Chicken Soup

Ingredients
4 chicken breasts, chopped into a few pieces each
Paprika
Chilli flakes
Cayenne pepper
Garlic powder
Cumin
Oregano
4 garlic cloves, peeled but left whole

3 large carrots, peeled and chopped into chunks
3 sticks celery, chopped
3 small sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into chunks
5 garlic cloves, grated
1 litre low-salt vegetable stock
1 tsp mixed herbs

Optional
2 red peppers, sliced
1 tin tomatoes
half a bag of spinach
1 pack of tortelloni, cooked

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180 C. Put 1 tbsp oil into an ovenproof dish. Add chicken pieces and garlic and coat in oil, spices and herbs. Add a covering of boiling water and cover with tinfoil. Place in the oven for 45 minutes. 
2. After 25 minutes, turn oven down to 150 C and stir chicken around before returning to the oven for remaining 20 minutes. 
3. When finished cooking, remove chicken (and garlic) from dish and pull apart with two forks. Sieve the remaining liquid into a bowl to remove scum.
4. Meanwhile, peel and chop your veg. 
5. In a large saucepan, heat 1 tbsp oil. Add carrots and celery and cook, stirring, for 10 minutes. 
6. Add sweet potato and cook for 5 minutes. 
7. Add garlic and stock and liquid from oven chicken. [If adding peppers and tomatoes, add now]. Stir well and bring to the boil.
8. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes until everything is nearly fully cooked. 
9. Add chicken to the soup now and stir in. [Add spinach and tortelloni at this stage if using]. When chicken is fully heated through again, spoon into bowls and serve with crusty bread.

Veggie Shepherd's Pie

Ingredients

Topping

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into chunks

2 large potatoes, peeled and chopped into chunks

Dash of milk

Knob of butter

Grated mozzarella

Filling

2 large onions, chopped

3 carrots, peeled and chopped

3 sticks celery, chopped

1 cup of lentils, rinsed and soaked

1 whole beetroot, chopped

1 can chickpeas, drained

Good handful of frozen peas

2 tins of tomatoes

Dried basil, paprika, cumin

Method

1. Boil sweet potatoes and potatoes for 15-20 mins until soft. Preheat oven to 180 C.
2. Heat oil in large saucepan. Sauté onions, carrots, celery  for 5 mins until softened.
3. Add lentils, chickpeas, peas and beetroot. Stir well and cook for 2 minutes.
4. Add tinned tomatoes, herbs, and spices and stir well.
5. Cook for 10 mins until carrots are tender and lentils are cooked.
6.  Mash topping ingredients together and season.
7. Pour filling into an ovenproof dish. Top with potatoes and sprinkle cheese on top.
8. Bake in the oven for 15 mins until browned. Serve with crusty bread. 

Soup

Ingredients
1 butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and chopped into cubes
3 onions, chopped
4 carrots, chopped
1 large sweet potato, peeled and chopped into cubes
3 medium rooster potatoes, peeled and chopped.
1 litre of vegetable stock

Method

1. In a stock pot, heat some butter and oil until melted. Add in the onion and sauté until soft.
2. Add in the carrots, squash, sweet potato and potatoes. Sauté for a few minutes, stirring to coat in oil/butter. 
3. Add the stock and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 mins until all the veg are soft. 
4. Blend with a food processor/stick blender until the desired consistency is reached. 

Pesto Chicken Pasta Bake

Ingredients
250 g chicken, cooked and chopped into bitesize pieces
2 onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 jar of sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
2 tbsp goat's cheese
50 g mozzarella
2 tbsp basil pesto
1/2 pack of sour cream/cream cheese
enough pasta for 4 people

Method

1. Cook the pasta according to package directions. Preheat oven to 180 C.
2. Meanwhile, heat some oil in a large saucepan. Sauté the onions and garlic until softened.
3. Add the sun-dried tomatoes and chicken and cook until heated through. 
4. Add in the pesto and the sour cream. Stir until mixed in and everything is fully coated. 
5. Pour the cooked pasta into the pesto mixture and stir to coat. 
6. Tip this mixture into a lightly greased baking dish. 
7. Dot the goat's cheese on, and sprinkle with mozzarella.
8. Bake in the oven for 15 mins until cheese is melted and browned.

