CBC - Strozzapreti with Salmon-Cream-Sauce

I made this on request of my better half, and it was good. Crazy good. I have no idea what made it taste so good, as it was basically only pasta + salmon + cream. But I thought not to ask, but to enjoy instead. And I am adding this to Soul-Food!!!!! Definitely.

So, the cookbook is the following: Pasta, Zabert Sandmann, 2000 (the same editor as the Antipasti-Book), page 64

Ingredients:
400gr Strozzapreti (it's a kind of thick-cut pasta)
Salt
various herbs (e.g. Basil., Rosemary, Oregano ecc.)
1 tablespoon butter
250gr cream
2 tablespoons Lemon-Juice
400gr Smoked Salmon (I think I used less)
freshly ground pepper


Preparation:
1. Cook Pasta according to package instructions.
2. wash herbs, shake dry and pick leaves from stems. Put aside some for decoration, cut the others in small stripes.
3. Heat butter in pan. Fry herbs in butter, add cream and lemon-juice, let simmer for 4 minutes.

4. Cut salmon in stripes and warm in hot sauce. Add salt and pepper to sauceas you like it.

5. Drain pasta and mix with sauce. Decorate with herbs (or not, see below).

Soup with Minced-Meat, Leek, Cream Cheese and Potatoes

This is one of my favorite soups or stews!! I used to make it with one of those package-mixes until I decided that I did not need them anymore.

Ingredients:
450gr minced meat (beef)
4 leeks
about 1,2 - 1,5 l boiling water + broth/stock-cubes
400gr cream-cheese (a little less might do as well)
potatoes

Preparation:
Prepare the leek, cut into small pieces and wash. Fry minced meat in a bit of oil and add the leek, fry for another couple minutes. Add about 1,2 l boiling water and the amount of stock-cubes needed or the amount needed to satisfy your salt-taste-buds. Peel potatoes, cut into small pieces and throw in as well, let boil until the potatoes are cooked (you might need to add some more water). Add cream-cheese and stir in well.

You might want to cook the potatoes separately, the original recipe is without them. I think the soup would go great with rice or bread as well. I just added the potatoes to save on time and pots :-). Feel free to add more spices or salt.

I'm sorry that the picture does not look very inviting, but I assure you that the taste is fine!