I didn't mean to not post for as long as I have, but things have been a bit manic. I've been quite busy at work, spending evenings preparing lectures and getting some work ready for the Manchester Artist Book Fair on Saturday. (If you're in Manchester at the weekend, come along it's a great event and full of lovely handmade books and cards etc. which will make great Christmas pressies.) So there hasn't been much in the way of exciting cooking happening at my house.
The only exception was on Sunday night when my friends L. and H. came round for dinner, before we all headed out into town for some swing music and as we had hoped dancing. It turned out the club was too small and too busy for much swing dancing to be happening, but we had a lovely time nevertheless. Well, I say exception, the meal I made is not high dining or exceptionally beautiful, if that is what you're thinking now, but it is great in flavour, packed with vegetables and herbs and simple to make and that's what excites me every time I make this Roast Vegetable Pasta Sauce. Both L. and H. also seemed to enjoy it as well and we all had seconds.
However, before I share the recipe with you I have to say a big THANK YOU to Fiona over at The Cottage Smallholder, for passing the Kreativ Blogger Award on to me. Fiona, I'm thrilled and very excited to receive this from you. It is now my pleasure to pass this on to six other bloggers and also as part of the award I am meant to share six things that I like.
So, firstly here are the six blogs I would like to pass this award on to (as always in no particular order):
Cherrapeno, because I love the wonderful recipes and brilliant photographs and also because Nic has helped me out with some great hints about blogging.
Maninas: Food Matters, for hosting the Eating with Season's event every month, one of my favourite blog events out there.
Little Foodies, because I love the creative ways that Amanda makes her kids love food.
Domestic Goddess in Training, because Jules shares my love for seasonal produce and trying out new things.
Tinned Tomatoes, because Holler gets me really excited about vegetarian recipes as I'm cutting more and more meat out of my diet.
Operation Night Brace, because I know I would have given up by now, but Amy and Gareth are still going and make me laugh at a regular basis.
Now to the six things that I like:
The smell of freshly baked bread.
Sunflowers and all their yellow happiness.
Writing with a fountain pen.
My bicycle.
Sitting on the sofa with a good book and a pot of tea.
Finding some money in a coat or trouser pocket that I had forgotten about.
And finally, here is the recipe:
Roast Vegetable Pasta Sauce (serves 4)
1 large aubergine, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 large onion, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium courgettes, trimmed and sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 can chopped tomatoes
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
2 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1/2 cup vegetable stock
Preheat oven to 200C/Gas 7/400F.
Place the aubergine and onion into a large baking tray and drizzle with oil Season with salt and pepper
Roast for about 25 minutes, until they start to brown. Stir once or twice during that time.
Add the courgette and return to the oven for another 20 minutes or so.
Stir in the chopped tomatoes, garlic, rosemary and thyme and put back into the oven for another 15 minutes.
Pour in the vegetable stock.
Add your cooked pasta and the basil to the tray and stir until the pasta is coated with the sauce.
Serve with freshly grated parmesan and a glass of your favourite wine.
Showing posts with label Pasta Sauce. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pasta Sauce. Show all posts
Wednesday, 5 November 2008
Roast Vegetable Pasta Sauce with friends
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Monday, 21 April 2008
Could you live without Pasta?
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I think I'd struggle. Of course really fresh homemade pasta is the best, I don't have a pasta machine though so most of the time I'll buy fresh pasta from the supermarket, but I wouldn't even want to be without just the normal dried stuff. When it comes to pasta, I'm really not a food snob and sometimes, when I'm on my own I'll happily just tuck into a plate of spaghetti with tomato ketchup. There you have it, it's out, my confession of a dark food secret!
You're probably turning your head away, completely sickened, vowing to never come read my blog again now, but doesn't everyone have one of those dishes? Please, say yes! Make me feel normal!
Anyways, if you are still with me and haven't closed the browser window in disgust yet, I'll leave you with one of my favourite recipe for tomato based pasta sauce. Well, I say recipe, because this time I actually measured what went in, but I usually just throw it together and it turns out slightly different but really good every time. Oh, and yes, it does contain a little bit of Heinz Tomato Ketchup, but just a small amount that adds a nice sweetness to balance the acidity of the tinned tomatoes, and I promise nobody will be able to detect it in the finished sauce.
