presto pasta nights: an array of delights

thanks to everyone who contributed a delicious dish to this week’s presto pasta nights. there are some fabulous ideas here, so get ready to bookmark your favourites...  

the weather here in london is turning autumnal - the leaves are dropping and it's starting to get chilly, which means i'm thinking about comfort food.

daphne from more than words chooses chicken sweet corn noodle soup at times like this, which her mum taught her how to cook. send a bowl my way please, daphne, it looks delicious!

a gentle spicy heat is also good when there is a nip in the air - these ginger-poached soba noodles with broccoli and tofu from janet's taste space are bound to hit the spot! the addition of mint and basil is also intriguing...

more straightforward is joanne's homemade spaghetti with heirloom tomatoes, capers, anchovies and chile. she claims that she eats well with others and given this is what's being served, along with her poignant memories of being in new york on 9/11 when the twin towers tumbled down, i'm not surprised. 

more stories, now from katie who always has thyme for cooking, who is enjoying the bounty of her french garden. doesn't this pasta with ground beef, zucchini and cherry tomatoes make your mouth water?!?

more spicy delights to warm us up - from kirsten's kitchen to yours here is a classic pasta puttanesca! i make this most months as i love the pungent flavours of anchovy, olives, capers and chilli. thanks kirsten!

those same flavours are featured via helen's fuss free flavours and her 4 seed tapenade. i can only imagine what flavours the flax, linseed, pumpkin and sesame added - delicious, i'm sure and super-healthy.

i love lasagne. and if you're wondering what type a gourmet green giraffe would choose, here it is - tofu-ricotta, zucchini and pumpkin. light and lovely - thanks johanna, it sounds delicious!

brown butter and autumnal flavours go hand in hand - julie from little bit of everything is serving her pasta dish with zucchini, tomatoes and brown butter.

debbi does dinner is full of low calorie recipes - this time roasting vegetables to maximise flavour she serves up rotini with eggplant and tomato puree. i've not had aubergine for a while - this could be just what i need!

more courgettes! this time with my favourite additions of lemon and cheese, courtesy of nic. lemon pasta with courgette and feta - this is my kinda cooking. yum.

pasta in a jug! aka comfort food for anu at truth personified. the recipe is a fusion of ingredients which i just know will be packed with flavour. quick n easy too!

more time-consuming but worth the effort, and the equivalent of a snuggly cardigan to wrap yourself up in, is smoked salmon macaroni cheese from claudia at honey from rock.

mushrooms and mafaldine is a combination i've used myself so i obviously love this mushrooms in a parmesan cream sauce dish from andrea at nummy kitchen. like me she also has to sneak mushrooms onto the menu when her husband is out!

never mind autumn, ruth from once upon a feast has skipped straight through to christmas with her farfalle with brussel sprouts, pancetta and pecans. this one one we all need to try!

and that is that. well, apart from my humble offering  - a quick n easy, lazy girl dish of rigatoni with chorizo, lemon and parsley.

if i've missed anyone, or there are any last-minute dishes, please let me know but in the meantime, enjoy your pasta! and start thinking about what to cook for the next week’s presto pasta nights which is with the very wonderful bellini valli from more than burnt toast. ruth, thanks for letting me host.