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by bitsofcarey

Cheesy bubbling pasta bakes

June 26, 2012 in Pasta

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Damn! It’s cold! It’s time to whip out some of my tummy filling, rib-sticking, gooey, cheesy pasta bakes! Here goes…

Cheesy pasta bake with chorizo and tomatoes
Serves 4 – 6
250 g (1/2 packet) pasta shells, cooked until al dente
Sauce:
125 g chorizo sausage, diced
¼ cup dry white wine
1 tin whole tomatoes
½ t dried mixed herbs
1 fat clove garlic, crushed
50 ml butter
50 ml cake flour
500 ml (2 c) milk
1 c grated cheddar cheese
125 g cherry tomatoes, halved
Salt and pepper to taste
Topping:
1 cup grated cheddar (or combined with parmesan)
Fresh basil leaves
Preheat the oven to 180˚C.

In a pan, sauté the chorizo until crispy, then add the wine and reduce
for 5 minutes. Add the tinned tomato and dried herbs and simmer for 10 minutes.
Stir in the garlic. And set aside. Season to taste.

In a medium pot, melt the butter and add the flour to make a roux, then
add the milk whisking all the while until thickened. Stir in the cheese and
season to taste.

Mix the chorizo sauce, cheese sauce, drained pasta and cherry tomatoes
in the biggest pot/pan. Season to taste.

Spoon the mixture into a greased baking dish, top with cheese and bake
for 20 minutes until golden and bubbling.

Top with a few basil leaves before serving.

Fully loaded mac ‘n cheese
Serves: 6

2 heaped cups macaroni or pasta shells, cooked until aldente
Sauce:
100 g butter
250 g bacon, diced
250 g portobellini or button mushrooms, sliced
100 ml cake flour
1 L milk
1 heaped cup grated mature cheddar
½ cup grated parmesan
¼ cup chopped parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
Topping:
½ c grated mature cheddar
½ cup grated parmesan

Preheat the oven to 180˚C.

In a large pot, melt the butter and fry the bacon until almost crispy,
add the mushrooms and cook until softened.

Stir in the flour until well combined, and then add the milk, stirring
well until thickened and the sauce start to bubble. Take off the heat.

Add the cheese and parsley and season to taste.

Add the rinsed and drained cooked pasta to the sauce and mix until well
combined.

Pour into a greased baking dish and top with the remaining cheese.

Bake for 20 minutes until golden and bubbling.

Serve with a seasonal salad.

Looking for something vegetarian, try my Butternut, caramelised onion and blue cheese macaroni or this scrumptious mushroom and aubergine lasagne .

C xx

 

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by bitsofcarey

Easy Pea and bacon risotto

June 20, 2012 in Crush mag recipes

3 Comments »


This dish is one of my absolute favourite weeknight meals. It has an awesome comforting, smoky pea soup flavour going on and I just love the creamy, yet, al dente arborio rice and super crispy bacon. I’m drooling just writing about it. Best of all, it’s so easy to make! Enjoy!

Pea and bacon risotto
Serves: 4
Difficulty: easy
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes

Pea puree:
1 T (15 ml) butter
1 c (250 ml) frozen baby peas
1 c (250 ml) vegetable stock
Salt and pepper to taste

250 g streaky bacon
1 t (5 ml) olive oil
2 T (30 ml) butter
1 onion, finely chopped
1 c (250ml) arborio rice
+- 3 c (750 ml) hot vegetable stock
1 c (250 ml) thawed frozen peas
3 T (45 ml) grated parmesan
Freshly ground salt and pepper
Extra virgin olive oil for drizzling
¼ c (62 ml) grated parmesan cheese for serving

Preheat the oven grill, and place the shelf under the grill
element.

Start with the puree:
Place the butter, peas and stock in a small pot, cover and cook for 2
minutes.  Pop in the food processor and
blitz into a smooth puree. Season to taste.

The bacon:
Take half of the bacon and lay the slices onto a baking tray. Place under
the grill until crispy on both sides – keep a watchful eye. Once cooled,
roughly chop and set aside.
With the remaining bacon, dice into lardons and set aside.

The risotto:
Heat the oil and butter and fry the bacon lardons until crispy, then over a
moderate heat, add the onions and cook until soft and fragrant. Add the rice
and stir around until well coated in the butter.

Over moderate heat, add the hot stock one ladle at a time until all the stock
has been absorbed, stirring occasionally(not too much). This will take 10 – 12 minutes. Add
the peas and cook for a further 2 minutes. Now add the pea puree and parmesan
cheese and stir vigorously until well combined. Season to taste. Serve topped
with crispy bacon, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and sprinkling of grated
parmesan.

Once you’ve mastered this risotto, try my Roasted Butternut and sage risotto with crispy bacon .