Chicken Tikka Pasta Bake

Ingredients
2 onions, chopped
1 courgette, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, grated
1 package fromais frais/sour cream/cream cheese/creme fraiche
50 g cheddar, grated
100 g mozzarella, grated
2 chicken breasts
pasta shells
2 tbsp tikka curry powder

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180. Grease a baking dish.
2. Sprinkle 1 tbsp of tikka powder over the chicken and mix around to coat it. 
3. Bake the chicken in the greased dish in the preheated oven for 30 mins until fully cooked through. Add a bit of water to the dish and cover with foil prior to cooking. 
4. While the chicken is cooking, chop up all the veg. 
5. Add some oil to a large saucepan. Add the veg and remaining tikka powder and sauté for 10 mins until soft. 
6. Cook pasta according to directions.
7. Add the cream cheese (or whatever you're using) to the vegetable mixture and stir until it's melted and fully coating the veg. You may need a little water to thin it down a bit.
8. Add the cheddar cheese to the veg mix and stir in. Heat through til cheese melts.
9. When the chicken is cooked, chop it up into bitesize pieces and add to veg mixture, stir in.
10. Add the pasta to the mixture and allow mixture to fully heat up again.
11. Pour the mixture into a greased baking dish, top with the mozzarella and bake in the oven for 15 mins until cheese is browned and bubbling. 

Kind of Asian Chicken

Ingredients
2 chicken fillets, chopped into bite-size pieces
2 onions, sliced
Sauce
100 ml tropical fruit juice/pineapple juice
150 ml water
3 cloves garlic, minced/grated
50 ml ketchup
80 ml soy sauce
40 ml vinegar
3 tbsp golden syrup
1 tsp chilli flakes
1 tbsp cornflour

Method

1. Heat some oil in a pan and fry the chicken and the onion for about 8 minutes until the chicken is starting to brown.
2. Add all the other ingredients to a jug and whisk together well. 
3. Pour sauce onto pan, bring to the boil and leave to simmer for 15 mins, stirring occasionally.
4. Serve with boiled rice or noodles.

Quinoa and Bean Burgers with Sweet Potato Fries

I wanted to do yummy, healthy, good-for-you alternatives to beef-burgers, and this is what I came up with. Soooo tasty and pretty easy to make too! With the added benefit of being high in fibre and protein and low in calories and fat :)

Quinoa is a pseudocereal, which means it isn't a true cereal: true cereals are from the grass family, and although quinoa is used in the same way as a cereal, it isn't from the grass family. It's a good source of protein, B-vitamins, zinc, phosphorus, iron and magnesium as well as containing a moderate amount of potassium and vitamin E. It's also a good source of fibre and is gluten free.

First off, about cannellini beans: if you get the dried ones, you have to be SO careful to cook them properly - they need to be soaked in water for 5 hours or overnight and then vigorously boiled in fresh clean water for about half an hour to deactivate the toxin (called phytohaemagglutinin, which is a lectin - carbohydrate-binding protein). If this is done incorrectly, food poisoning may occur: nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea. Consumption of just 5 incorrectly cooked beans can cause this. If the beans are cooked, but don't reach 100C for at least 20 minutes, (for example in a slow cooker where they may be cooked for 6 hours but only reach 80C), the toxicity can actually increase, so it's very important to get it right! I just use canned beans, they're already cooked so you don't have to worry about any of that - much easier!

In other bean news, cannellini beans are high in fibre, rich in protein and low in fat; they're a good source of B vitamins, magnesium potassium, calcium and iron. Their soluble fibre content means they can reduce your LDL cholesterol level thus playing a part in preventing heart disease. They also contain some antioxidants, which may help to prevent some types of cancer.

The red peppers and sweetcorn provide heaps of vitamin C as well, so basically these burgers are super high in fibre, low in fat and contain so much nutrition. Serving them with sweet potato fries also adds loads of Vitamin A and antioxidants as well as potassium and fibre. Such a healthy meal!

