#15 - Butternut Squash and Sausage Bake with Chestnuts and Sage

This dish is very similar to the Tagliatelle with Chestnuts, Sage and Crispy Parma Ham which I made as dish number 2. However, this time, following a recipe from Olive magazine, I used butternut squash instead of tagliatelle and chopped up sausages in place of the parma ham.

It was very much a "chuck in the oven and do something else while it cooks" recipe which is perfect for the end of a work day when you've got better things to be getting on with than standing over a stove! Peel and chop the BNS then chop six sausages into small pieces. Add a packet of chestnuts (I used 200g of the vacuum packed Merchant Gourmand chestnuts) and some sage, and drizzle olive oil over the whole lot.

It took around an hour to cook so check it a couple of times and turn everything over so it cooks evenly. It was delicious and would probably have been improved by the addition of some brussel sprouts. I might try that next time!

#10 - Spaghetti with Cherry Tomatoes and Olives

This is an old favourite pasta dish of mine which, while not amazingly complicated or fancy, really hits the spot.

Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the packet. I find spaghetti works best with this sauce - but tagliatelli, spaghettini or fettucini would work just as well. Finely chop an onion (as fine as you can) and fry in a little olive oil until soft. Then add halved cherry tomatoes and black olives and mix well. If liked, add half a finely chopped chilli for some extra spice.

When the pasta is cooked mix in the tomato and olive sauce and serve topped with sliced parmesan.

Simple - but absolutely delicious!