Bits of Carey

“Boloroni” is a classic weeknight winner in our house. One of hubby’s favourites and perfect for this bone chilling weather we are having!  It’s basically a cheese sauce, quick bolognaise and macaroni mixed together, topped with cheese and baked until golden. Simple.

Boloroni 

Serves 6

For the quick bolognaise:

This bolognaise is really basic – if you have the time, add some grated carrot and celery and add a splash of dry white wine and allow it to simmer for 40 minutes. The below one is done in 20 minutes flat.

30 ml ( 2 T) canola oil

+- 500 g lean mince

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tin chopped tomatoes

30 ml (2 T) tomato paste

5 ml (1 t) dried mixed herbs

2 bay leaves

125 ml prepared strong beef stock

10 ml(2 t) sugar

salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot, brown the mince bit by bit in the oil. Remove from the pot and set aside.

In the same pot(adding more oil if need be), saute the onion and garlic until soft. A

Add the mince back to the pot together with the remaining bolognaise ingredients, cover with lid askew and simmer gently for 20 minutes. Check the seasoning when it’s done.

Meanwhile, prepare the cheese sauce and pasta.

500 g macaroni or other pasta of your choice, boiled in salted water until al dente.

Cheese sauce:

50 ml butter

50 ml cake flour

500 ml (2 c) milk

250 ml (1c) grated mature cheddar

a handful of flat leaf parsley, chopped

freshly ground nutmeg to taste

salt and pepper to taste

Topping:

1/2 cup grated cheese

Prepare a roux with the melted butter and flour and slowly add the milk and whisk continously over hight heat until thickened.

Remove from the heat and stir in the cheese until melted. Season and add parsley.

To assemble:

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celius.

Add the cooked and drained pasta to the mince sauce mixing well, then add 2/3 of the cheese sauce and mix again until well combined.

Pour into a baking dish, cover with the remaining sauce and top with some extra grated cheese.

Bake for 25 minutes.

Serve with a crunchy green salad or eat as is!

A little secret, we love to eat this with hot chutney…mmm…

Stay warm peeps,

C xx

When I first came across Michael Olivier’s cauliflower soup, I was hooked right from the start, “he had me at… cauliflower.”  I am a complete nutter for cauliflower, be it, steamed with butter and nutmeg, laden with cheesy sauce or fried in a tempura batter. So you can just imagine how many times I’ve made his soup since, until one day, I had this vision of adding cheese to it, be it gruyere or blue cheese and for another flavour dimension, why not some crispy bacon bits? And let me just tell you, it was a flavour sensation – I even recall shedding a tear of happiness. Do give it a try and let me know if you feel the same happiness as I do…

Thick ‘n creamy cauliflower and cheese soup with bacon bits

 Makes: 8 servings

5 ml (1 tsp) canola oil

250 g streaky bacon, diced

+-90 g salted butter

1 large onion, finely chopped

2 carrots, finely chopped

1 stick celery, finely chopped

1 kg fresh cauliflower, cut into florets

45 ml (3 tbs) vermouth, dry sherry or verjuice

30 ml (2 tbs) jasmine or basmati rice

1L prepared HOT vegetable or chicken stock (Ina paarman or Nomu concentrate only!)

+- 125 ml (1/2 cup) cream or milk

250 ml (1 cup) grated gruyere or any other strong cheese of your choice e.g. blue cheese

125 ml (1/2 cups) chopped flat leaf parsley

Freshly milled salt and pepper

Nutmeg

In a large pot, sauté the bacon bits in the oil until crispy. Remove from the pot and set aside.

In the same pot, heat the butter and gently sauté the onion, carrot and celery until soft and aromatic.

Add the cauliflower, vermouth and rice. Cover with a double layer of wet baking paper as well as a tight fitted lid and allow to steam until almost tender.

Pour in the hot stock and simmer for 5 – 10 minutes or until the cauliflower is completely soft (do not overcook). Add the cream.

With a stick blender, blend the vegetables until smooth. Add the cheese and mix until it is all melted into the soup. If too thick add more hot stock. Stir in the parsley.

Add the sautéed bacon bits and reserve some for garnishing.

Season well with salt and pepper.

Add freshly ground nutmeg to taste.

Serve with crusty sourdough bread.

Enjoy!