If you want these to be vegan, you can leave out the egg or add a bit of almond milk to bind it together.

Quinoa & White Bean Burgers with Sweet Potato Fries
Ingredients
1/2 cup quinoa
1 cup water
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp basil
1 can of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 small tin of sweetcorn, drained
1/2 a red pepper, finely chopped
1/2 a red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
1 small or 1/2 large red onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced (or another tsp garlic powder)
1 tbsp basil
1 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp cayenne pepper
2 tbsp tomato purée
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 egg, beaten
2 tbsp flour (any kind)

Serving ideas:
wholemeal baps
1 avocado, mashed
red onion rings
tomato slices
rocket leaves
red pepper relish
red pesto
Sliced cheddar
Goat's cheese

Sweet Potato Fries
1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into chunky chips
1 tbsp cornflour
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp cayenne pepper


Method

1. Put the quinoa, water, garlic powder and 1 tsp basil into a saucepan. Bring to the boil, cover and reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 15-20 mins until the water is all absorbed. Remove lid for last 5 minutes if necessary. 
2. Meanwhile, chop your veg very finely - so they're about the same size pieces as the corn kernels. 
3. Mash the beans and mix in with sweetcorn, red onion, red pepper, chilli, tomato purée, garlic, herbs and spices. Mix in the quinoa well. Add the lemon juice and mix well. 
4. Add the beaten egg and mix well. Add in the flour. Season with freshly ground black pepper. 
5. Heat some oil in a frying pan. To make the burgers, I just scooped a couple of tbsp of mixture on the pan and shaped it into a relatively burger-like shape right on there. 
6. Allow too cook for about 5 minutes. Turn over and cook on the other side for 5 minutes more. 
7. Serve on a bun/bap of your choice with whatever toppings you like and some sweet potato fries.

For the sweet potato fries:

1. Preheat oven to 220C. Peel the sweet potato and chop into chunky wedges. 
2. Place the wedges in a ziplock bag. Add in the olive oil, cornflour and spices. Shake to coat well. 
3. Spread wedges evenly onto a baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 mins, turning once midway through. 

Toffee Tops

I've been making these bad boys since I was about 10 years old - they're my staple traybake :)

Ingredients
Base
7 oz plain flour
4 oz butter
1 egg, beaten with a little cold water
2 tbsp icing sugar
Filling
1 can condensed milk
3 oz brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla essence
2 oz butter
3 tbsp golden syrup
Topping
300 g milk chocolate

Method

1. Sieve the flour into a mixing bowl. Cut the butter in.
2. Rub in the butter either with your finger tips or a dough blender.
3. When the mixture resembles breadcrumbs, sieve in the icing sugar and mix through. 
4. Add in the egg mixture a bit at a time and bring the mixture together into a dough, adding as much egg as you need to do this without it going sticky or wet.
5. Turn out onto a floured surface and lightly knead into shape. 
6. Wrap in cling film and place in the fridge for 20 mins to relax.
7. Preheat oven to 200C. Turn dough out onto floured surface. Roll out to the size of the tray (6x12 is what I used).
8. Cover with greaseproof paper and baking beads and bake in the oven for 20 mins. 
9. Remove greaseproof and beads and return to the oven for 15 mins to brown. Allow to cool.
10. For the filling, put all the ingredients into a saucepan. Heat and stir, allowing everything to melt together.
11. Bring to the boil and allow to boil for about 30 seconds, stirring constantly. 
12. Pour over the cooled base and allow to set.
13. For the topping, melt the chocolate in the microwave and spread over the cooled filling.
14. Cut into 24 squares and enjoy.

Emma's Beef

This recipe is from the wonderful Emma over at http://www.e-ddoesit.com/ - she's amazing at making great food from simple ingredients :) Amongst many other things too! I got this recipe from her blog, and I adapted it to suit what I had in the fridge at the time. It has become known fondly in our house as "Emma's Beef" in honour of the creator haha :D

I've made this using sour cream, creme fraiche or cream cheese, or a combination of any of those, depending on what's in the fridge. Usually, I'll use Lidl's light cream cheese, it's got I think 4% fat and is only 70-odd cents for a pack. (or Tesco's version of same, it's more expensive but because of their price promise you always get a voucher for the difference anyway).