Sylvie's Pasta Sauce with Sausage and Peppers
(serves 4)
6 bangers, casings removed (British sausages, I like to use Cumberland or Lincolnshire, but whatever you like)
1 onion
2tbsp tomato puree
3tbsp sundried tomato puree
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 can chopped tomatoes with herbs
1 ½ tsp Italian Seasoning
2tsp dried oregano
1 ½ tsp vegetable stock powder
1 ½ tsp balsamic vinegar
2 tsp sugar
2tsp sambal oelek (optional)
5tbsp Heinz tomato ketchup
1 ½ peppers, chopped
8 chestnut mushrooms, sliced
salt and pepper, to taste
Heat a little olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan. Add the onion and the sausage meat and fry on a medium to high heat until the sausage is starting to brown. You need to break the sausages up really well with a wooden spoon while they’re frying.
Add both kinds of tomato puree and the garlic. Stir to coat all the meat and onions and fry for a further minute or so.
Add the tomatoes and fill the empty can with water, adding that as well.
Now add all the rest of the ingredients and stir well.
Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Simmer until the sauce has thickened, about 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Taste and season with salt and pepper as necessary.
Can you see the sunshine in the pictures? Finally, it actually feels a bit like spring today, not just is the sun out, but it's actually the first day where it feels quite mild. When I went out for a run in my long-sleeved winter gear, I quickly started wishing I'd put on short sleeves. Could it be that spring is finally here, or have I jinxed it all now by writing about it?
You're probably turning your head away, completely sickened, vowing to never come read my blog again now, but doesn't everyone have one of those dishes? Please, say yes! Make me feel normal!
Anyways, if you are still with me and haven't closed the browser window in disgust yet, I'll leave you with one of my favourite recipe for tomato based pasta sauce. Well, I say recipe, because this time I actually measured what went in, but I usually just throw it together and it turns out slightly different but really good every time. Oh, and yes, it does contain a little bit of Heinz Tomato Ketchup, but just a small amount that adds a nice sweetness to balance the acidity of the tinned tomatoes, and I promise nobody will be able to detect it in the finished sauce.
Sylvie's Pasta Sauce with Sausage and Peppers
(serves 4)
6 bangers, casings removed (British sausages, I like to use Cumberland or Lincolnshire, but whatever you like)
1 onion
2tbsp tomato puree
3tbsp sundried tomato puree
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 can chopped tomatoes with herbs
1 ½ tsp Italian Seasoning
2tsp dried oregano
1 ½ tsp vegetable stock powder
1 ½ tsp balsamic vinegar
2 tsp sugar
2tsp sambal oelek (optional)
5tbsp Heinz tomato ketchup
1 ½ peppers, chopped
8 chestnut mushrooms, sliced
salt and pepper, to taste
Heat a little olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan. Add the onion and the sausage meat and fry on a medium to high heat until the sausage is starting to brown. You need to break the sausages up really well with a wooden spoon while they’re frying.
Add both kinds of tomato puree and the garlic. Stir to coat all the meat and onions and fry for a further minute or so.
Add the tomatoes and fill the empty can with water, adding that as well.
Now add all the rest of the ingredients and stir well.
Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Simmer until the sauce has thickened, about 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Taste and season with salt and pepper as necessary.
Can you see the sunshine in the pictures? Finally, it actually feels a bit like spring today, not just is the sun out, but it's actually the first day where it feels quite mild. When I went out for a run in my long-sleeved winter gear, I quickly started wishing I'd put on short sleeves. Could it be that spring is finally here, or have I jinxed it all now by writing about it?
Tuesday, 8 April 2008
Quick as a Rocket Pasta
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See what I've done there?! My excuse for this bad pun is, that today was my first day back at work after being off for two weeks. Therefore my brain is a little frazzled. Also, the plan was to go for a run tonight, but instead I'm on the sofa wanting tea and biscuits. There is just no way I'm gonna get my trainers and not-so-sexy lycra stuff out and face the hills. I just want to be lazy now and needed immediate comfort when I got in, so I cooked some pasta.
This is one of those dishes that's ideal for a weeknight, when you get in from work and just don't want to spend more then twenty minutes in the kitchen but still want a tasty homemade meal. Given the amount of garlic at least it's ideal if you don't have an important business meeting the next day. The dish is quite open for experimentation, for example try adding king prawns or use plenty of chopped basil instead of the rocket (arugula).
