Category Archives: Dinner

Epic Lasagna

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Serves 6.

Preparation: 1 hrs.

Cooking time 35-40 min.

This family favorite is a cross between moussaka and Lasagna.

The sauce is simmered for hours to fully develop the flavours, and includes bacon and red wine.

It’s even better if you make the ragĂș the day before. The Eggplant or Aubergine, is thinly sliced and grilled with some olive oil. This adds a nice smokey flavour and is then layered between the pasta and sauces. Much like Moussaka.

This recipe is for 6 people, but you can easily double the recipe, make two dishes and freeze one before the oven cooking step. You will need to cover it very well with foil and cling wrap, then it will keep for 3 months in the freezer. When you want to bake it, take it out the evening before and let it thaw in the fridge overnight. Remove all the wrapping and bake as stated in the recipe.

You will need :

An 8″ x 11″ x 3″ Casserole dish

12 sheets of dried Spelt (or regular) Lasagna sheets

Ingredients for the RagĂș;

1 tbsp. olive oil

4 oz. smoked bacon, diced

1 medium onion, peeled and diced small

1 celery stalk, chopped fine

1 medium carrot, peeled and grated

2 garlic cloves, peeled and grated or crushed

2 bay leaves

1 lb. minced beef

1 15 oz. can tomatoes

1 15 oz. Passata

2 organic stock cubes, beef or chicken

1 tbsp. sugar

1 glass of red wine

2 tsp. dried Basil

2 tsp. dried Oregano

1/2 tsp. Sage

1/2 tsp. Thyme

1/4 tsp. All Spice

2 Bay Leaves

1/4 C. chopped Parsley

1 can of water.

For the Eggplant;

2 Eggplants, washed and sliced 1/4 ” thick

cooking oil spray

For the Bechamel;

3 tbsp. olive oil (or butter)

3 tbsp. flour

3 1/2 C. milk

a good grating of Nutmeg

1 organic stock cube, beef or chicken

1 C. grated cheese, a mix of Parmesan and Mozzarella

Method:

RagĂș:

Put a large pot on high heat with one tablespoon of olive oil. Add the ground beef and the bacon and cook for 7 minutes until brown. Add all the chopped vegetables. Cook for 5 more minutes. Add the stock cubes ( I always crumble them up between my fingers), and the sugar. Give it a stir. Add the tomato paste and fry for one minute before adding the glass of red wine. Now add both cans of tomato plus one can of water. Add all the dried herbs and the Parsley. Cover half with a lid and simmer on low heat for about two hours. Check once in a while to see if you need to add more water. Alternatively you can transfer the sauce to a slow cooker. Set on high for about one hour until it bubbles then reduce to low and cook for four hours. When the sauce is done, check for seasoning, add a grinding of pepper and add some salt if necessary. Remove the bay leaves. You should end up with 4 cups of sauce. Add liquid if necessary.

Bechamel:

You need to use a pan with a very thick bottom so the sauce doesn’t stick or burn easily. Heat the olive oil and add the flour all at once. Stir in the milk, very little at a time so you do not get any lumps. Stir constantly. Adding milk bit by bit.

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You should end up with a silky smooth sauce like this.

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Add Nutmeg and the stock cube (crumbled up) and let simmer for about ten minutes to cook the flour. Taste and adjust seasoning. Remove from heat and set aside.

For the Eggplant:

Wash the Eggplants and cut off the crown. Cut in 1/4″slices. Heat a large Griddle pan and spray the pan. Put in enough slices to cover the pan with just one layer of Eggplant. When ready to turn spray the top and turn over the slices. Cook for about 5 minutes on each side. Remove to a plate when done. Repeat with all the slices.

Preheat oven to 400° F.

To assemble:

Oil the Casserole dish generously. Start with a thin layer of sauce, then layer the rest like this;

  • lasagna sheets
  • sauce
  • Eggplant
  • Bechamel
  • Grated cheese

The last layer should just be Lasagna sheets, bechamel and cheese.

Put in to the preheated oven and bake until brown and bubbling, for about 35 minutes.

Remove from oven and let sit for at least ten minutes before cutting.

Buon Appetito.

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Chicken Mango Avocado Enchiladas

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Although Cinco de Mayo was yesterday, I don’t think we need an excuse to indulge in some good Mexican food.

I love Mexican dishes but often feel very full afterwards. So I have made some adjustment. These have some tropical additions to make it lighter, and more suitable for Summer. I have also used reduced fat cheese, that although it doesn’t melt as much as regular cheese, it still does the job.

Serve with a fresh and crispy Salad. Left-over Tortillas keep very well in the freezer and are great for lunch instead of bread.

You could also substitute the chicken for  Shrimp. Add some lime to freshen it up even more.

Ingredients for Tex-Mex Seasoning; (Salt free)

Makes enough for a small jar.

  • 4 tbsp. Smoked Paprika
  • 1 tbsp. chili powder
  • 2 tbsp. coconut sugar
  • 1 tbsp. garlic powder
  • 2 tsp. ground cumin
  • 2 tsp. onion powder
  • 2 tsp. Oregano
  • 1 tsp. Thyme
  • 1/2 – 1 tsp. Cayenne
  • 1 teaspoon pepper

 INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 tbsp. Olive oil
  • 2 oz. Chorizo, diced
  • 2 Skinless Chicken breasts, cut into strips
  • 1 medium onion, peeled and diced
  • 1 clove of garlic, peel and grated or crushed
  • 1 Large Tomato, chopped
  • 1/2 Mango, peeled and diced
  • 1 Hass Avocado, peel and diced
  • 1 tbsp. Tex-Mex Seasoning
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1 C. Black Beans, cooked and drained
  • 1/2 C. water
  • 1/2 C. loosely packed roughly chopped coriander
  • 1/2 C. grated cheese plus 1/4 C.
  • 8 Tortillas
  • Sour cream and salsa to serve.