Emma's Beef
Ingredients
2 onions, chopped
10 mushrooms, sliced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 green peppers, sliced
2 tbsp wholegrain mustard
250 g sour cream, creme fraiche or cream cheese
500 g pack of beef strips (stirfry beef steak)
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
squeeze of lemon juice
Enough tagliatelle for 4 people

Method

1. Put the beef in a bowl with the vinegar and lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Mix well to coat with marinade. Set aside and leave to marinate a bit. You can use this time following to chop your veg.
2. Heat a tbsp of olive oil/rapeseed oil in a large frying pan. Fry onions, mushrooms, garlic and peppers for 5-6 minutes until softened. Cook pasta.
3. Add the beef and marinade to the pan. Fry for about 4-5 minutes.
4. Add in the sour cream (or alternative) and the mustard. Mix well and bring to a simmer. 
5. Serve with tagliatelle, crusty bread and a big glass of red wine :)

Pita Pizza

Very quick, very easy, and so variable! We used sweetcorn and pepperoni on ours.

Pitta Pizzas
Ingredients
Sauce
1 tube tomato purée
3 tsp garlic powder/granules
1 tbsp crushed fresh chillis (I used country garden, I think Schwartz, Very Lazy and Tesco Ingredients do them as well)
black pepper

Toppings
Whatever you like really! Examples:
1/2 tin sweetcorn, drained
10 slices pepperoni, halved
small tin of tuna, drained
1 red pepper, sliced
roast chicken pieces
chillis
spinach, goat's cheese and sundried tomatoes

4 pitta pockets (wholemeal, plain, whatever)
1/3 red onion, finely chopped
100 g mozzarella, grated

Method

1. Preheat oven to 190C. 
2. Mix together sauce ingredients in a bowl. Spread some onto one side of each pitta.
3. Sprinkle red onion evenly across the sauce. Top with a handful of mozzarella onto each pizza.
4. Place your topping ingredients on top.
5. Bake in the oven on baking trays for 12-15 mins until the cheese is melted, the base has turned brown around the edges and it's sizzling. 

Lasagne

My mum makes the most amazing lasagne. Both Sam and I have been craving it all week, but she already had steak taken out of the freezer for the dinner tonight so she said no can do. So, I took matters into my own hands, and decided to go about making my first ever lasagne, like mammy makes. Big step. Lots of pressure, and fear of failure. What if it wasn't nice? What if I failed? But I tried anyway, and my god was it worth it. May I say it...it may have been the best lasagne I've ever tasted. But that could be because Mum hasn't made lasagne in so long that I just can't remember the taste of hers.

Anyway, lasagne is the ultimate comfort food for me; pasta, creamy white sauce and a tomato-based sauce, all in one dish with cheese on top is just...food heaven.

It dirties a lot of dishes, so after I put it in the oven, I take full advantage of the waiting time by filling up the sink and getting the pans washed so I only have the baking dish to clean afterwards.

Lasagne

Ingredients
about 15 sheets lasagne
Tomato sauce
454 g pack of lean minced beef
1 onion, finely chopped
3 carrots, finely chopped
3 sticks of celery, finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
10 mushrooms, sliced
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
1 carton tomato passata
half a tube tomato purée
1 tbsp dried basil
40 ml red wine
White sauce
1.5 pints milk
2 cloves garlic, minced
1.5 oz butter
1 onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp dried basil
4 tbsp cornflour, blended with some milk
60 g cheddar/mozzarella, grated

