Spicy Meat Balls with a Smooth Chilli and Tomato Sauce

Receita em Portugues AQUI

The meat balls are back, after a request I received for spicy ones.

Recipe Ingredients:

• 400grs minced Beef
• 1 hand full of bread crumbs
• 1 egg (whole)
• 1 full onion finely chopped
  
• 3 garlic cloves (minced)
• 1 coriander bunch (finely chopped)
• 300grs of fresh fettuccine
  
• 1 tin of tomatoes
• 1/3 of a glass fresh cream
  
• 2 level two chillies (finely chopped with the seeds, for less hot remove seeds and white veins inside the chillies)
  
• a pinch of chili powder
• Salt and pepper to taste
• some olive oil
• 1 chicken stock cube
• a tea spoon of flour diluted in a little water (to thicken sauce)
  

On a deep pan put some water and salt and a drizzle of oil and boiled the pasta it takes only about 5 minutes to do as is fresh pasta (fettuccine), bearing in mind the sauce may take a little longer to make, make sure only to make the paste 5 minutes before the sauce is ready, so all comes out at the same time.

To make the meat balls, put the minced meat in a bowl, and put there also the parsley finely chopped, 1 garlic clove minced, a pinch of black pepper a pinch of salt and a pinch of chilli powder, the bread crumbs and the egg. With your hands mix it all very well and shape pieces of the meat into balls, and set these aside.

For the sauce on a frying pan or wok put in a glug of olive oil, once very hot add the onion, the garlic, the chilli and season it (salt and pepper to taste), cook these for about 5 minutes then add the meat balls, and turn them around to seal them, once fully sealed (brown all around) ad the tomato and chicken stock cube, let them cook for another 7 minutes, and now add the cream and the water with flour, and that will make just a nice sauce, let it cook a further 3 minutes (or more) as if you want the sauce tastier and thicker you can let it simmer for longer.

This one was really delicious, and fiery hot...most of the heat is felt around the lips as is fresh chillies. And you must admit the dish is very colourful and fiery too. You can see the steam coming of it yum yum!!

Brocoli and Butternut Squash Fettuccini and Lemon Chicken

Recipe Ingredients:

• 1/2 Bitternut Squash (cut very thin slices)
  
• 1 broccoli branch (cut very thin slices)
• 3 chicken thigh
• zest strands of half a lemon
• juice of 1 lemon
  
• 2 garlic clove (minced)
• salt and pepper to taste
• some olive oil
• 1 tea spoon of flour diluted in a little water
• 300grs fresh fettuccine
• 1 glass of white wine

Ok here it goes. Put a pan on the stove with a glug of olive oil, when hot place inside the thinly sliced butternut squash and 1 minced garlic, the idea is that the butternut squash cooks and gets really soft so that you can puree it, while this happens as it will take a good 5-7 minutes on another pan put boiling water and a little salt and put the broccoli into small bits inside, you want these well cooked nearly breaking apart so that it blends later with the butternut squash (but if you don't like them mushy, just don't cook them too well).

Back to the butternut squash, as it cook gently break it with a wooden spoon, and as it starts getting dry ad bits of the wine bit by bit and keep breaking up the BN squash, once all the wine is in add a little water and use the hand blender to blitz it into a creamy sauce, add to this sauce your cooked broccoli and season it with a little salt and pepper to taste, turn the fire down and let it simmer gently for about 3 minutes.

The fresh fettuccine only takes about 5 minutes to cook, so just boil as normal for that time with a little salt, and drain it, drizzle a little olive oil and toss it so that it doesn't stick together and serve it with the BN squash and broccoli sauce on top (optional you can ad shavings of rich dried cheese or Parmesan)

As to the chicken, remove the skin and the bones cut them into small (ish) portions, on a pan put a glug of olive oil, once hot add the chicken the remaining garlic and the lemon zest strands, cook on a high temperature and turn the chicken constantly to seal, once sealed add some seasoning (salt and pepper) and let it cook until the chicken is cooked through. the process is quick as chicken pieces are small and are de-boned and skinless about 3-5 minutes, at this stage add the whole juice of the lemon and a little plain flour diluted in a little water, this will thicken up the lemon sauce making it delicious, simmer for another 2 minutes and it's done...Cheap too.

Now remember to control the times so that everything sorta comes out at the same time. Bon Appetit.

Salmon Fetuccini (with an extra)

My apologies for the wait to everyone especially to Chef E.

This is what you all have been waiting for, I need to warn you this is a very seriously delicious meal, and I beg you to make it for you and your family you will not be disappointed.

Actually being winter I am going to be doing a few pasta dishes to delight you all over the coming days!!!

Recipe Ingredients:

• 1 & 1/2 glass of milk.
• 100mls double cream.
• 2 soup spoons butter.
• 1/3 freshly ground nutmeg (if already in powder one third of a tea spoon).
• 1/3 tea spoon of freshly ground black pepper.
• 1 tea spoon of sea salt.
  
• 1 measure of white port wine (red will do, or you can use half a glass of white wine).
• 2 heaped soup spoons of plain flour dissolved in a glass of water.
• 4 skinless and boneless wild salmon portions (frozen is best, but you can use fresh)
• a bunch of parsley (finely chopped, equivalent to about 2 soup spoons full)
• 400grs of egg fettuccine (to be cooked "al dente")
• 200grs king prawns (other will do. I used frozen)
• olive oil (see how much is enough)

This was so darn easy, I got inspired by a couple of photos at my local supermarket.
In a large pan put the salt, the milk, the butter, the black pepper and nutmeg, let this come to a boil, turn the fire down to a simmering and add the frozen salmon, make sure milk is boiling gently and after about 3 minutes turn the salmon around, and after another 3 again and again, this until the fish is completely cooked (poached, poaching from frozen I found to produce better fish flakes) once fish cooked take it out onto a plate. Now add the double cream to the milk and the port let it again come to the boil and slow it to simmering and add the prawns, if they already cooked just enough time to make sure they are heated through, if they from raw (which their colour is gray, wait till they turn bright orange and then about 2-3 more minutes.

While that is happening flake the salmon in the plate (make sure the pasta is cooking during this time as it will take about 12 minutes to be "al Dente"). Once the prawns are done raise the temperature and add the flaked fish in and pour half of the glass of water with flour in, always stirring, it will start very quickly start to get thicker, well you want the consistency of bechamel or thick gravy, if to liquid add a little more until it does, if too thick (which I will not believe will be, add a little more milk) once the right thickness add the parsley and turn the fire off, now drain the cooked fettuccine passing it through boiling water and add it to the sauce, mix it well and then dish it, I then dressed it with a little pure virgin olive oil, you can do the same is delicious if you get a very good olive oil, or you can sprinkle some Parmesan cheese on top or even crumb some Gorgonzola on the top of it ...it is really up to you...but this was the best meal I ever made...apart from the gigantic enchiladas I made some time ago on this blog. YUM YUM!!! please try it.