RECIPE: BOLOGNAISE WITH BACON

This recipe is adapted (I use the word adapted coz I have changed some of the measurements and added bacon to the recipe) from the ‘Australian Women’s Weekly – Pasta Cookbook’. I would reckon that the taste does live up to its original name (Best Ever Bolognaise) and I have also used the same recipe to make lasagne (without using the bacon). Have had no complaints, yet! :D

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil
2 onions – chopped
2 cloves garlic – crushed

4 bacon rashers - chopped (optional)
1 kg minced beef
2 x 410g crushed tomatoes - UNDRAINED
1 ½ cups water
½ cup dry white wine (you could substitute this with chicken or beef stock) 3 tbsp tomato paste
3 small OXO (beef stock) cubes – crumbled
2 tsp dried oregano leaves
1 tsp dried marjoram leaves
½ tsp sugar

Method

Heat oil in a pan and cook the bacon (if using) onions and garlic, over low heat for around 10 to 15 mins until onions are very soft. Add the mince and cook until the meat is well browned.

Stir in the undrained tomatoes, water, wine paste, stock cubes, herbs and sugar. Bring to the boil and simmer over low heat, uncovered and stirring occasionally, for about 2 hours or until sauce has thickened. Serve with spaghetti and GARLIC BREAD.

HINT: Leave the sauce overnight. It tastes so much better the day after.

RECIPE: CREAMY CHICKEN AND ASPARAGUS PASTA BAKE

It was on the local news last night that Canberra has had its mildest June on record for the last 51 years. Oh well. It made up for it today. We have had gale force winds and Mr G has been worried all day that his hot house won’t be able to withstand the winds. Here’s hoping that it holds up.
I went as far as the corner this morning on my scooter when I turned back…..there was just no way I could ride in the head wind. Mind you, with the temp at nearly 0°c, I did not need much prompting!

Easy meal today, courtesy of Mr G. He used macaroni in the dish (he said he could not be bothered going to the shops; don’t blame him and moreover, I took the car to work, didn’t I?) ….original recipe calls for fettuccine.

Ingredients (for 4-6 people)
400 g fettuccine pasta (used Macaroni)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion – chopped
2 cups diced chicken (you may also use cooked chicken from yesterday’s roast!)
1 red capsicum – diced (did not put it today)
2 small sticks celery
1 small chicken stock cube – crumbled
1 cup water
300 g carton sour cream
440 g can asparagus cuts, drained
½ tsp dried oregano leaves
1 cup (125 g) grated tasty cheese (you may want to put more)

Method
Cook pasta according to cooking instructions. Drain and rinse under cold water. Drain well again.

Heat oil in pan and cook chicken until cooked. Add in onion and cook until onion is soft. If using cooked chicken, fry the onions first, then add in the cooked chicken.

Add in the capsicum, celery, stock cube and water and bring to the boil, then simmer for 5 mins.

Add the cream, asparagus and oregano and cook until heated through. Remove from heat.

Either mix the cooked pasta into the sauce and fold the mixture evenly and place it into an oven proof casserole or assemble the pasta in two layers by spooning half the chicken mixture over the base of an oven proof casserole, followed by all the pasta and finally the remainder of the chicken mixture.
In both version, to finish, sprinkle with the cheese and bake in a moderate oven for about 30 mins or until the cheese is lightly browned.

Serve on its own or with steak and/or salad

Source: Adapted from the Australian Women’s Weekly Home Library – Pasta Cookbook.

RECIPE: BACON AND MUSHROOM CARBONARA SAUCE WITH RAVIOLI

Something easy for during the week. Real comfort food for this cold weather too. I thought I was going to be blown off my scooter today! How windy was it in Canberra today??!

Ingredients – for 6 to 8
Fresh pasta – I used fresh San Remo RAVIOLI
12 bacon slices, coarsely chopped
500g fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 large onions – diced finely
4 garlic cloves – grated
½ cup light chicken stock or water
4 large egg yolks
1 cup whipping cream
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Method
Lightly sauté bacon over medium-high heat. Transfer the bacon onto paper towels to drain. Pour off all but about 2 to 3 tablespoons of the drippings.

Add mushrooms, onions, and garlic to the pan. Sauté over medium-high heat until mushrooms are tender, about 8 minutes. Add 1/2 cup stock/water to the pan. Bring to boil over medium-high heat.

Whisk egg yolks and cream in small bowl until blended. Add blended cream mixture and ¾ cup Parmesan cheese to the mushroom mixture.

Cook until the sauce thickens. Season with salt and pepper.

Cook the pasta according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer pasta to serving bowl/s and sprinkle with remaining 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese. Serve with salad and/or GARLIC BREAD.

RECIPE: LEGGO'S PASTA BAKE - TUSCAN GARDEN VARIETY

Thank you Mamafami (and happy belated Birthday!) and Ummi for your kind words on my blog. Unfortunately, after all that praise, the G household did not produce any spectacular results in the kitchen today for two reasons – sheer laziness that was caused by gluttony at the workplace!

Today is my colleague P’s birthday. We had cake (yummy Peach Upside Down Cake - recipe to follow when S passes it on to me) and chocolate fondue. It was totally decadent and the chocolate dip was from France, courtesy of N who just returned from Paris for work, lucky fellow! Then we all went out for lunch and had Thai, followed by more cake and chocolate. I would have burst if I had to eat another full meal!

So pasta bake it was. And the kids enjoyed it. Mr G had steak instead.

What we normally do is cook the pasta bake according to the instructions on the jar but we always add more ingredients. With the chicken, we sauté fresh diced chicken meat with 2 cloves of garlic, add a few drops of Worcestershire sauce and freshly cracked black pepper. The rest is according to the instructions on the jar but we add more cheese.
Serve with grilled meat, salad or crusty bread. Enjoy!