60 g butter
2 onions finely chopped
2 tbsp plain flour
1 and 1/2 cups milk
1 cup grated cheese
6 cups of cooked macaroni (2 cups of dried macaroni)
2 tomatoes thinly sliced
1/2 cup grated cheese extra
2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
4-6 slices of chopped bacon (optional)
1/2 to 1 cup of corn (optional)
1/2 to 1 cup of peas (optional)
Combine onions and butter to the dish you are going to serve up in (chopped up bacon optional), microwave on High for 5 minutes
Add flour, cook on High for 1 minute
Blend in milk,(if mixture is thick add another cup of milk) cook on High 3 minutes until mixture thickens stirring occasionally
Add cheese and macaroni (add handful of peas and corn optional) mix
Top with extra cheese and tomatoes
Cook on High for 6 minutes
Finish off in oven 180 degrees (10- 15 minutes) for a crispy top
2 tbsp oil
1 diced onion
3 cloves of garlic crushed
500 g mince
400 g tinned tomatoes
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper
1 tsp sugar
2 tbsp water
75 g butter
6 tbsp white flour
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
3 cups of milk
2 cups grated cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Oil
240 g instant lasagne sheets (the soft sheets in the packets in the chiller)
4- 5 carrots, peeled, sliced lengthwise and boiled until just starting to soften
1 tbsp grated parmesan extra
Make the bolognaise sauce first by heating oil in large pan and gently fry the onion
Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute
Stir in the mince and cooked until brown
Pour off excess fat and juice and then add tomatoes, bay leaf, salt and pepper, sugar and water
Mix well, bring to boil, then simmer gently for 20 minutes until sauce is rich in flavour. Remove Bay leaf when finished cooking
Boil sliced carrots until just starting to soften, drain and cool
Make Bechamel by melting butter in a large jug in the microwave
Add flour and nutmeg and cook on high for another minute
Stir in milk and microwave for around 3-5 minutes, stirring regularly until sauce is thick
Add two cheeses and beat
Oil an oblong dish 21 cm x 30 cm, cover base with 2-3 tbsp of bechamel sauce.
Arrange a layer of lasagne sheet over the sauce
Cover lasagne with half of the meat sauce
Layer the cooked carrot halves cut side down on meat sauce
Pour a 1/3 of bechamel sauce over carrots, top with another layer of lasagne
Pour the rest of the meat sauce over the lasagne sheet
Add another 1/3 of bechamel sauce and then add another lasagne sheet
Cover with bechamel sauce and sprinkle with parmesan cheese
Bake in a pre heated oven 200 degree for 40 -45 mintues or until golden brown
2 onions cut into 8 wedges
olive oil
salt and pepper
1 eggplant cut in half lengthways
1/4 cup of olive oil
1 x tin of tomatoes or 4 to 6 tomatoes skinned and chopped
1/2 cup of wine
2 cloves of garlic crushed
2 small chillies seeded and chopped or 1 tsp of Chilli flakes
2 tsp of chopped fresh oregano or 1tsp of dried
500g of Pappardelle (or any other ribbon pasta
shaved or grated pecorino or parmesan cheese
6 x strips of chopped bacon (optional)
Shredded prosciutto (optional
Brush olive oil over onions and eggplant and roast for 30 minutes until brown
At same time add 2nd lot of olive oil to frying pan
Add tomatoes, wine, garlic, chillies
Cook gently until liquid is reduced by half
Scoop all of the flesh out of eggplant and chop, add to tomato mixture with oregano
At same time cook pappardelle in simmering salted water until al dente
Drain and toss with the tomato mixture, add onions and grate some pecorino and mix gently
Serve on plates, top with a sprinkle of oregano and some more grated cheese
adapted from Cuisine Issue No 141, July 2010 Page 104
500g Spaghetti
Olive oil
3 large cloves of garlic, crushed
Dried chilli flakes
500g of Spinach and/or Kale chopped
1/4 cup of white wine
zest and juice of 2 lemons
4 tbsp mascarpone
1 onion chopped
1/4 to 1/2 cup of finely grated Parmesan, plus extra to serve
1 cup of hot water with couple of squirts of Simon Gault's Vegetable stock
salt and pepper
Optional for Non Vegetarian
chopped bacon cooked
Chorizo sausages chopped and cooked
Boil spaghetti for about 8 minutes, drain
At the same time add oil to a frying pan, heat
Add garlic, onion and chilli flakes, fry until soft
Add chopped spinach and/or kale, lemon juice and wine
Stir until tender and wine evaporates
Add spaghetti and stock, simmer for another 5 minutes
Turn up heat slightly, add mascarpone and parmesan and mix well
Season and serve with some extra grated parmesan
50g flour
50g butter
pinch of nutmeg
1/4 tsp paprika
2 cups milk
200g grated cheese
100 g macaroni, boiled, drained, cooled
100g bacon, roughly chopped and fried
extra flour
2 eggs
1/3 cup of milk
2 cups panko crumbs
1 litre of canola oil (or Grapeseed)
Make cheese sauce by putting butter, flour, nutmeg and paprika in glass bowl and microwave until butter melted, mix and microwave another minute (or cook in a pot on the stove)
Add milk and microwave until it is like a thick sauce (or cook in pot on stove), fold in grated cheese and beat well
Add macaroni and bacon, mix
Line a Sponge roll tin with baking paper.
