Quorn "Meat" Balls with Tomato and Mint Sauce

Recipe Ingredients: (enough for 4)

• 1 pkt of Quorn balls (these can also be soya balls or any other vegetarian substitute, in the case of not being able to find these you can use full button mushrooms about 300 grs, or real meat)
• 300 grs spaghetti
  
• 1 diced onion
  
• 1 large diced courgette
  
• 1 very finely diced carrot
  
• 2 garlic cloves minced
  
• 1 piece of ginger root the size of a garlic piece minced
  
• 2 finely chopped medium hot chillies
  
• 1 vegetable stock cube
  
• 1 can of Italian plum tomatoes diced
  
• 1 soup spoon of paprika
  
• 11 chopped fresh mint leaves
  
• a little bunch of chopped parsley
  
• 4 soup spoons of fresh single cream (I used very little as I wish this dish to be healthy)
• a little olive oil, salt and black pepper (to taste)
  

To cook the spaghetti put a pan on the stove with some water and a little salt and vegetable oil (a couple of soup spoons full), the salt will enhance the spaghetti flavour and the oil will stop the water over-frothing when boiling the pasta due to the starch in the spaghetti. This will take 10-12 minutes to be fully cooked which should be enough time to do the sauce.

To do the sauce I used a wok pan, with a little olive oil on the stove high temp, once hot I added the, onion, courgette, garlic, carrot, ginger and chilli + seasoning. Once the onion is semi-transparent (around 4 minutes add the Quorn balls, stock cube and tomatoes, bring this to the boil and reduce heat to medium let it cook another 6-10 minutes at this stage add the cream and mint cook for a further 1-2 minutes, remove from the heat and add the parsley, mix well and serve over the spaghetti. Enjoy!!!

Spaghetti Bolognese with Pancetta and Chorizo

Recipe Ingredients: (enough for 4)

• 500grs minced meat (beef)
  
• 400grs spaghetti
• 40grs Pancetta (or smoked bacon)
• 20grs chorizo (diced)
• 1 onion (finely diced)
• 3 garlic cloves (finely diced)
  
• 1 plum tomato tin (finely diced) best if "Italian"
  
• 1 soup spoon of tomato concentrate (diluted in 1/2 glass of water)
• 1 chicken stock cube
  
• enough olive oil
  
• bunch of coriander
  
• enough salt and black pepper

Put on the stove a frying pan with a little olive oil, once well hot add the onion, the garlic and cook these well until golden, and at this stage add the pancetta and chorizo fry them for a further 3 minutes stirring always, follow it them with the addition of the minced beef, and still stirring it this time occasionally cook until all of the beef is browned, at which stage you now add the tomatoes both plum and concentrate, once it gets to boiling point reduce the flame to minimum and let it cook for about 20-30 minutes.

Eleven minutes before the sauce is ready, place a pan of boiling water with little salt and vegetable oil (like 2 soup spoons), stick the spaghetti inside and this will be ready in 11 minutes should still be a little "al Dente" as it should, as is delicious if it offers a little resistance when you bite it, drain it in a colander pouring boiling water over it to remove the starch still draining it. Serve and eat is delicious, and very simple.

Pan Fried Chicken Fillets w/ Butter Sauce and Spring Onions

Recipe Ingredients:

• 400grs chicken boneless and skinless mini fillets
• the juice of 1/2 lemon
  
• 1 garlic clove
• 1/3 glass white wine
• 400grs spaghetti (100% durum wheat)
• 3 spring onions sliced
• 1/3 glass milk
• 2 soup spoons of butter
• salt and black pepper to taste
• a little olive oil
• 1 heaped tea spoon of plain flour dissolve in water
  

Way easy and quick, and very...very cheap. Boil the spaghetti as normal it will take about 12 minutes to be cooked.

While that is doing, put a large frying pan on the stove on high temp, add a couple of glugs of oil, and once hot add the chicken fillets (previously seasoned with garlic, the lemon juice, salt and pepper and left to marinade for 1/2 hour).

They'll immediately start to sizzle, and therefore require turning around fairly quickly to seal the meat (the reason why is important to seal is that the meat becomes this way more juicy and moist as if the outside is sealed the moisture and juices inside will escape at a much slower pace), once sealed cook well on both sides until it goes a golden colour (see photo) once that happens on both sides it is done remove them and let them rest only time enough to make the sauce.

