Vegetable Pastitsio

I  made this pasta dish last night after a bit of a scrabble around in the fridge. I had some vegetables lying around in the salad tray and was thinking of making some minestrone soup. But nobody wanted soup! I also had some bits of cheese - mozarella, gorgonzola and a tub of half used marscapone from the weekend. So I decided maybe some pasta was in order. So... here is my recipe which I think is rather good.

3 red onions peeled and cut into half moons
3 leeks washed and cut into 1 inch slices
3 courgettes cut into 1 inch chunks
2 bulbs of fennel - trimmed and quartered
1x500g punnet of cherry tomatoes
olive oil
fresh thyme and rosemary sprigs
salt and pepper
500g penne pasta
6 slices prosciutto cut into strips
2 tablespoons marscarpone cheese
6 oz buffalo mozarella torn into chunks
6 oz gorgonzola in chunks

Preheat the oven to Gas 7/200 degrees centigrade.

Place all the prepared vegetables in large roasting tin and sprinkle with about 3 tablespoons of olive oil to lubricate all the vegetables well. Season with salt and pepper and add the fresh thyme and rosemary sprigs.
Place the tray of vegetables in the oven and roast for about 30 minutes until soft.
Remove from the oven.
Place a large pan of salted boiling water on the heat and add the pasta. Cook for about 10 minutes until the pasta is al dente.
Drain the pasta and add to the vegetables. Add the prosciutto and the cheeses. Stir the whole lot together to amalgamate the vegetables with the pasta and cheese.
Return to the oven and bake for another 30 minutes until bubbling.
Serve with simple green salad.

Spaghetti with Crab

Spaghetti with Crab

As seen in Marlborough Town and Country Magazine

This is my go to recipe when I have to make something quick for the family. It is one of those dishes that are so quick and easy to prepare that it can be made in the same time as it would take you to order a takeaway and wait for it to be delivered.

It is also the sort of dish which can be made from your store cupboard as long as you keep the main ingredients to hand so you don’t even have to go shopping. It is a great standby dish, it tastes amazing and is a little bit more interesting than your average pasta dish.

I make this dish using squid ink spaghetti but that is not to everyone’s taste.  I have also made it with plain spaghetti and it is equally delicious.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon of olive oil
2 cloves garlic finely chopped
60ml/2floz white wine
small pinch of dried chilli flakes
1 x 600ml/ 1 pint jar of passata
2 x170g/ 7oz cans of crab meat
500g/1lb, 2oz squid ink or plain sphaghetti
basil leaves to serve.

Firstly put on a large pan of water on to boil for the pasta.

Heat the olive oil in a shallow frying pan and cook the garlic until fragrant but not coloured.
Add the white wine and chilli flakes and cook for a few minutes.
Add the passata and allow to warm through.

While that is warming and the water for the pasta has boiled add your pasta to the pan and cook for about 10 -12 minutes until cooked but still has a little “bite” in the middle of the pasta.

While the pasta is cooking,  drain the crab meat and add to the tomato sauce. Allow to warm through over a low heat.

When the pasta is cooked drain in a colander and return the pasta to the pan.

Stir  the crab sauce into the pasta and sprinkle with basil leaves to serve

Spaghetti with Meatballs

Serves 4

For the tomato sauce.

2 tablespoons of olive oil

1 onion- finely chopped
2 cloves garlic – finely chopped
2 x 400g cans of chopped tomatoes
salt and pepper
1 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons fresh basil leaves

For the meatballs

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion- finely chopped
1 small red chilli – finely chopped and seeds removed.
500g minced beef ( or a mixture of pork and beef)
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley
salt and pepper

1.       To make the sauce heat the olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the chopped onion and garlic and fry gently to soften and lightly brown. Add the tinned tomatoes, salt and pepper and the sugar. Allow to cook gently for about 20 minutes while you make the meatballs.

2.        To make the meatballs heat the olive oil in a pan and fry the onion until soft and golden. Add the chilli flakes and cook for a few seconds. Place this in a bowl with the minced meat. cinammon and parsley. Season well with salt and pepper. Mix it all up with your hands. Form the meat mixture into meatballs with your hands.

3.       As you make the meatballs place each one onto a baking tray. When you have made all the meatballs place them in a hot oven ( gas 200◦C/gas mark 6) for about 15 minutes to brown. This saves you frying the meatballs and is also healthier. When the meatballs are done place them all in the tomato sauce as well as any juices which have collected in the baking tray. Cook in the sauce for about 15 minutes.

4.       Serve with pasta ( penne or spaghetti or whatever you like).You will need about 100g /4oz per person. Traditionally the Italians will mix the sauce and meatballs in with the pasta. Tear over the fresh basil leaves and sprinkle with parmesan cheese to serve.

PASTITSIO

My recipe for Pastitsio as it appeared in Marlborough Town and Country Magazine 

 March 2013 Issue 59 

When cooking for a family you need something nutritious, filling and tasty as well as being economical. If you are cooking together you need a dish you can all become involved in and this recipe is perfect.

Pastitsio is Greeces’ answer to lasagne. It is a pasta dish with a meat ragu which is then covered in a creamy white sauce and baked in the oven .My recipe uses lamb but you can use any minced meat you like.

It is a great dish for the family to cook together as the different components of the dish can be put together by different members of the family- meaning you can cook it in half the time! It can be made in advance up to a day before you are going to eat it and kept in the fridge until you are ready to bake it.

INGREDIENTS

3 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion –finely chopped
2 garlic cloves – finely chopped
1lb of minced lamb, beef or pork mince
1 bay leaf
1tsp ground cinnamon
¼  tsp grated nutmeg
2 tbsp chopped parsley
1tsp dried oregano
5 floz white wine
14 oz tin chopped tomatoes
1lb short pasta –e.g penne, riagatoni
salt and pepper

For the béchamel sauce
4 oz butter
4oz plain flour
20floz milk
2 egg yolks – beaten lightly
salt and pepper
¼ tsp grated nutmeg
grated parmesan cheese.

Oven gas mark 6, 200ᵒ c

METHOD

1.       Heat the oil in a frying pan and gently fry the onion and garlic until soft and translucent.

2.       Add the minced meat and fry over a high heat to colour and sear the meat –about5 -10 minutes.

3.       Add the bay leaf, cinnamon, nutmeg, oregano and salt and pepper. Add the white wine and tomatoes and mix all ingredients together well. Leave to cook over a gentle heat for about 20 minutes.

4.       Meanwhile cook the pasta until al dente in a pan of boiling, salted water. When it is cooked drain the pasta and stir it into the meat sauce. Place the pasta mixture into a lightly greased, deep gratin dish.

5.       Make the béchamel sauce. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Stir in the flour and cook over a moderate heat for a couple of minutes. Gradually add the milk stirring continuously until you have a smooth white sauce. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Remove from the heat and stir in the egg yolks.

6.       Pour the sauce over the pasta and meat mixture. Sprinkle with the parmesan cheese and bake a preheated oven for 35 -40 minutes until golden brown and bubbling on top.

7.       Serve warm with a big Greek salad.