Stuffed Pasta

Lazy & Tasty !

Pasta isn't something I cook very often. Recently I enjoyed a gorgeous, light lunch made by a friend of pasta, salad & garlic bread. The pasta was oven baked, the huge pasta shells stuffed with chicken, cheese dressed in a gorgeous creamy sauce. Its early Friday evening, after finishing work late I wonder what I can quickly bring together to serve something tasty but quick to make. I remember this dish, wonder if I can utilise the carton of minced beef I have in the fridge. I quite fancy pasta & decide to make some spicy meatballs, I have mozzarella cheese - the flavours should work well together.

Ingredients

Extra Large Pasta Shells

Mozzarella Cheese
Jacobs Cream Crackers

Minced Beef

Back Bacon

Onions

Red Peppers

Garlic

Chilli

Spices

Tinned Plum Tomatoes

Method

• Rinse the minced beef under running cold water

• Crush a handful of Jacobs Cream Crackers into tint breadcrumb size pieces

• Cut a couple of rashers of back bacon into small pieces, add to the minced beef

• Add some spices to suit your taste, I used chilli, salt & pepper, fenugreek, garlic & paprika
• Mix all together into a firm ball. Add some flour to your hands then take a small pinch of minced beef & roll between your plans into a small ball. Now you have a meatball :) Do this until all the minced beef is used. You can serve with spaghetti.

• Brown the meat balls evenly in a saucepan, keep turning continuously until totally browned

• Add the tinned tomatoes, chop the tomatoes into small pieces, add some tomato puree & some water
• Rinse the mozzarella, dice into small cubes

• Boil a large panful of salted water
• Add the pasta & cook for about 9 minutes
• Rinse the pasta under cold water. Pat dry then place into large oven proof dish
• Tuck the mozzarella pieces into the large pasta shells

• Next add the meatballs into the shell alongside the cheese

• Add the remaining tomato dressing & sauce. Cover the meatballs as much as possible

• I drizzled some chilli guava dipping sauce over the meatballs

• Cover the pasta with tin foil & pop into a pre medium heated oven for about 15 mins.
• Serve immediately with garlic bread, salad etc
• ENJOY!!!

Luscious Slow Roast Lamb

Unfortunately  I haven't any photo's of the finished meal as we were all soooo hungry. However as its a gorgeous flavour & way to cook the  lamb I will still share it anyway. Reason for using this method was we were all popping out for a few hours, but would be coming back for dinner hence choosing a slow cook roast way to ensure we had a lovely meal waiting for us upon our return.  Not only does the wonderful aroma fill the home but the food is just sooo tender & sooo delicious. Another bonus is all that remains is to boil the kettle & then cook the accompanying vegetables to serve with the roast dinner.  Hope you enjoy, also do try to experiment with flavours ie.  you could use rosemary, fennel, basil, oregano etc

Ingredients
Joint of Lamb (this one is Rolled Shoulder)
Potatoes
Onions Tomatoes
Tarragon
Honey
Cranberry Sauce

Veggies of your choice

Method

• Wash the lamb, pat dry & sit in a large couple of pieces of tinfoil
• Next add few bunches of tarragon (or rosemary etc)
• Add a couple of spoonfuls of honey over the lamb & tarragon
• Add few spoonfuls of cranberry sauce

• Fold the foil over the lamb to create a sealed parcel
• Peel & cut the potatoes, par boil for 10 ins, drain then add into a large tureen
• Prepare the garlic, tomatoes & basil , ass to the potatoes for deliciously flavoured roast potatoes

• Add foil parcel onto the potatoes
• Pop into oven for a few hours on med heat

• Serve with gorgeous vegetables & for a delicious gravy, use the juices from the lamb
• Mmmmmmmm enjoy!!!! 

Jambalaya .. New Orleans style

Its been a while!!!! So much can happen in a hour, or even a day let alone a a few months however lets just stick with last week!!! Phewie - Wow - what a week. Riots in London & across England .. Riots & Looting!!! Huh & I thought the English just don't loot. However, an illogical decent into mindless disregard, conspiracy theories accompanied with the usual flummoxing questions like "what ever happened to good manners, great respect, much honour & shared responsibility towards each other" just mustn't enter an already hot Hot HOT kitchen :)  Without further ado lets get to the fun dish that is known as  Jambalaya!! Now I have made this before many years ago & a few times, each time recipe being different ingredients - each result nice. Its not my favourite kind of meal served onto a plate but it does serve a purpose. . . a quick, tasty & a little varied flavours & textures. Actually I was feeling lazy - very lazy & tired  - maybe it perhaps would've been more delicious served with a platter of delicious side vegetables or side salad. However after a week full of meals, baking, sight seeing, more cooking, more dishes due to company staying with us a lazy quick option seemed heavenly perfect & perfect it was.

One of our guests is an American, she is getting married next year in New Orleans, were all invited to the Shindig. Part of our invitation was hand written date on a New Orleans postcard, purchased last month whilst she was visiting suitable wedding venues in New Orleans. What a great way to serve - as a memo - the dates of the wedding to write into next years diary until the proper invitations arrive. These postcards are both ideal & useful, each one of them sharing a typical New Orleans recipe.  Mine being the recipe for Jambalaya!!  

 Jambalaya 

Ingredients

Smoked Sausage  ( I used Chorzio)

Cooked Ham

Red Pepper

Green Spring Onions  ( I used red onions too)

Celery  (I didnt have any)

Garlic Cloves

Thyme

Tin of Plum Tomatoes

Cayenne Pepper (I used smoked paprika & paprika)

Ham Stock

Salt, Pepper

Worcestershire Sauce

Rice  (I used long grain)

I also added French Green Beans & *Petite Pois in place of the celery, *frozen ones defrosted by pouring boiling water over them, then adding a capful of shrimp boil (another American gift) to add some further spice . . app the spice increases the longer the peas (usually shrimp) are soaked into this liquid flavouring! Seemed a good - interesting - way to add some heat & to try it out  :)

Method

• Remove outer skin from chorzio, cut into quarter pieces
• Cut ham into cubes
• Add both chorzio & ham into a large caldron style pan to saute

• Peel & chop the Spring onions & red onion
• Wash & deseed the red pepper, slice into small pieces
• Peel, top & tail the garlic, crush & dice into tiny pieces
• Add all chopped ingredients into the pan to saute alongside the sausage & ham

• Add lid & saute for a little while
• Wash & rinse the rice in plenty of cold water until water is clear
• Prepare tinned tomatoes, ham stock & spices
• Add all into the pan & mix

• Bring to boil then cook on high heat for about 10 mins without lid
• Reduce heat & add lid. Stir regularly add water if necessary
• After 20 mins switch off, stir return lid & allow to soak up juices. 

• A tasty, speedy cauldron style cooking which suits so many different needs. 

• The added spicy peas were nice but it was equally as tasty without, The shrimp boil/sauce has a very distinctive flavour but I cant yet get what it is, its a very clean flavour .. almost aniseed/fennel hint.
• Serve hot & enjoy :)

• Mmmmmm the rice is actually full of flavours, the smoky sausage, the spicy paprika - delicious
• I shall make this again sometime soon, but will also try with Spinneys favourite flavourings. 
• Thats the beauty of using rice, it does lend itself to many flavours & needs. Egg fried rice, curry & rice, stroganoff . Brilliant food medium :)