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 190C. Grease a 12" x 12" pan.
2. For the tomato sauce, heat some olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the mince, and brown. Season with salt and pepper and add the basil.
3. Add the onion, carrots, celery and garlic to the beef. Add a small bit of boiling water, and simmer for 5 mins.
4. Add the tinned tomatoes, passata, and tomato puree. Bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes until the carrots are softened. 
5. Add the mushrooms, stir in the mushrooms and wine and simmer for 5 more minutes. Taste and season again if necessary. 
6. For the white sauce, heat the butter in a saucepan. When melted, sauté the onion and garlic for a few minutes until softened and the flavours are released. 
7. Stir in the dried basil and add the milk. Bring to the boil and immediately reduce to a simmer.
8. Take off the heat and stir in the cornflour. 
9. Bring back to the boil and stir until thickened. Add more blended-with-milk cornflour if needs be. 
10. Starting with the mince tomato mixture, start layering into the greased pan in the following order: mince-lasagne sheets-white sauce-mince-lasagne sheets-white sauce. This will give you three layers; finish off with white sauce and sprinkle the cheese on top.
11. Bake in the oven for 25 mins until the lasagne sheets are cooked and the top is browned and bubbling.
12. Serve with garlic bread, a green salad and a big glass of red wine :) 

Fish Pie

This is like one big pie of comfort food! It's so tasty, and not too badly unhealthy I suppose. Could be worse!

You could use fish pie mix or fresh fish, but the frozen fish in Tesco is a lot cheaper and just as suitable - per 100g it's cheaper to buy a bag of frozen salmon and a bag of frozen cod. If I was feeling particularly flush I would have bought a bag of frozen smoked haddock too, but I wasn't, so I didn't. But it would have added a lovely extra bit of flavour. So that's always something that can be varied - choose whatever fish you have on hand or is on offer at the time to use in the dish. You can also change the veg too - peppers or peas would be good as well. You could add some grated cheese on top of the potatoes as well if you'd like.

This dish contains loads of milk (I used Avonmore's low-fat Supermilk) so you get the nutrition boost of calcium, magnesium, potassium and all the other good things milk has to offer. Avonmore lactose free milk would also be fine, or even soy milk I suppose, but I haven't tried that in this dish myself. I recommend low-fat milk to try and keep the saturated fat and calorie levels down, but if full-fat is your choice or what you have on hand, go for it.

The fish is a great source of protein - both cod and salmon are low in calories and high in protein, both being a good source of vitamin B12, phosphorus, iodine, selenium and potassium, along with smaller quantities of other vitamins and minerals; along with those already listed, salmon is a good source of vitamin D, vitamins B3 (niacin) and B6 and omega-3 fatty acids. So basically they're very nutritionally dense in relation to their calorie content - very healthy foods!

Sweetcorn is a source of folic acid and other B vitamins and vitamin C, and is a source of antioxidants such as betacarotine. Sun-dried tomatoes are high in fibre, and provide some omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids as well, due to being packed in oil. They're a good source of vitamins C, B6, riboflavin, niacin, and of magnesium, copper and manganese too. They're a great source of potassium, with one serving providing almost half the RDA of potassium. Sun-dried tomatoes are also high in antioxidants - they contain a significant amount of lycopene.

Fish Pie
Ingredients
1 onion, diced
1 large tin sweetcorn, drained
1/2 a jar of sun-dried tomatoes, drained and chopped
3 frozen salmon pieces
3 frozen cod pieces
2 oz butter
2 pints milk
3 tbsp cornflour, blended with some milk
1 tbsp dried basil

For the potato topping
~12 potatoes, peeled and chopped into big chunks and rinsed
1 oz butter
good splash milk
2 tbsp sour cream
1 tbsp dried basil

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180C. Place the fish pieces on a greased baking tray and bake in preheated oven for 2 mins until cooked through.
2. Meanwhile, boil the spuds until soft, about 8-10 mins. 
3. When the potatoes are done, drain and add the butter, milk, sour cream and basil and mash well, ensuring everything is well mixed. Set aside.
4. Heat the 2 oz butter in a saucepan. When melted add the onions and fry until softened. 
5. Add the milk, and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in the cornflour milk blend. 
6. Bring back to the boil and stir continuously until thickened. If needs be, add more cornflour - be sure to take it off the heat when adding cornflour and stir it in immediately.
7. When the fish is cooked, break into pieces - about 1.5" chunks. Add to the white sauce, along with the tomatoes, sweetcorn and basil. Stir well.
8. Pour the mixture into a greased 10 inch square dish. 
9. Add the potatoes - the filling isn't heavy enough to support the potato very well, so add it on in small spoonfuls so you don't have to spread it much - just plop it on over the whole dish.
10. Place the dish on a baking tray to catch any overspill. Bake in the oven for 15 mins until the filling is bubbling and the potatoes are slightly browned. Serve with some peas and garlic bread.

