Spaghetti Bolognese

It's Friday night which means pasta for dinner. Tonight, I made a delicious Spaghetti Bolognese - minced beef, red and yellow peppers, baby tomatoes, zucchini, mushrooms and carrots. I love to add vegies in the sauce, which means my girls will eat them. Add some fresh oregano from the garden, can of diced tomatoes, tomato paste and a splash or two of Merlot. Dinner is served...

Chicken Florentine Pasta

I came to know about Ree Drummond (aka The Pioneer Woman) through numerous blogs that I follow but have never tried her recipes. A friend posted a photo of Chicken Florentine Pasta on Facebook and it looked delicious. Fridays are usually pasta days at our home since it's something I can whip up quickly after a day's work and after school activities.

Thanks Val for sharing. This recipe is a keeper. I love the colours - green and red against the pale coloured pasta.

Hubby Cooking #14 - Grilled Chicken and Corn Orecchiette

Tasty plate of pasta with corn and peas, topped with grilled chicken breast. PM if you want the recipe.

Mushroom and Bacon Creamy Pasta

After two weeks of Asian food, my two girls are craving for Western meals. I cooked an easy creamy pasta for dinner tonight to satiate their cravings. 

Bacon, cut into bits
Button mushrooms, sliced
Spring onions, chopped
Light cream
Milk
Dry pasta (spaghetti or short penne pasta with ridges)

1. Boil water in a stock-pot to cook the pasta. When the water is boiled, add some salt and dry pasta. Cook the pasta till al dente.
2. In a pan, heat some oil and fry the bacon till brown, not too crispy. Move to the side of the pan, and add the chopped spring onions until softened. Finally add the sliced mushrooms and saute for a few minutes before adding the cream and milk.
   
   
3. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
   
   
4. Serve immediately. The creamy pasta is best eaten hot.
   

Hubby Cooking #12 - Capellini with Prawns and Chorizo

My favourite type of pasta is Capellini. It is much thinner than the usual spaghetti. I managed to buy a pack at my local Harris Farm market. Hubby cooked the pasta in a simple olive oil with prawns and chorizo.

Lunchbox Idea #7 - Spaghetti Bolognese

This lunchbox idea is actually leftovers from our dinner. In the mornings, I heat up the spaghetti bolognese and place them in thermal containers from Thermos. The pasta is still warm at lunch time.

My bolognese sauce is non-traditional because I like to add diced vegetables like asparagus, carrots, zucchini, mushrooms and pumpkin. It's a good way to get my girls to eat their vegies.

Spaghetti with Meatballs

Ashleigh helped me in the kitchen to cook dinner two Fridays ago. At her request, we cooked spaghetti with meatballs. I like to cook the sauce with vegetables - zucchini (squash), yellow peppers, carrots and mushrooms.

.....and the verdict from Caitlin:

Spaghetti with Chorizo and Prawns - Jamie Olivier

In March 2010's issue of Delicious, there are numerous tasty recipes as usual to tempt our tastebuds. One of them is a pasta dish by Jamie Olivier. It was easy to cook and it was yummy.

Hubby Cooking #9 - Spaghetti Vongole

A few weekends ago, we went to the Sydney Fish Markets. There were some vongole, which we bought and cooked in white wine with prawns and spaghetti.

Hubby Cooking #8 - Creamy Mushroom Pasta with Chicken

One of our girls' favourite meal - creamy mushroom pasta with chicken.

I tenderise the chicken and seasoned with salt and cracked pepper before pan-frying them. Hubby cooked the creamy mushroom pasta sauce. Sorry I can't tell how he cooks it. We have an agreement in the kitchen where only one chef can be in the kitchen, otherwise, it becomes a case of too many cooks spoil the broth, simply because we both have different methods and opinions.

Lasagne

One of Ashleigh's favourite food.

Bechamel Sauce

This is an entry for reference later.

I was watching Rick Stein's Food Heroes on the Lifestyle Food channel on Foxtel pay-tv tonight. He made a vegetarian cannelloni with leeks.I like the bechamel sauce that he made to pour over the cannelloni. He also added cheese - provolone - to this recipe. I think you can use Parmesan instead.

You can also use this sauce for lasagne or baked pasta.

Spaghetti with Chicken, Roasted Cherry Tomatoes and Garlic

I tried a new pasta recipe for the girls today. I think this is a keeper, since both girls polished their meals off quickly. Really simple pasta, not tomato-based or cream-based.



Ingredients
500gm cherry tomatoes, halved
Extra virgin olive oil
400gm dried spaghetti
3 medium garlic cloves, sliced thinly
300gm chicken breast, cubed
1/2 cup chicken stock

1. Preheat the oven to 180C.
2. Spread the tomatoes, cut-side up in a baking tray. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
3. Roast the tomatoes for 8 minutes, until they soften slightly and begin to split.
4. Cook the spaghetti in a large pot of boiling salted water according to the instructions on pack. Drain the pasta when ready.
   
5. Heat the remaining olive oil in large frypan, over medium eat. Add the sliced garlic, allow to sizzle for a few seconds. Add the cubed chicken breast and brown the meat.
6. Add the cooked pasta to the pan with the chicken, roasted tomatoes, half of the stock and season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
   
7. Toss well to combine and serve.

Baked Pasta Dish

Ingredients
Penne Pasta
Minced beef
Carrot, sliced
Mushrooms, sliced
Zucchini, sliced
Onion, chopped
Pasta sauce (Bertolli's Summer Basil)
Fresh cream
Salt and pepper
Fresh oregano
Bay leaves

Mozarella and Tasty cheese (grated)


Method
1. Boil pasta according to the instructions on the pack.
2. Heat olive oil in a pan. Add the chopped onions. Fry till onions are softened.
3. Add the minced meat. Brown the meat.
4. Add carrots, bay leaves and oregano. Close the lid and cook on low heat till carrots are half-softened.
5. Add zucchini and mushrooms, mix well. Add the pasta sauce and some water to the cooked ingredients.
6. Close lid and allow to simmer on low heat. Add salt and pepper to taste.
7. When carrots are softened, then add a little of the fresh cream (probably about 2 tablespoon).
8. Check taste.
9. Take a casserole dish, put a layer of sauce on the bottom. Top with layer of pasta followed by sauce, pasta, etc.
10. Top with grated mozarella and taste cheeses.
11. Place the casserole dish into hot oven and bake till cheese is brown on top.
12. Serve with green salad.

Spaghetti with Chicken, Chorizo, Spinach and Sun-dried Tomatoes

Quite a mouthful for a title isn't it? Pasta is a quick and easy meal for weekdays. This pasta dish is an olive oil base, no cream or tomatoes (except sun-dried ones).





Ingredients
Chicken thigh fillets, sliced thinly
Sun-dried tomatoes
Spinach leaves, washed
Garlic, sliced
Chorizo, sliced
Swiss brown mushrooms, sliced (you can use any type of mushrooms)
Chicken stock
Spaghetti

Method
1. Heat the pan and add some olive oil. Fry the sliced chorizo till brown around the edges. Remove from pan.
2. Add the garlic and fry till fragrant.
3.Add the chicken and fry till meat is brown.
4. Add the sun-dried tomatoes and mushrooms.
5. Toss the pasta into the pan and stir with the other ingredients.
6. Add some chicken stock, bit by bit, lowering the heat.
7. Finally, add the chorizo and spinach leaves. Mix well together and serve.