Pasta with Garlic, Tomatoes and Rocket (serves 2)
The amounts aren't exact, it doesn't matter if you use a little more or less of something.
olive oil
2 fat cloves of garlic, crushed
2-3 vine ripened tomatoes, chopped roughly
3 tbsp freshly grated parmesan
a large handful of rocket (arugula)
8 mini balls of buffalo mozzarella (optional)
salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 packet of fresh pasta (enough for two), cooked and drained
In a heavy based pan heat a generous amount of olive oil (about 3 tbsp).
Add the garlic and sautee over a very low heat for about 3-5 minutes, you don't want it to brown, just soften. Stir regularly.
Add the tomatoes and continue to cook for another five minutes.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Add the cooked pasta, parmesan and rocket and stir until all the pasta is coated and the rocket is starting to wilt. If you are using the mozzarella add it now as well.
Serve straight away, ideally with a large glass of red wine!
This is one of those dishes that's ideal for a weeknight, when you get in from work and just don't want to spend more then twenty minutes in the kitchen but still want a tasty homemade meal. Given the amount of garlic at least it's ideal if you don't have an important business meeting the next day. The dish is quite open for experimentation, for example try adding king prawns or use plenty of chopped basil instead of the rocket (arugula).
Pasta with Garlic, Tomatoes and Rocket (serves 2)
The amounts aren't exact, it doesn't matter if you use a little more or less of something.
olive oil
2 fat cloves of garlic, crushed
2-3 vine ripened tomatoes, chopped roughly
3 tbsp freshly grated parmesan
a large handful of rocket (arugula)
8 mini balls of buffalo mozzarella (optional)
salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 packet of fresh pasta (enough for two), cooked and drained
In a heavy based pan heat a generous amount of olive oil (about 3 tbsp).
Add the garlic and sautee over a very low heat for about 3-5 minutes, you don't want it to brown, just soften. Stir regularly.
Add the tomatoes and continue to cook for another five minutes.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Add the cooked pasta, parmesan and rocket and stir until all the pasta is coated and the rocket is starting to wilt. If you are using the mozzarella add it now as well.
Serve straight away, ideally with a large glass of red wine!
Wednesday, 30 January 2008
Tuesday's Dinner: Spinach and Ricotta Cheese Sauce with Tortellini
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I found this recipe originally in a Weight Watchers Pasta Cookbook that I picked up from a charity shop years ago. The best thing about this recipe, rather than being fairly low in calories (well at least if you don't overdo it with the pasta), is that it's so quick to make, which makes it ideal for those nights where I get home from work late and don't really feel like cooking. You can have this on the table in 20 minutes.
It's okay to leave out the pine kernels, but their sweet nuttiness really make this recipe. The sauce is quite thick, unless your spinach is quite wet, so if you prefer it to be a little thinner add a little bit of milk or vegetable stock at the end. According to the cookbook this serves four people, but then we're talking Weight Watchers, so we usually finish it between the two of us.
Spinach and Ricotta Cheese Sauce for Pasta
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1 tsp fresh thyme
1lb spinach, washed, coarse stems removed and roughly chopped
150gr ricotta cheese
freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
2-3 tbsp pine kernels, toasted
Heat the oil in a frying pan and add the chopped onion. Sautee over a low heat until the onions are soft and golden, but not brown.
Add the thyme and the garlic and fry for a further two minutes or until you can smell the garlic. Make sure it doesn't brown by stirring continuously.
Add the chopped spinach and cook until wilted.
Stir in the ricotta cheese, mix well and heat through.
Season liberally with nutmeg, salt and pepper and serve immediately over your favourite cooked pasta. Sprinkle with toasted pine kernels.
It's okay to leave out the pine kernels, but their sweet nuttiness really make this recipe. The sauce is quite thick, unless your spinach is quite wet, so if you prefer it to be a little thinner add a little bit of milk or vegetable stock at the end. According to the cookbook this serves four people, but then we're talking Weight Watchers, so we usually finish it between the two of us.
Spinach and Ricotta Cheese Sauce for Pasta
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1 tsp fresh thyme
1lb spinach, washed, coarse stems removed and roughly chopped
150gr ricotta cheese
freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
2-3 tbsp pine kernels, toasted
Heat the oil in a frying pan and add the chopped onion. Sautee over a low heat until the onions are soft and golden, but not brown.
Add the thyme and the garlic and fry for a further two minutes or until you can smell the garlic. Make sure it doesn't brown by stirring continuously.