Spread mixture evenly to a thickness of 2-3 cm
Refrigerate until completely cold
Place flour in one bowl, mix eggs and milk in another, and put Panko crumbs in another bowl
Cut the macaroni into large chip shapes
Dip in flour, then egg mixture and then into Panko crumbs. Refrigerate until ready to cook
Heat oil in a pot, fry chips for 3-4 minutes until golden brown, drain on paper towels.
500 g fresh scallops (frozen ones defrosted are ok as well)
3 tbsp oil
knob of butter
2 cloves of garlic crushed
1 punnet cherry tomatoes
1 cup of vegetable or chicken stock
2 handfuls of spinach (chopped if large)
1 lemon
Hot cooked spaghetti
Bacon Crumbs
1 tbsp olive oil
knob of butter
100 g streaky bacon, finely chopped
1/2 c fresh breadcrumbs
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/4 c chopped parsley
pinch of chilli flakes
finely grated zest of 1 lemon
Scallops
Heat frying pan with oil, butter and garlic.
Season scallops and cook for 1-2 ins each side, remove from pan and keep warm
Add tomatoes and stock to pan and cook over high heat until tomatoes start to burst
Add spinach, squeeze of lemon juice and cook until just starting to wilt.
Season, add cooked drained pasta, half of bacon crumbs and scallops and combine
Serve in large serving bowl and sprinkle with remaining crumbs
Crumbs
Heat oil and butter in frying pan, cook bacon until crisp
Add breadcrumbs, garlic, parsley and chilli, stir until breadcrumbs are crisp
Stir in lemon zest and season. Set aside
PESTO
6 large Spinach or Silverbeet leaves, stems removed and torn into large pieces
½ cup walnuts
½ cup finely grated parmesan cheese
¾ cup olive oil
½ small clove garlic, finely diced
zest of 1 lemon
sea salt and ground black pepper
250 grams spaghetti
6 boneless chicken thighs, skin off
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
¼ teaspoon chilli flakes
3 anchovy fillets, chopped
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons capers
20 black olives, pitted
2 x 400 gram tins whole cherry tomatoes
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Blanch the kale leaves for 1 minute before plunging into icy-cold water to halt the cooking and help retain the bright colour. Squeeze tightly to remove as much water as possible.
Add to a food processor, along with the other pesto ingredients and process until a smooth-ish paste. Season generously.
Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Cook spaghetti according to the packet instructions. Drain and retain ¼ cup of the cooking liquid. Toss the spaghetti, cooking water and pesto together.
Divide pesto among 4 bowls. Scatter some finely grated parmesan and red chilli flakes (if using) over the top. Serve immediately
Chicken
Preheat the oven to 180˚C.
Heat the oil in a large sauté pan. Cut each chicken thigh into 2-3 pieces and season. Brown the chicken on both sides then transfer to an oven-proof baking dish. Add the onion, garlic, chilli flakes, anchovies and the oregano to the pan and cook until the onion is soft. Add the capers, olives and tomatoes and bring to the boil. Cook for 2 minutes then taste the sauce and season lightly if needed. The anchovies can be salty.
Pour over the chicken and bake uncovered for 20 minutes.
680g to 900g boneless, skinless chicken thighs
Olive oil, for serving
1 yellow onion, chopped
3 to 4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup dry white wine
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup spinach
1 1/2 cups cream, at room temperature
3/4 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
225g pappardelle (tagliatelle or fettuccine would work)
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Finely chopped herbs (basil, parsley, or tarragon), for garnish
Cherry tomatoes (optional)
Preheat oven to 325°F.
Pat the chicken thighs with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat a few glugs of oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high to high heat. Add the chicken to the pot, working in batches if necessary, and sear until deep golden brown, about 5 minutes per side. Remove the chicken to another plate.
Add the onions and sauté until softened, about 6-8 minutes. Add the garlic and stir another 30 seconds. Add shredded spinach. Pour in the wine and cook, bubbling vigorously, until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add the reserved chicken (with juices) and stock and bring to a boil.
Cover the pot and place in the oven. Cook for 1 hour, until the chicken is falling apart. Transfer the chicken to a bowl. Shred the meat, cover with aluminum foil and set aside.
Bring the braising liquid to a rapid simmer over medium-high heat. Add the cream and continue simmering until thick enough to coat the back of spoon, about 15 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Add the lemon zest and season generously with salt and pepper. Fold in shredded chicken.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Stir in the pappardelle and cook until al dente, about 6-8 minutes. Drain the noodles and add directly to the chicken mixture, tossing to coat. Heat on low for a couple of minutes to allow all of the flavors to meld. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper if necessary.
Garnish with freshly chopped herbs and serve immediately.
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
7 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces (900g total)
salt and ground pepper
1 medium onion, diced medium
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups heavy cream
450g pappardelle
oregano, thyme, basil and some fresh oregano
Parmesan cheese
In a large Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat oil over medium-high. Season chicken with salt and pepper and cook until it releases its juices and is almost cooked through, about 7 minutes. Add onion and herbs and cook until translucent, stirring occasionally, about 6 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add cream and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a rapid simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until al dente. Reserve 1 cup pasta water; drain pasta and add to sauce, tossing to combine and adding enough pasta water to create a creamy sauce that coats pasta.
Add grated parmesan
Serve immediately.