it (and these are the sort of things I fall asleep dreaming about), it's got the same characteristics as bacon and chorizo: Fries up crispy and salty, and makes everything better. Bonus: Never letting you cook it for too long so it keeps on grilling and grilling and grilling until it doesn't spit fiery little bits of fat on your arms, I'm glaring at YOU, bacon!

You might say that today's recipe began with salami. They ended with a risoni in a creamy tomato and parmesan sauce with some spinach and nutty pops of chickpeas then stirred through and finished with some juicy seasoned chicken slices.

Its very cosy, very easy, very delicious and very much a crowd pleaser, everyone will love.

One Pan Chicken Risoni, What you need

All you need to make today's chicken risoni is…

SEASONED CHICKEN

The warm red tinge also from this combination of spices but it really adds a nice savoury flavour to the chicken too. If you don't happen to have sage, just leave it out. I know it's not a pantry staple for most people either, but if you have made my homemade pork sausage patties you'd find it hidden in the dark spaces of your pantry (or homemade Sausage and Egg McMuffins, the pork seasoning mix, chicken burger, etc.)

THE CREAMY TOMATO RISONI

• The star of the show is the salami we fry golden and crispy and use the fat that renders out to cook the chicken and the risoni sauce. Win, win, win!
• Orzo, aka Risoni – Small rice shaped pasta. Find it in the pasta aisle. What I like about it is that it's small, meaning it cooks quickly, and I don't have to rest it after cooking like rice and it's easier to use in one pot dishes than larger pastas. For this, you'll need 250g (8oz — half of a normal 500g (1lb) packet). Now use the other half for any of our risoni/orzo recipes!
• I added chickpeas on a whim to add some textural interest and some lovely nutty flavour. And it's got more nutritional value in it – more fibre, more protein (depending on the type of bean) and it's low GI anyway – no effort to open a can, so why not? 😉You can also sub with other beans or just not use any at all.
• The risoni cooking liquid – else the sauce and risoni is bland. There's also vegetable stock that works well. I use store bought, but as long as you've got that homemade chicken or vegetable stock I will beam with pride.
• Just 1 ½ cups of flour and we stir in 3/4 of a cup of cream at the end to give it a creamy taste. We're not relying on the cream to thicken the sauce (the starch in the risoni does this for us), so use low fat cream or evaporated milk if you like.
• This adds a hit of savourey flavour into the sauce. It doesn't make it cheesy.
• Baby spinach or kale – Good for stirring into the end. Our veg quota!
• Aromatic flavour base: garlic and onion.

OPTIONAL EXTRAS

If you have these, they are some optional extras to include to the recipe: You don't have to make a special trip to the store. Explanation below!

I added these in the first time I made this risoni because I had them and they needed using up: A few limp stems of basil, an aging jar of sun dried tomatoes and wine (well this was always going to be used up – in cooking or otherwise). Deglazing the pan with wine, sun dried tomatoes in risoni, a dash of basil to sprinkle.

The second time, I didn't have them and the dish was still super, super delicious.

Don't get me wrong, none of them add any more to the dish than they already do, but they are optional extras. It's not as if you have to go out very specially to buy them. If you've got them, just use them!

How to make one pan chicken risoni

Heads up: Fried up salami in a recipe isn't anything new...or anything new, really! I'm going to guarantee you try it once and will be hooked too.

1. Split each chicken breast in half horizontally, so there's 4 thin steaks altogether. Cooks throught more evenly (no dry outer band); thinner Sprinkle the spice mix and mix it together and then sprinkle the spice mix on each side of the chicken.
2. Salami: crispy – First cook the salami until the crispy and golden. It takes about 2 – 3 minutes over medium high heat. Pour it into a paper towel lined bowl, separating the fat with a slotted spoon left in the pan. This we're going to use to cook the chicken – free flavour!
3. Because you need to be able to submerge the risoni in the liquid to be cooked, the pan should be at least 26cm/10.5″ wide. I bake it in a 30cm/12″ non stick pan that is 7cm / 2.8″ deep. This is my Pyrolux one (Australian store, nor am I an affiliate link). I really like it because it has a lid too.
4. In the same pan, cook the chicken for 3 minutes on each side until deep golden and cooked through; then sear chicken. It should read it's 67°C/153°F inside. Once it rests, it will rise to 71°C/160°F . Pluck the chicken to a plate and loosely throw foil over the top to remain warm.
5. Still in the same pan (one pot cooking memory) sauté onion and garlic. Deglaze* the pan with the white wine (if using, it's optional) and simmer rapidly until almost evaporated.
6. *So it's all about dissolving the tasty gold bits left on the base of 'pan' due to searing the chicken and salami into the wine. That's free flavour and will make our sauce taste better!
7. Next, add everything else – Cook off the tomato paste for 1 minute to reduce some of the raw sour edge of it. Stir again to coat the risoni in the tomato paste, then toss with the stock, chickpeas, salt and pepper.
8. Pull 1 hour ahead – Pull an hour ahead, then cook the risoni for 1 hour, covered, stirring well every 10 minutes. The first thing you do with the stove is put it on medium high and let the liquid simmer. As the stock is absorbed and the base thickens down, turn the heat to medium low so the bottom does not burn. Don't worry if yours is a little thick, it will loosen it up once the cream is added.
9. Wilt spinach + cream + Parm cheese (if using sun dried tomatoes) + cream. Mix well until the spinach wilts. Ours should be beautifully oozy still.
10. Cut – Chicken into thick slices and serve. Serve spooned into bowls, topped with chicken, crispy salami, a sprinkle of extra parmesan and basil (if you're using). Then dig in!

(The alternative option is to serve it help-yourself style on a big platter: Blend chicken, risoni, parmesan and basil), add some salami thrown in; put over a bed of risoni.

Yum. I love recipes like this. It might just have been something funny I made up one day, an unlikely combination of things (say, salami and risoni and chickpeas??).

Yum. I love recipes like this. Something I just made up on the fly one day, perhaps some unusual (salami + risoni+ chickpeas??) combination of things.