Tuna, Tomato and Caper Pasta Sauce

I didn't grow up eating tinned tuna and didn't think I really liked it until a friend cooked this for us after one of my babies was born. Now it is a regular pantry staple dish. I cooked it the other night and couldn't believe I hadn't blogged it when I was checking the recipe so here it is.

 

Tuna, Tomato and Caper Pasta Sauce

I find buying quality tuna makes a big difference, I like Serena. I enjoy chilli flakes in this but I am cooking for the kids I leave them out and just sprinkle into my bowl.

1 tbsp              olive oil

1                      onion

1 clove             garlic, finely chopped

800g tin           tomatoes, diced

425g tin           tuna, drained

1/4 C               capers, chopped if large

                       chilli flakes, to taste (optional)

handful            basil or whatever herbs you have handy, chopped

Pour the olive oil into a large frying pan or heavy based pan, add the onion and garlic and cook over medium to low heat until softened. Add 800g tin of tomatoes and simmer for about 10 minutes or however long you have while you cook the pasta. If you simmer for quite awhile you might like to add some water.

 

Blend the sauce, if I have cooked it in a large pan I bamix in the saucepan but if it is in a frypan I pour it into a heat proof jug or bowl and bamix. Return to the pan with a large tin of tuna flaked, capers, chilli flakes if using and maybe some herbs. Serve on pasta with a sprinkling of parmesan.

 

Pasta Dinner for 1

Tonight I had the pleasure of cooking dinner just for myself. The kids ate early and my husband went out. So I cooked up pasta with anchovies, garlic, herbs and chilli and topped with crispy breadcrumbs, it was delicious! Unfortunately the kids got out of bed and joined me on the couch and complained that I had made something they didn't like!

Pasta for 1

1 serve spaghetti, cooked to packet directions
1 tbsp olive oil
2-3 anchovies
1 small clove garlic, finely chopped
sprinkle chilli flakes or fresh chilli, chopped
2 tsp capers
1 small handful basil leaves, chopped
1 small handful parley leaves, chopped (or any herbs you like really)
drizzle good olive oil


Add olive oil and anchovies to a frypan and cook over medium heat, breaking up the anchovies. Add the garlic, chilli and capers and cook briefly to cook the garlic but not brown. Add the herbs and pasta, toss to coat and drizzle with extra olive oil to taste. 


Serve and hope you get to eat it in peace and quiet!

Butternut Macaroni Cheese with Rosemary, Bacon and Parmesan

This yummy recipe comes from a Delicious magazine back in 2005. I have been making it since then and the kids now like it too! I have found normal macaroni and cheese too rich so this has the advantage of being moist from the pumpkin and still cheesy, but the best bit is the crunchy bread crumb and bacon topping!

Butternut Macaroni Cheese with Rosemary, Bacon and Parmesan

serves 4-6
Olive oil
3 garlic cloves, sliced
1 dried chilli, crushed or 1 large pinch dried chilli flakes (optional)
½ cinnamon stick
1 large butternut pumpkin, peeled, flesh chopped into 2 cm cubes
400g macaroni
300ml milk
1 cup thickened cream
150g parmesan, grated
8 slices pancetta or streaky bacon
1 sprig fresh rosemary, leaves picked (dried works well here too)
3-4 slices day-old bread, crusts removed, torn into chunks (150g)

Heat a splash of olive oil over medium heat and gently fry garlic till golden. Add chilli, cinnamon, pumpkin and small glass of water. Cover with a lid and cook on medium heat for about 20 minutes till pumpkin is soft. Uncover and boil the liquid around the pumpkin until reduced to almost nothing. Remove from heat and remove cinnamon. Mash the pumpkin and season.

Cook macaroni until al dente, then drain well. Quickly toss in a bowl with the pumpkin, milk and cream. Add three quarters of the parmesan and season, then place in large baking dish (2L).

Preheat oven to 200 C.

Cook pancetta or bacon in a large frypan over mediom heat till light brown. Add rosemary and bread, fry gently for 1-2 mins, then pulse in a food processor till chopped. Sprinkle remaining parmesan over pasta, then with bacon and rosemary. Bake for 30mins till crisp and bubbly on top.

