Creamy Sweet Chilli Pasta with Peas and Broccoli

I designed this recipe myself, based on the fact that I only had $10 in my wallet and some broccoli in the freezer. I guess you could say this recipe is also inspired by a seafood pasta dish that I ordered whilst at a restaurant in Batemans Bay, NSW. I'm pretty confident that the 'creamy sweet chilli' sauce on that dish was simply an amalgamation of minced garlic, bottled sweet chilli sauce and cream.
Serves 4

500g pasta (I used tubular spaghetti)
1 Tbs oil
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 head broccoli
1 cup frozen peas
2-3 Tbs sweet chilli sauce (to your liking)
250mL cream
seasoning
cheese of your choice

Boil pasta using packet directions. Meanwhile, bring water to boil in a large pot. Add broccoli and peas and cook until just tender, drain.
When al dente, drain pasta, and using same pot, stir fry oil and garlic for 1 minute. Add cream and sweet chilli sauce, and allow to thicken, stirring at all times. Add pasta, broccoli and pea and season. Warm through and serve, sprinkled with cheese of your choice.

Ingredients simmering in cream-based sauce.

....the added pasta.

Served with grated cheese....

Cream of Celery Soup

I've never tried, or even cooked, Cream of Celery Soup. Considering I'm going through a 'left-overs' phase at the moment, I thought I'd give the recipe a go. My fridge was full of unused celery.

Belief it or not, this tasted absolutely beautiful, and perfectly seasoned. Would be in my Top Five Fav Soups for sure, along with Vietnamese Beef Pho and Chinese Chicken & Corn Soup .

After 5 minutes of gentle cooking.

After adding stock, cream, milk and bay leaves.

Blended and ready to freeze.

Cream of Celery Soup

1 Tbs vegetable oil

1/2 celery head, chopped

2 small potatoes, peeled and chopped

2 onions, chopped

700 ml vegetable stock

2 bay leaves

350 ml low-fat milk

salt and freshly ground black pepper

• Creamy tomato and tofu soup
• Cream of Leek and Potato Soup
• Irish Leek and Potato Soup
• Creamy pumpkin and thyme soup
• Autumn root vegetable soup

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1.		Melt oil in a large saucepan over a low heat. Add the celery, potatoes and onion and cook gently for 5 minutes.
2.		Pour the stock and milk  into the pan, add the bay leaves. Season. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes, or until all the vegetables are tender. Remove the bay leaves.
3.		Cool slightly. Using a ladle, lift the vegetables into a blender with some of the cooking liquid. Whizz to a purée, and do this in two batches.
4.		Ladle into warm bowls and grind a little more pepper over the top. Scatter with some crumbled blue cheese, if you like.
5.		Alternatively, freeze after cooling.

Creamy Salmon Pasta

One of my regulars.

Oil, onion, butter and garlic.

Salmon fillets, cooked and shredded.

Capers.

Salmon added.

Capers added.

Finished product.