C xx

This is a meal-in-one potato bake, perfect for Meatless Monday. This potato bake does not need thinly sliced potatoes nor does it bake for hours in the oven. As usual, I take short cuts by boiling the potatoes with the skins on and slice about a cm thick( I like the flavour of potato skins and by keeping the skins on your tatoes, you are  increasing your fibre intake), layer them alternatively with a chunky leek and mushroom sauce in a large baking dish and top with lots of grated cheese (I use a mixture of cheddar, parmesan and gruyere). Then just bake in the oven for +- 25 minutes max until the top is golden and bubbling – I love how the sauce just oozes down the sides of the dish!

Potato Leek and Mushroom bake

Serve 4 – 6

You will need:

6 medium potatoes, boiled in salted water until tender(do not over cook)

Leek and mushroom sauce:

50 g butter

a bunch of leeks, washed and sliced

3 cloves garlic, crushed

250 g brown mushrooms, sliced

1 sprig fresh rosemary, finely chopped

50 ml cake flour

500 ml milk(more decadent? half cream and half milk)

Salt and pepper to taste

Cheese topping:

250 ml(1 cup) grated cheese combination

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees celius.

Heat the butter and saute the leeks and garlic until softened. Add the mushrooms and rosemary and fry until browned and fragrant.

Remove from the heat and coat the vegetables with the flour. Place back onto moderate heat and slowly add the milk until well combined, cook until thickened. Season well.

Slice the potatoes and place a layer into a baking dish, season well and pour half of the sauce onto the potatoes, cover with another layer of seasoned potatoes followed by the remaining sauce. Top with the cheese.

Bake for +- 25 minutes.

Eat as a meatless meal or serve as a warm accompaniment with your braai or roast dinner.

Have a super week all!

C xx

A velvety chocolate custard on a layer of coconut biscuits, dusted with cinnamon. Nom nom! Milk tart has just become sexy! This will be the easiest milk tart you will ever make. Made this over the weekend and it was a hit.

You will need:

1 tin condensed milk

750 ml milk

45 ml corn flour

60 ml(1/4 cup) cocoa powder

5 ml vanilla essence

2 eggs

45 ml butter

1 packet of coconut/tennis biscuits

Cinnamon for dusting

Reserve 125 ml of the milk and add the rest of the milk together with the condensed milk to a medium saucepan and gently heat until hot and steaming – not boiling.

While the milk is heating, combine the reserved milk, corn flour, cocoa, essence and eggs. Slowly(I mean, slowly – or you will have scrambled eggs!) add this mixture to the hot milk, whisking over moderate heat until thickened(should take no more than 5 minutes). Remove from the heat and stir in the butter.

Place a layer of biscuits into a greased tart dish. Spoon the hot custard over the biscuits and dust with cinnamon.

Allow to stand at room temperature to set for about 45 minutes to an hour or chill in the fridge.

Best served at room temperature with good coffee.

Enjoy the rest of your week peeps!

P.s. As you may have noticed, my blogging has been a tad erratic but soon again you will have regular posts from yours truly.

And, I dedicate this post to Keyna – an awesome graphic designer/arty friend of mine for taking out some of her precious time to create my new logo! Thanks K! Check out her blog

Hopefully my official Bitsofcarey blogsite will be up and running shortly after we get back from our Euro trip in July. Hold thumbs!

C xx

Mmm…hot wholewheat penne tossed with freshly made basil pesto and ripe rosa tomatoes. I usually eat pesto cold but for these cold days, I enjoy it hot in pastas. I love how gooey the cheese gets and how the flavour somehow becomes even more aromatic. Mama Mia!

Make a pesto tonight! Or just go and get a yummy jar of Pesto Princess’s pesto!

Basil pesto:

3 cloves garlic

50 g slivered almonds(if you don’t want to break the bank with pinenuts)

30 g fresh basil

125 ml grated parmesan cheese

+- 125 ml Good quality extra virgin olive oil ( My favourite is Vesuvio)

Freshly milled salt and pepper to taste

Place the garlic and nuts into the blender and pulse until fine. Add the basil and cheese and pulse a few times.

Slowly add the olive oil while blending until you have reached the consistency that you desire.

Season well with salt and pepper.

To serve: Combine with 500 g freshly boiled and drained wholewheat penne and +- 250 g ripe baby tomatoes(cut in half). Season with more pepper and salt.

The original recipe is featured in Crush 7 on the PNP Greenzone page. Every month I write a recipe for this page, so check it out. The page’s focus is on sustainability, PNP’s organic products and useful enviro - friendly information.

Hope you are all having a fantastic short week so far!

Will post soon again - I’ll try my best

C xx