Add the chopped spinach and cook until wilted.
Stir in the ricotta cheese, mix well and heat through.
Season liberally with nutmeg, salt and pepper and serve immediately over your favourite cooked pasta. Sprinkle with toasted pine kernels.
Wednesday, 31 October 2007
Happy Halloween
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I should have really saved a pumpkin recipe to post for today and I'm not even going to make a Halloween Cake until Friday either, but Happy Halloween to you all nontheless. I'm sitting here wondering whether there'll be any Trick or Treaters today or whether I'll have to eat all the mini chocolate bars I've bought this morning myself.
There is some pasta sauce simmering on my hob while I'm typing this. It's nothing particularly fancy. Instead it's one of those meals, I have made so many times that I don't really have a recipe. Today, I have meassured the ingredients though, so that I can share it here. One tip I have is that next time you buy some fresh parmesan and have used it all up, keep the rind. Just throw it into the sauce (or any Italian style tomato sauce) while it's simmering. It adds great flavour. The rinds freeze well too, if you have got no oppertunity to use them straight away.
Sylvie's Beef and Tomato Pasta Sauce
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2lb lean minced beef
1tsp vegetable or beef stock powder or 1 stock cube, crumbled
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 1/2 bell peppers (any colours, I like to use a variety), chopped
1 can of chopped tomatoes with herbs (400gr)
3tbsp Heinz tomato ketchup
3tbsp milk or single cream
1 splash Worcester Sauce
1tsp balsamic vinegar
1/2tbsp dried oregano
3/4tbsp caster sugar
6 chestnut or button mushrooms, sliced
salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Heat a little oil in a heavy bottom frying pan.
Add the onions and fry over medium heat until they start to soften, but not brown.
Add the minced beef, making sure you break it up with your wooden spoon. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper and sprinkle with the stock powder. Stir occasionally until the meat is no longer pink.
Add the garlic and chopped peppers. Fry for another couple of minutes before adding the chopped tomatoes, ketchup and milk (or cream). Season with Worcester sauce, balsamic vinegar and oregano. Stir in the sugar to take some of the acidity out of the tinned tomatoes. Bring to a simmer and cook on low for 20 minutes, stirring occassionally.
Add the mushrooms and simmer for a further 15 minutes. The sauce is now ready, but you can simmer it for longer to develop even more flavour. You just need to make sure that it doesn't get too dry, adding some liquid vegetable stock if that happens.
Serve with your favourite pasta and plenty of freshly grated parmesan.
There is some pasta sauce simmering on my hob while I'm typing this. It's nothing particularly fancy. Instead it's one of those meals, I have made so many times that I don't really have a recipe. Today, I have meassured the ingredients though, so that I can share it here. One tip I have is that next time you buy some fresh parmesan and have used it all up, keep the rind. Just throw it into the sauce (or any Italian style tomato sauce) while it's simmering. It adds great flavour. The rinds freeze well too, if you have got no oppertunity to use them straight away.
Sylvie's Beef and Tomato Pasta Sauce
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2lb lean minced beef
1tsp vegetable or beef stock powder or 1 stock cube, crumbled
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 1/2 bell peppers (any colours, I like to use a variety), chopped
1 can of chopped tomatoes with herbs (400gr)
3tbsp Heinz tomato ketchup
3tbsp milk or single cream
1 splash Worcester Sauce
1tsp balsamic vinegar
1/2tbsp dried oregano
3/4tbsp caster sugar
6 chestnut or button mushrooms, sliced
salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Heat a little oil in a heavy bottom frying pan.
Add the onions and fry over medium heat until they start to soften, but not brown.
Add the minced beef, making sure you break it up with your wooden spoon. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper and sprinkle with the stock powder. Stir occasionally until the meat is no longer pink.
Add the garlic and chopped peppers. Fry for another couple of minutes before adding the chopped tomatoes, ketchup and milk (or cream). Season with Worcester sauce, balsamic vinegar and oregano. Stir in the sugar to take some of the acidity out of the tinned tomatoes. Bring to a simmer and cook on low for 20 minutes, stirring occassionally.
Add the mushrooms and simmer for a further 15 minutes. The sauce is now ready, but you can simmer it for longer to develop even more flavour. You just need to make sure that it doesn't get too dry, adding some liquid vegetable stock if that happens.
Serve with your favourite pasta and plenty of freshly grated parmesan.
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