INSTRUCTIONS:

Pre-heat oven to 350° F. Oil a casserole dish.

Season the chicken with half the salt and half the Tex-Mex seasoning and mix in half the olive oil. Put a large frying pan onto medium heat. Pour in the remaining olive oil, when it is hot add the chorizo, after two minutes add the chicken. Then add the onion and garlic. Fry for about five minutes, then add the tomato and the rest of the seasoning. Add the beans and half a cup of water. Cook for about 5 minutes. Add the Mango and Avocado and cook just a few minutes more on low heat. Take of the heat, and add the coriander. Mix in 1/2 cup of grated cheese. Divide over the 8 tortillas and put them in a casserole dish sprayed with cooking oil.  Sprinkle over the remaining 1/4 C. of grated cheese. Cover with aluminem foil. Bake covered for 15 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 15 minutes. Serve with sour cream and salsa.

NOTE: I have used 30% fat cheese which is why it hasn’t melted properly. If you want it cheesy and gooey use full fat cheese.

Enjoy!

My Grandmothers Meat Balls

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There is something very comforting about meat balls. I always have a batch in the freezer for When I don’t know what to make for dinner. This recipe is how my grandmother used to make them. They have to simmer for quit a while, but then you end up with really juicy meat balls. The great thing about meat balls is that they are so versatile. You can put them in sandwiches, serve them over pasta with tomato sauce, have them as a snack. Or even slices them and top them with melted cheese, put them in a bun and pretend it’s a hamburger.  This is a pretty classic recipe, but I also like making variations like Italian meatballs with parmesan cheese, or Indonesian with cumin, coriander and sate sauce. The possibilities are endless. I hope you enjoy these.

I recommend you use half pork half beef for the meat balls to get a juicier result. Only beef could end up a bit dry. If you do want to use only beef I suggest you add an additional tablespoon of olive oil to the ground beef.

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Ingredients;

1/2 lb. ground beef

1/2 lb. ground pork

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 onion, peeled and diced very small

1 clove of garlic, peeled and grated or chopped very fine

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. coriander

1/8 tsp. nutmeg

1/8 tsp. black pepper, or a few twists of the mill

1/4 tsp. marjoram

1/8 tsp. ground ginger

1/8 tsp. cardamom

1/8 tsp. allspice

a pinch of cayenne

1 egg, beaten

1/4 C. dried breadcrumbs*

1/2 tbsp flour

1 tbsp. tomato paste

1 tbsp honey

a few splashed of Worcestershire sauce

1 C. beef stock (from a cube if you like)

Method;

Start of by gently cooking the onion and garlic in 1 tablespoon of olive oil over low heat until just beginning to brown. Remove from heat and let cool. In a bowl mix all the remaining ingredients and shape into about 8 meat balls.

Heat a frying pan with the remaining oil and brown the meat balls all over, now lower the heat and sprinkle the meat balls with the flour, add the tomato paste, 1 tbsp honey, the Worcestershire sauce and a cup of beef stock. Stir everything and set the heat to very low. Partially cover with a lid and let simmer for an hour.

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Pot Roast

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This may come across as a bit of a “winter like” recipe, but I assure you that you can eat this all year round. The weather outside is awful at the moment from where I am writing, 32° F  with rain, snow and some hail in between. But like I said, you can eat this all year round. It’s not at all heavy and depending on what you serve it with you can make this either a  winter feast served with mashed potatoes, cauliflower, brussels sprout or baked potatoes. Or a Summer dinner, serving it with a cold beet root salad and some crusty french bread. Or some grilled summer vegetables. Maybe even Corn on the cob.

I start off by searing the beef in a pan and then transferring it to the slow cooker. So you don’t have to hang around in the kitchen for long. You can even get everything ready the evening before by searing the beef and putting all the ingredients in the slow cooker. Leave overnight in the refrigerator and then before you go to work the next morning, put it in the slow cooker, set it on LOW and when you come home in the evening dinner will be ready. When you leave it to cook all day make sure you add enough liquid so it doesn’t dry out.

Ingredients;

2 tbsp. Olive oil

2 lbs. Beef chuck, cut into two thick slices

4 medium carrot, peel and cut into fairly large chunks

2 cellery sticks, washed and cut into thick slices

2 to 3 medium onions, peeled and quartered

2 cloves of garlic, unpeeled and bash with the side of your knife

4 or 5 sprigs of fresh thyme (2 tsp. dry)

2 sprigs of rosemary (1 tsp. dry)

2 tbsp. tomato puree

1 1/2 tbsp Apple butter or coconut sugar

1 glass of dry white wine

1 C. beef stock

3 Bay leaves

1/2 a cinnamon stick

a good grating of nutmeg or 1/2 tsp. powder

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1/.2 tsp. All spice

Season the beef liberally with salt and freshly ground pepper. Then heat a pan on high, add the olive oil and brown the meat on both sides until it is dark brown and has a good caramelized color. This is very important for the flavor. Transfer to the slow cooker. Turn the heat of your frying pan to medium and add all the vegetables and the garlic cloves. Cook for about three minutes until they just begin to color and add to the beef.

Now put the tomato puree and the spices in the frying pan and the apple butter or coconut sugar and slowly add the white wine. Swirl around and pour over the beef.

Add the bay leafs, thyme and rosemary  to the beef and pour in the beef stock to just cover the meat.

Cook on high for about 5 hours, or on low for about 7 or 8 hours. Check the liquid towards the end and add some beef stock if necessary.

Serve with mashed potatoes, rice or noodles, and a salad or vegetables.

Enjoy!