Sausage and Bean Stew

This is a real homely recipe, and sort of a healthy version of sausages and baked beans. I like to use top quality sausages for this recipe to give it a really nice flavour - Tesco Finest Chorizo Style Sausages are my favourite - they have a really dense meaty texture and a great flavour - they're also 2 packs for €4.75 pretty much all the time.

This dish is high in fibre and protein from the beans, contains loads of cooked tomatoes so gives you a lycopene boost - known for its antioxidant properties and you get a veggy boost from the carrots, celery and onions too. You can add chilli to this dish if you want a spicy kick, but I chose to leave it out to make it more appealing to everyone in the family on this occasion.


Sausage and Bean Stew
Ingredients
3 tbsp rapeseed oil
2 onions, diced
3 carrots, peeled and diced
3 sticks celery, washed and diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 tins tomatoes (whatever kind you want, chopped, whole, with herbs, with chilli, whatever)
1 tsp dried mixed herbs
8 sausages
1 tin butter beans, drained and thoroughly rinsed
2 tins cannellini beans, drained and thoroughly rinsed
1 dessert spoon wholegrain mustard
Rice or Couscous to serve

Method

1. Heat half the oil in a large saucepan. Add the onions, carrots, celery and garlic. Add a bit of water if needs be and some black pepper. Cook for 10 minutes until softened. 
2. Add in the tins of tomatoes, herbs and a can of water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 20 mins. 
3. Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a frying pan and fry the sausages until browned and cooked through. Put on the rice/couscous at this stage too.
4. Add the sausages to the tomato mixture then add the beans. Stir well.
5. Bring back to the boil and reduce to a simmer. Stir in the mustard and season to taste. 
6. Serve with rice and some crusty bread.

Chicken and Sundried Tomatoes in a Garlic Mozzarella Creamy Sauce

Garlic Mozzarella Creamy Chicken with Sun-Dried Tomatoes

I spotted a recipe similar to this online somewhere a while ago, and I've been thinking about making it for ages because it sounds so mouthwateringly delicious...and it is! I adapted it to suit my own needs, and I think it worked out very well :) The flavours go really nicely together, and I had worried that the sun-dried tomatoes would take over too much, but they didn't at all - they added nice flavour without being overpowering. 

I used a jar of sun-dried tomatoes from Lidl and the sour cream, cream cheese, grated mozzarella were Tesco's own brand. Perfect for cutting costs and making meals on a budget, this works out at about €2.50 a serving, and these portions are huge.

Ingredients
2 onions, chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
about 15 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained (reserve oil)
4 chicken fillets, chopped
200 ml sour cream
200 g light cream cheese
200 ml milk
200 g mozzarella, grated
1 tbsp dried basil
1 tsp chili flakes (more to taste)
Pasta for 4 people (any shape, whatever you like - I used bows)

Method

1. Put the chicken in a bowl with 2 tbsp reserved oil. Add some pepper and paprika and stir to coat. Set aside. 
2. Heat a small amount of reserved oil on the pan. Sauté the sun-dried tomatoes for 2 mins, then remove from pan.
3. Wipe pan out and heat 1 tbsp olive oil in the pan. When the pan is good and hot, add in onion, garlic and chicken. Cook for about 12 mins until chicken is cooked through. 
4. Meanwhile, cook the pasta as per the package instructions. Drain. 
5. Chop the sun-dried tomatoes into pieces and add back onto the pan.
6. Add the sour cream, cream cheese and mozzarella to the pan and mix well. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer. Stir until well combined and the mozzarella is nicely melted in.
7. Add in as much of the milk as needed to thin out the sauce - you could add hot water instead if you wanted. 
8. Mix in the pasta, then add in the basil and chilli flakes. Stir well until everything is well coated with sauce. 
9. Serve with some garlic bread or a baguette to mop up the sauce.