For which you deglaze the pan, which means you pull out the stuck to the pan chicken stock by pouring the wine in and rubbing it around with a wooden spoon, which will make the wine go a brownish colour, at this stage add the butter and as soon as it all melts add the milk and the dissolved flour, this will thicken the butter cream, ready to pour over the edges of the pasta and chicken (see photo) finally you put the sliced spring onions over the edges of the pasta and chicken, this is not only a good garnish it also provides an excellent flavour and texture once mixed in with the sauce, pasta and meat while eating. bon apetit...

Mange Tout and Spinach Spaghetti

Receita em Portugues AQUI

My wife arrived home and due to circumstances she was only able to get herself and my son something to eat, so I was left to fend for myself.

So I looked in the fridge gathered a few old things and asked the Chef's inspiration Gods to help me..... What I found was some old "mange tout" in the veg compartment, I remembered I had some frozen spinach portions in the freezer, but I was feeling like having pasta...after a short moment of indecision I further looked into the fridge and I found an old piece of cheddar cheese that was nearly dried... and "ping" it just popped into my head. So without further a due.

Recipe Ingredients:

• 1 medium onion (finely chopped).
• 1 garlic clove (finely chopped).
• 1 soup spoon full of butter.
• 1 glass of milk.
• 5 portions of spinach (or if you using fresh about 100grs finely chopped).
• 1 soup spoon of plain flour diluted in a little water.
• 2 soup spoons of cheddar cheese (if you want more flavour add a tea spoon of Parmesan too).
• 200grs of spaghetti.
• 1/2 tea spoon of paprika
  
• 1 little bunch of dill (finely chopped).
• a little olive oil.
• salt and black pepper to taste.

So simple yet so tasty, I know is very green so not much in the colour but what you cannot see is the textures that this dish creates and enables you to feel, not to mention taste.

Boil the pasta this will take about 10-12 minutes, more than enough time to do the sauce. On a frying pan put a glug of olive oil and once hot add the garlic and the onion, let them fry until the onion is translucent, at this stage add some pepper, salt and the mange tout, stir fry it for about 3 minutes then add the milk. Let it heat up until the milk starts bubbling, now put in the spinach, butter and half a tea spoon of paprika, letting this simmer until the spinach melts completely and blends with the milk (for fresh spinach this will take less time). Now add the diluted flour and the cheese (or cheeses), continuously stir should get nice and thick (ish) add the dill now and dish it over the spaghetti.

When you eating, you get the most amazing crunchiness from the mange tout and the softness from the cream and the spinach, it is quite delicious too. Enjoy.

Spaghetti Carbonara

Receita em Portugues clique AQUI

Another pasta dish as promised, this time a classic, cheap and easy to do, OK is not the most healthy but certainly makes up for taste.

Recipe Ingredients:

• 200grs mushrooms (sliced)
• 150grs smoked bacon (strips sliced)
• 1 garlic clove (minced)
• 1 onion (very...very finely chopped)
• 2 egg yolks
  
• 200mls fresh single cream
• 50grs Cheddar cheese (grated)
• 2 soup spoons of parmesano cheese (grated)
• 4soup spoons of olive oil
  
• one measure of fire-water or vodka
• 400-500grs spaghetti (or fettuccine or even linguine)
• salt and pepper
• (optional) decoration a bit of parsley
  

This is a very easy and simple recipe to make, so if you in a hurry this is what you do:
Put a skillet frying pan on the fire and a deep pan with water for the spaghetti, on the spaghetti pan add a little salt and a little vegetable oil (about one spoon full, this does two things: stops the water from foaming to much and helps the pasta not stick too much), once this reaches a boil add the spaghetti in (or the pasta of your preference).

In the skillet, place the olive oil until hot, then in goes the garlic, bacon and the onions, let them cook stirring occasionally until the start to caramelized, once this stage is reached add the mushrooms + a pinch of salt and pepper, once the mushrooms are virtually cooked throw in the fire-water (or vodka) lean the pan forward so that it catches the flame as soon as it does straighten it and shake it, the flame will burn all the alcohol in the booze and will flavour the contents, don't worry it will only burn for a few seconds.

At this stage add the fresh cream leave about 2 spoons of that fresh cream in a glass and mix with it the 2 egg yolks once the fresh cream on the pan starts to bubble add the egg yolks and the cheeses (both of them) the cream should thicken up to a nice consistency, turn the fire down and let it simmer for a little while about 2-3 minutes, the whole process will probably take 10-12 minutes in which the spaghetti is also cooked. So drain the spaghetti passing boiling water through once well drained dish it and serve some sauce over it, and if you want add a little chopped parsley on top and you're done ...all in all will take you about 15-20 minutes to prepare this meal and even less to eat it :)

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