Green Eggs and Ham Pasta (Carbonara with zucchini)

Green Eggs and Ham Pasta is what we decided this version of spaghetti carbonara should be called, after the kids discovered they had just eaten and liked zucchini hidden in the sauce.

As part of my continuing effort to include vegies I have tried grating zucchini into the sauce before but the kids can see the pieces. This time I cooked then pureed the zucchini and mixed it back through the sauce. It tasted good and the kids loved the green sauce. I also included peas in the sauce so they knew they were eating some vegies - can't rely entirely on subterfuge or they will never learn!

Spaghetti Carbonara with Zucchini and Peas
serves 2 adults + 2 small kids
A delicious and nutritious version of carbonara, for the more traditional version (with cream, I know this isn't traditional but I like it that way) leave out the peas and zucchini.

250g spaghetti or other pasta shape of your choice
1/2 C frozen peas
olive oil
2 zucchini, grated
5 bacon rashers, diced
1/2 C cream
3 eggs, beaten
100g parmesan, grated

Cook the spaghetti in lots of boiling water until al dente, add peas for the last few minutes. Drain.

Meanwhile, heat a frying pan over medium heat and fry zucchini in a little olive oil until softened. Remove from pan and puree (I used my bamix).

In the same pan cook the bacon until lightly browned. Add pureed zucchini and cream and heat until almost boiling. Remove from heat.

Beat eggs in a bowl then stir in parmesan.

As soon as the spaghetti is cooked add it to the bacon and cream mix. Stir through. Then add the eggs and parmesan. Quickly mix and serve (you don't want to scramble the eggs, just warm through).

Pasta and Beans with Pork Ragu

This dish is suprisingly delicious despite the fact that the name really doesn't sound that appealing. My husband saw the recipe book open to the page with Spaghetti Carbonara opposite this one and asked hopefully, which one are we having? But then all of us gobbled up a big bowl!

This recipe is from The Thrifty Kitchen by Suzanne and Kate Gibbs. I keep pork mince in the freezer so had everything on hand to make this for dinner tonight without any planning.

Pasta and Beans with Pork Ragu
serves 4 (made enough for 4 adult serves plus 4 mini-kid serves)
250g pasta shells or other small shape
1/4 C olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, diced
1 zucchini, diced (optional - my personal addition to add more vegies)
1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, stems finely chopped, leaves chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp dried oregano or handful fresh oregano, chopped
500g pork mince
400g tin chopped tomatoes
400g can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1/3C black olives, stones removed and chopped
1/2 C chicken stock (optional)
salt and pepper
parmesan grated to serve
dried chilli to serve (optional)

Cook the pasta until just under done (2 minutes less than cooking time), as it will keep cooking when you add it to the sauce.

Heat the oil in a large frypan over medium heat and fry onion, carrot, zucchini, parsley stems, garlic and oregano for about 10 minutes, until the onion is soft. Increas the heat to high, add pork mince and fry for about 5 minutes, stirring to break up any lumps. Add the tomatoes, beans, olives (or add these to individual bowls if you have any olive haters) and chicken stock (if it looks a bit dry), stir and simmer for 5 -1 0 minutes until the sauce is thick and fragrant, then season to taste with salt and pepper.

Add the drained pasta and the parsley leaves to the pan and toss for another minute, over medium heat, then serve immediately with plenty of grated parmesan. We also served with a sprinkle of dried chilli for the adults.

Chicken, lentil and vegetable lasagna

Suprisingly this might be one of the best lasagnas I have ever eaten, and the men and the kids happily ate it too (well the 4yr picked out the spinach). It sounds a bit healthy but all the white sauce and cheese makes up for that and it is very filling and full of vegies. This is based on a lentil lasagna recipe from the back of an Edgell's tin that my friend Jenny (also the source of the fantastic brownie recipe) gave me. I have made the original version which was good but it was even better with chicken. I am still off red meat so this satisfied my lasagna craving without having to cook beef mince. I prepared the lasagna last night, then tonight I just had to put it in the oven, so easy.

