Creamy Tagliatelle with Mock Chicken and a Red Wine Sauce

This is a divine dish to serve, impressive too if presented well. Very good date night dinner...


Mock Chicken Strips, cooked as packet instructions and then diced
Wholegrain Mustard
Soy Milk
Soy Cream
Plain Flour
Butter
Tagliatelle
Porcini Mushrooms, soaked in boiling water for 10mins and then chopped, retain the juice
Chopped Tomatoes
Sun Dried Tomatoes
Red Wine
Fresh Basil, to Serve


Firstly, cook the creamy sauce by melting the butter in a saucepan over a low heat, add a tablespoon of plain flour and mix to form a smooth 'roux'. Add the soy milk, soy cream and enough wholegrain mustard to taste. Mix thoroughly and do not allow to brown. Add the diced mock chicken and stir through. Add the porcini mushroom juice, about a third, and stir again. Season with salt, if necessary.

Secondly, prepare the pasta - boil water in a pan with a hint of salt, when bubbling add enough pasta for all dining along with a little olive oil. Leave to simmer for 10 mins while you make the red wine sauce

Red Wine sauce - in a pan, with a little olive oil heated, put the sun dried tomatoes, chopped, into it. Add the porcini mushrooms, also roughly chopped, the chopped tomatoes, about half a can or more depending on the amount of people to serve, and the red wine. Let simmer until slightly reduced. It will not thicken, and try not to let it catch, so stir regularly.

To serve, place the drained and cooked pasta on each individuals' dish, on top of which put some of the red wine sauce, and finally the creamy mustard chicken. Finish with the fresh basil and season with pepper and salt.

Voila!

Decadent Double Chocolate Mousse

This is simply, wow, a showstopping dessert dish that is so simple to make even a child could do it -

whipped double cream (can use vegan double cream too)
dark chocolate
castor sugar (tablespoon full)

optional flavourings:-

lemon juice, orange juice, crushed mixed nuts, reduced fruit - slightly crushed, such as, winter fruits, cranberries, cherries

Melt the chocolate over a low heat in a bowl suspended above water. Once melted, add the cream and mix with the sugar. Pour into glasses or bowls - whatever you want to present it in, and chill until required. Before pouring you could always add a flavouring of your choice. Decorate before serving with chocolate curls, or suitable flavour orientated decoration.

Enjoy!