Tuesday, August 27, 2013

20130827 Pasta with Bolognese Sauce

The first time i use bacon bits in bolognese sauce and it tasted sooooo good! This recipe made quite a huge batch of sauce so I simply freeze half of it for "rainy days". 
Ingredients 
400g minced pork/beef
200g bacon blocks
4 celery stalks, finely diced
4 small carrots, finely diced
2 big garlic cloves, crushed
1 red paprika, finely chopped
2 onions, finely chopped
2 X 400g cans peeled tomatoes with juice
2 rosemary stalks
1tsp dried oregano
Freshly grounded black pepper
Methods
1. In a pan, brown the bacon bits for about 5-10 minutes. Add minced meat and cook about 5 minutes. Transfer the meat to a slow cooker. 
2. In the pan, cook the onions and garlic until fragrant. Transfer them to the slow cooker. 
3. Add the rest of the ingredients to the slow cooker and give it a good stir. Cook on low heat for about 8-10 hours. 
4. Mix the sauce with your favorite cooked pasta, dump the mixed pasta into a casserole dish, scatter with a generous amount of grated cheese, and cook under a hot grill for about 5-10 minutes. Served with fresh ciabatta bread. 

20130825 Martha Stewart's Chicken Curry

I tweaked Martha's recipe a bit by using regular curry powder (couldn't find Jamaican curry powder), using more peas, using more coconut milk instead of adding water, and cooking it in a slow cooker. A very fragrant and soft chicken dish!
Ingredients 
3 chicken legs, each cut into two pieces
3tbsp curry powder
1tsp ground cumin
2 small onions, chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
4 small carrots, thinly sliced
300g frozen peas
450ml coconut milk
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Methods
1. In a pan, heat olive oil and brown chicken for about 5 minutes on each side. Put chicken into the slow cooker. 
2. Brown onion in the pan for about 5 minutes. Add carrots and spices, and cook for about 5 minutes. Pour them into the slow cooker. 
3. Add the frozen peas and coconut milk into the slower cooker. Pour coconut milk all over the dish, and cook on low heat for about 6 hours. 
4. Serve with white basmati rice. 

20130824 Paprika chicken

Ingredients
4 boneless chicken breasts, cut into strips
2tbsp paprika
Salt and freshly grounded black pepper
6 Tasty Tom tomatoes, diced
Olive oil
125ml sour cream
2cups steamed cauliflower
Methods
1. In a bowl, marinate the chicken with paprika and salt and pepper.
2. Heat the olive oil in a pan and brown the chicken for about 5 minutes. Remove chicken to a plate. 
3. Add the onion and brown for about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and 3/4 cup of water, and simmer for about 15 minutes. 
4. Return the chicken to the pan and simmer for another 10-15 minutes. Stir in sour cream and heat through. 
5. Stir in the freshly steamed cauliflower (if cauliflowers are cold, heat through), and serve with white rice.

Thursday, August 22, 2013

20130822 Pork in tomato sauce

Ingredients
400g pork strips
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 small onion, finely chopped
2cups broccoli florets
2cups sliced mushrooms
400g canned tomato blocks 
1 rosemary stalk
1/2tsp dried Italian herbs
1/2tsp sugar
Olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Methods
1. Heat oil in the pan and fry garlic and onion briefly. Add the pork and cook for about 5 minutes. 
2. Add the veggie and tomatoes. Add the herbs and sugar. Stir well and simmer for about 10 minutes. 
3. Season to taste. Served with potatoes (I fried 450g of potato cubes, and season them with salt and dried dille).

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

20130821 Coconuty fish curry

My little one loves this dish, and will eat any veggie that is thrown in (including French beans that are not usually welcomed). pour loads of sauce over the rice and enjoy!
Ingredients
600g white fish filets, cut into big chunks
500g frozen mixed veggie
2tsp Kerrie powder
1/2tsp turmeric powder
1/4tsp ginger powder
1/4tsp ground cumin
1/8tsp chilli powder
Salt and white pepper
Olive oil
250ml coconut milk
1cup white rice + 1cup brown rice, cooked as per instruction
Methods 
1. Season the fish with some salt and white pepper. Heat some olive oil in a pan and fry the fish in batches - about 2-3 minutes on each side. Remove fish from pan and set aside. 
2. Add some more oil and the frozen veggie (NOT thawed!) into the pan. Cook for 5-10 minutes, or until the veggie gets softer. 
3. Add the spices to the veggie and fry until fragrant. Add coconut milk and simmer for 10 minutes. 
4. Add the fish chunks and let it cook for another 5-10 minutes. Season to taste, and served with the cooked rice. 

