Tag Archive for 'pasta'

Best Spaghetti Ever

Published
by
Shannon
on November 4, 2008
in Recipes
. 0 Comments

Spaghetti is probably my all time favourite pasta. I love how it swirls around on a plate, I love twirling it around on my fork and slurping it into my mouth. I love it plain with just some Parmesan, cracked pepper, garlic and butter. I love it with tomato based sauces. I love it with creamy sauces. I love it with Pesto. I LOVE IT.

So, here is a little how to on cooking the “Best Spaghetti Ever”:

Boiling spaghetti isn’t rocket science, but I implore you not to overcook it. Test it from time to time. You still want it to have “give” in the middle when you bite into it. To give you an idea, it should take about 8 minutes, depending on what pasta you’re using. It should have a recommended cooking time on the packet so use that as a guide. Always check how your spaghetti is going by tasting it.

Melt some butter in a fry pan over a low heat. When the butter has melted (make sure it’s not too hot) add some garlic that has been sliced into thin rounds. It’s really important that the heat isn’t up too high so that the garlic doesn’t burn and start to taste bitter. Now this is the best part. YOU CAN ADD ANYTHING FROM HERE. Some diced tomato, olives, anchovies, chili flakes… ANYTHING. Once your spaghetti is done, drain it and toss it in the fry pan. Use a pair of tongs to make sure the spaghetti is coated in the butter and everything else you’ve put in there. Serve with some cracked pepper and a big sprinkle of Parmesan. ENJOY.

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This Weeks Eats

Published
by
Shannon
on October 31, 2008
in This Week's Eats
. 0 Comments

This Weeks Eats bought to you by low rent iPhone photos!

Fettucine Bolognese Reheated Bolognese sauce left over from the Kangaroo Lasagne. Even better two days later.

Mum’s Roast Lamb Monday was a visit to the ‘rents to play IT support in exchange for a delicious home cooked meal. My Dad is a butcher so I was one of those spoiled kids who knew what good quality meat was supposed taste/look/feel like.


Variations of Best Spaghetti Ever: I love spaghetti and I honestly do not know what stops me from making and eating some variation of it every day.
Tinned tomatoes, a heaped teaspoon of minced garlic, half a glass of wine (out of the bottle you’re drinking…) some sliced Kalamata olives and a generous heap of parmesan.

Heart Attack Inducing Pizza Sensation
I do not understand anyone’s aversion to anchovies. This, combined with the best $36 I’ve ever spent (I own three pizza stones) equals fantastically salty awesome pizza. This was also accompanied by an improvised tomato, salami, olives, fetta & mozzarella pizza (it was also to have anchovies on it however on my excursion to the supermarket, the Checkout Boy packed the Anchovies in the same bag as the toiletries and I didn’t discover this until after the pizza was cooked and consumed, and said toiletries were unpacked). I use Stephanie Alexander’s recipe for the dough and I’m never patient enough to wait for the dough to prove for the amount of time that anyone suggests. It results in a not very stretchy dough but I counteract it by rolling out the dough with a rolling pin rather than throwing it.

It does look like a quiet week food wise and it has been due to IRL stuff, but I’m not going to subject you to photos of cheese on toast and Four N Twenty sausage rolls for the sake of filler.

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Kangaroo Lasagne

Published
by
Shannon
on October 29, 2008
in Recipes
. 4 Comments

Finished!

Lasagne has been one of my favourites since I was a kid. When I left the Parental Nest, it quickly became one of my staples. I haven’t made it for quite a while, so I thought I’d give it a go since I’ve have quite a bit of time on my hands lately. It also helps to have an appreciative audience. This will serve about 6 people.

MEAT SAUCE
1kg Kangaroo mince (I highly recommend this, but experiment! Beef is fine, but a combination of minces works really well too.)
Diced Carrot, Zucchini, Celery, Onion, Garlic (finely minced), 100g brown mushrooms (duxelle/finely diced)
100g brown mushrooms quartered
1L Beef Stock
1 cup Red Wine
1 Bay Leaf
Salt & Pepper
800g Tinned Tomatoes
1 Teaspoon Tomato paste
Balsamic vinegar
Anchovy fillets (to taste! Otherwise it’s optional!)
1 Tablespoon of Pesto
Lasagne Sheets (I use Barilla purely for convenience.)

BECHAMEL SAUCE
Milk
Flour
Butter
Cheese (Tasty/Parmesan)

Fry the carrot, onion, celery, zucchini, mushroom duxelle and garlic in a large pot. While you are waiting for the vegetables to soften, fry batches of the kangaroo mince in a separate frypan on high heat.

Once the vegetables have softened, add the mince and stir through. Add salt and pepper.
Add wine and simmer rapidly for 20 mins until the wine has evaporated.

Add the rest of the ingredients for the meat sauce and cook for 1-2 hours.

To make the Bechamel, melt the butter in a saucepan and combine with equal amount of flour. Stirring constantly, gradually add the warm milk to make a smooth paste. Once you have reached your desired quantity/consistency, add cheese to taste.

To assemble the lasagne, smooth a layer of bechamel at the bottom of a rectangular baking dish. Layer your lasagne sheets next, followed by a layer of meat sauce. I follow this by another layer of lasagne sheets, then bechamel, then meat sauce. Finish with a layer of bechamel and cover with cheese.

Put on the top level of a preheated oven at 220˚C for at least 20 mins or until the cheese has melted and formed a golden crust.

I served this with Potato salad, made with some chives, mayonnaise mixed with a bit of pesto, crispy bacon and boiled baby potatoes (please excuse my photo of reheated day old lasagne, I have an atrocious habit of forgetting to take photos of my cooking). ENJOY!

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