You’ll find this recipe and many more in my monthly Monday to Sunday features in Crush online magazine .

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by bitsofcarey

Lush winter salad

June 18, 2012 in Meatless meals, salads, vegetables

1 Comment »

I dont know about you, but we have been eating alot of meat, starch and fat lately. It’s like we innately want to put extra padding onto ourselves or something.  Hub and I are trying to be healthy, although we need to cut down on a few things, we wont can’t entirely.  I for one still need something that fills my belly and satisfies my tastebuds. This lush winter salad hits the spot. Enjoy as a meatless meal or serve with grilled chicken or fish fillets.

Lush Winter Salad
Serves: 2 main meals or 4 sides

500 g butternut cubes
Olive oil, salt and pepper
+- 250 g ready cooked beetroot cubes (or boil with skin on until soft, then peel and cut into wedges OR roast with the butternut)
4 spring onions or 1 small red onion, sliced
100 g mixed seasonal salad greens
Handful of basil leaves
100 g chevin or danish feta, broken into cubes
1/4 cup mixed seeds
To serve:
Parmesan infused olive oil for drizzling
Balsamic reduction

Preheat oven to 200 degrees celcius.
Place butternut onto a roasting tray. Drizzle with some oil and season. Roast for +- 40 minutes until softened and slighly charred.
Gently combine all the salad ingredients and serve drizzled with olive oil and balsamic reduction.

Other variations:
Add ripe cubes of avo
Add parmesan shavings
For something meaty, add slices of prosciutto or crispy bacon

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by bitsofcarey

Homemade butter chicken

June 12, 2012 in Chicken, Curries and casseroles

2 Comments »

Brrrrr…It’s cold! How about some homemade butter chicken to warm you up? This dish is packed with flavour and the chicken just melts in your mouth…mmm! Enjoy and keep warm! C x

Homemade butter chicken
Forget the ready-made sauces, try this!

Serves: 4-6
Difficulty: easy
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: +- 25 minutes

+- 600 g deboned chicken thighs, cubed
1 T (15 ml) canola oil
100 g butter
2 onions, finely chopped (do them in a food processor)
175 ml (1 small tub) plain yoghurt
75 ml water
50 g sachet tomato paste
1t (5 ml) sugar
2 t (10 ml) ground coriander
2 t (10 ml) garam masala
1 T (15 ml) garlic and ginger paste
1 t (5 ml) chilli powder
6 cardamom pods
6 black peppercorns
6 dried curry leaves
2 t (10 ml) corn flour
½ c (125 ml) cream
1 c (250ml) coriander leave, roughly chopped
Salt to taste

Heat the oil and butter in a medium pot, brown the chicken pieces in
portions and set aside.

Add the onions and sauté until soft and golden brown.

In a bowl, combine the yoghurt, water, tomato paste and sugar with all
the spices. Add the chicken to this mixture and coat well.

Whisk the cream and corn flour together.

Add the chicken mixture to the onions, together with the cream and
simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the chopped coriander and season to taste.

Serve with basmati rice and cucumber salad.

This recipe was featured in Crush! Online mag Issue 18 as one of my 7 dishes for “Cooking Monday to Sunday”.

 

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by bitsofcarey

Belly warming lamb and cabbage bredie

June 7, 2012 in Curries and casseroles, Meat

2 Comments »


It’s pouring with rain outside and I can’t think of anything better than a bowl of lamb and cabbage bredie. I love how the cabbage becomes so soft and sweet and the lamb just melts in your mouth. I haven’t posted on my blog in a while, so thought I’d share this recipe with you just to let you know I’m still alive in the rat race that is life, haha!
These chilly days remind us to slow down, take a moment to smell the onions, make a bubbling pot of stew and cuddle up on the couch with loved ones and furry friends.

Lamb and cabbage bredie
I add bacon to my bredie for extra flavour and the trick is brown the onions and
meat really well then braise with minimal liquid.
Serves: 6
1 T cooking oil
+- 600 g lamb neck
2 onions, peeled and chopped
250 g bacon, chopped
+- 500 ml Beef or lamb stock or water
1 medium cabbage, chopped and steamed
until soft
4-6 potatoes, peeled and cubed
Salt  and lots of pepper to taste

Heat the oil and brown the meat then
remove from the pot and sauté onions until golden brown and soft.
Add the bacon and fry until cooked through.
Add the meat back to the pot together with the stock and simmer gently for 1
hour or so until the meat is tender. Add more water if necessary.
Add the potatoes and steamed cabbage
and simmer for another 40 minutes (adding more water if necessary).
Serve on fluffy white rice.

For more “stewy” inspiration and recipes, check out Top tips for the perfect stew

P.s. Hope to see you all at FBI 2012 , looking forward to seeing old and new faces.

Warms hugs,
C x

 

 

 

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