Thursday, August 15, 2013

20130815 Potato & Mozzarella Tortilla


I served this with roasted sausages and pepper, as I found them in the fridge. But I think this would go better with a simple green salad.

Ingredients 
450g potatoes, peeled and thickly sliced 
5 eggs, beaten
4 tasty tom tomatoes, sliced
175g mozzarella ball, torn into small pieces 
1tsp dried dille
Olive oil
Salt and freshly grounded black pepper

Methods 
1. Heat olive oil in a frying pan, and fry the potatoes over medium heat for 10-15 minutes. Season with 1/2 tsp of dille and salt and pepper. 
2. Pour the beaten eggs over the potatoes, and let it cook (without lid) for about 15-20 minutes or until the base is set. 
3. Transfer the tortilla to a baking dish and cook under a hot grill for about 3 minutes. 
4. Remove the dish from the oven and scatter with tomatoes and mozzarella pieces and the rest of the dille. Return the dish under the grill and cook for another 5-10 minutes, or until the tomatoes are soft and mozzarella is melted.
5. Cut into thick wedges and serve right away. 

Thursday, August 8, 2013

20130808 Pasta with Tuna & Tomato Sauce


Ingredients:
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, pressed
400g can chopped tomatoes
1/4tsp chilli powder
1tsp dried basil
1tsp sugar
100g can tuna, drained
Black olives, pitted and sliced
2cups pasta
Grated cheese
Freshly grounded black pepper
Olive oil

Methods:
1. Cook the pasta as per instructions on package. 
2. In the meantime, heat the olive oil in a pan and brown the onion. Add garlic, tomatoes, chilli, basil, and sugar. Give it a good stir, bring to a boil, and simmer for 5-10 minutes. 
3. Flake the tuna and add the olives and drained pasta into the sauce. Heat through and serve with a generous amount of grated cheese. 

Wednesday, August 7, 2013

20130807 New Potato and Mince Curry


I usually use about 150g of frozen spinach for this recipe. But as I ran out of spinach, I have replaced it with frozen peas instead. Yummy as usual! :-)

Ingredients:
350g minced beef
500g new potatoes, halved
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, pressed 
2tsp ground cumin
2tsp ground coriander 
2tsp kerrie powder
1tsp turmeric
1/2tsp paprika powder
1/4tsp chilli powder
500ml water
1cup frozen peas
125ml Greek yoghurt
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

Method:
1. Heat olive oil in a frying pan and brown the onion and mince. 
2. Add the garlic and spices, and fry until fragrant. Add the water, bring to the boil and simmer for half an hour. 
3. Add the frozen peas and cook for another 5-10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the yoghurt. 
4. Served with basmati rice or naan bread. 

Sunday, July 28, 2013

20130728 Taco


Ingredients
For the meat...
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp paprika powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp beef bouillon block, broken
freshly ground black pepper
salt
olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
500g lean minced beef
1cup water
And the rest...
8 taco shells
lettuce leaves, chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 jar taco sauce
125ml sour cream
Grated cheese

Method
1. Heat olive oil in a frying pan and brown the meat and onion. 
2. Add the water and rest of the ingredients. Bring to a boil them simmer for 20 minutes.
3. Heat the taco shells as per instructions on the packet. 
4. Spoon the meat and basically any veggie you like into the taco shells, and top with taco sauce and sour cream and grated cheese. Eat right away and serve with Desperado!

Thursday, July 25, 2013

20130725 Pesto salad with Parma ham

Ingredients:
150g green salad
1/4 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
1 tbsp pesto
Freshly grounded black pepper
1 mozzarella ball, torn into small pieces
8-10 slices of Parma ham
1/4 melon, cut into small pieces 

Method:
1. In a salad bowl, mix the first 5 ingredients well. 
2. Place the mixed salad on two plates and lay the Parma ham over them. 
3. Place some melon on the side and serve with some fresh ciabatta bread.