Chicken, lentil and vegetable lasagna
serves 6+
This makes a large dish of lasagna (mine is 20x30cm), if you don't need that much then halve the recipe or cook two smaller lasagnas and freeze one, or freeze half the sauce for next time you want lasagna. You will need a very large frying pan with high sides to cook the sauce, if yours isn't then fry each step in a frypan then transfer to a larger pot.You could use any meat in place of the chicken or leave it out, and add whatever vegies you like or have.

olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, grated
1/3 sweet potato, grated
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 zucchini, finely diced
1/2 eggplant, finely diced
alternate vegetable options: mushrooms, pumpkin...
500g chicken mince
400g tin of brown lentils, undrained
800g tin tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato paste
handful basil, chopped
2 packets lasagna sheets (enough for 3 layers in your dish)
handful grated mozzarella
White Sauce (if including spinach ricotta layer you will only need 2 C worth)
90g butter
5 tbsp flour
3 C milk
3 handfuls grated cheese (tasty or mozzarella)
Spinach and Ricotta layer (optional)
200g ricotta
3 C baby spinach, stems removed

Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil and fry onion, carrot and sweet potato over low heat until softened. Add garlic and cook for another minute. Scrape onion mix into a bowl (or larger pan if your frypan is too small).

Heat a bit more oil in the frypan and fry zucchini and eggplant over medium heat until browning and softened. Add to onion mix.

Fry chicken mince, breaking it up as it cooks. When nearly cooked through add vegetables back in. Add lentils, tomatoes and paste, simmer for 15 minutes.

To make bechamel, melt butter in a saucepan. Add flour and stir with a whisk for a couple of minutes. Gradually add milk and continuing whisking to form a smooth paste. Continue stirring over low heat until thickened.

Microwave the spinach to wilt (about 30 seconds). Then pat dry on a teatowel and chop. Stir through the ricotta.

To assemble, spread a little lentil sauce over the base of a 20 x 30 cm lasagne dish. Cover with a layer of lasagne sheets, a 1/3 of the lentil sauce and a 1/3 of the white sauce. Repeat layering, replacing the white sauce in this layer with spinach and ricotta mix if using (it is easier to layer this first then lentil sauce). Finish layers with lentil sauce, white sauce and a sprinkling of cheese.

You can make it in advance up to this point and refridgerate, I prepared it the night before.

Bake in a preheated oven at 190 C (375 F) for 25 to 30 minutes, longer if it has been refridgerated.

Enjoy!

Bacon, broccoli, cauliflower and spinach pasta

I watched SBS Italian Food Safari a couple of weeks ago and Guy Grossi made a yummy looking pasta with broccoli, rapa and pancetta. Of course his was on hand made orrechiete! There you go, I just found it on the website, it was called Orecchiette con cime di rapa.

We always have bacon in the fridge (it makes a good meal at any time of day!), and mostly broccoli so I made my own version, also with cauliflower, silverbeet from the garden and rashers of bacon. One of my daughters likes broccoli and the other cauliflower, so this way I can split it between them and everyone is happy. Neither like spinach so I just pick that out of theirs, or scoop out their sauce before I add it.

Pasta with Bacon, Broccoli, Cauliflower and Spinach
serves 2-3 adults or a family of 2 adults and small children that don't eat very much!
1/2 packet of pasta
olive oil
4 rashers bacon, chopped into strips
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 red chilli, finely chopped (optional)
1/2 head broccoli
1/4 head cauliflower
large handful of spinach, silverbeet or baby spinach leaves
handful parsley leaves, chopped
parmesan, grated

Cut the broccoli and cauliflower in quite small florets and then finely chop the stalks.

Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil and add the pasta and cauliflower florets. Add the broccoli florets halfway through the cooking time, they need atleast 5 minutes.

Meanwhile in a large frying pan heat olive oil and fry bacon for a couple of minutes. Turn the heat down and add garlic, chilli and finely chopped stalks. You want to cook this slowly to cook the stalks through, if the garlic starts to burn add a little water. Add spinach and cook to wilt.

When the pasta is cooked, drain but retain some of the cooking water (just put a bowl under the colander). Add to the frying pan and turn to coat, add enough of the cooking water to keep moist and maybe a slurp of cook olive oil. Add parlsey and a handful of parmesan, season to taste and mix.

Serve with more grated parmesan. If you haven't added chilli because you are sharing with little people you might like to add a sprinkle of dried or fresh chilli now.