I know I haven't really posted much about food on this blog since I started it last year, but for those who know me food is a big part of my life. You could say in the blog world I have two personalities.... DIY project/renovator and on the other hand, avid baker and cook. I write another blog called The Simply Teashop Blog which I showcase delicious baked goods that compliment the range of Tea's that my Online Tea Store (by the same name) sells.

After a bit of thought I have decided I will probably discontinue with my Simply Teashop blog and post the recipes here instead... as it's all become a bit too much work to write two! So starting today Tasty Tuesday will become a permanent fixture here at the Diaries Of A Whimsical Wife.

Hope you don't mind??

Nothing else will change really just that you will get some great recipes in the process!

You might also notice I have added a page in the menu above called the "Whimsical Bakehouse" this page showcases all the recipes that I have baked and photographed in my other blog. You can click on the picture and be transported to that recipe.

Moving onto the recipe at hand.... I stumbled across a competition in Woolworths Good Taste Magazine - July Edition calling for people to take the Ultimate Home Cook Challenge sponsored by San Remo Pasta.

What this challenge required was for you to cook a recipe using 5 base ingredients they set plus any extra's you wish to add.

The five basic ingredients were: Your choice of San Remo Pasta, Smoked Fish or Cured Meat, Baby Rocket, Egg & Parmesan Cheese.

My mind started twirling in all directions with ideas of what I would whip up with these ingredients! Would you believe it was all I thought about on one of my morning runs - it made the time pass quickly!

I decided on Saturday that I would enter this competition and give the challenge a go!

Entries closed today so I had a limited time window to figure out what I was going to cook, cook it and photograph it before today!

So that's what I did yesterday... grabbed my five basic ingredients plus a few special extra's, cooked me little heart out, plated with love and photographed with what skill I had acquired over the last few months photographing my Simply Tea Blog recipes.

And this is what I came up with.....

Pasta Nests With Poached Egg, Pumpkin, Pinenuts & Honey Balsamic Tar

{Download & Print Recipe}

Serves 4

Ingredients:

4 x Free Range Eggs
400g Pumpkin, Cubed

2 Punnets Cherry Tomatoes

3 Tbsp Pine Nuts

4 Slices Prosciutto

½ Cup Finely Grated Parmesan

1 Pkt Baby Rocket

2 Tbsp Olive Oil

4 Nests San Remo Vermicelli Egg Pasta

2 Tbsp Chives, finely chopped

Salt/Pepper

Honey Balsamic Tar

5 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar

3 Tbsp Honey

Preheat oven to 200 Degrees.

Place diced pumpkin on a non stick tray. Drizzle with a little olive oil and roast. When pumpkin is half cooked add cherry tomatoes and prosciutto. Keep a close eye so that they don’t overcook.

In a pan add the pine nuts and roast until brown. Remove and set aside.

In the same pan add balsamic & honey and simmer on low for 15-20 minutes until thick and syrupy. Set aside ready for serving.

Fill two sauce pans half with water and add a pinch of salt to one and a tablespoon of vinegar to another. Bring to the boil and add the Vermicelli pasta to the one with salt. Meanwhile add the eggs to the vinegar water and poach for three and half minutes, remove and drain on paper towel.

Drain pasta and add back to the sauce pan. Drizzle with olive oil and add grated parmesan cheese, and the chives. Mix well.

Set serving plates out and make a nest with the pasta and place the poached egg on top.

Sprinkle rocket leaves, pine nuts, pumpkin, cherry tomatoes around the nest. Drizzle with honey balsamic tar and garnish with chives.

Enjoy!

I entered my recipe into the competition late yesterday afternoon. You can view it in the gallery here. I received an email today from the deputy editior of Woolworths Australian Good Taste Magazine letting me know that my recipe has randomly being selected with the possibilty of maybe printing it in September's Issue. Wohoo. Fingers crossed that they will.... will keep you posted!